Middleweight bout: Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza vs. Joey Villaseñor
Prediction: Joey Villasenor via unanimous decision.
Souza vs Villasenor Odds: Currently -625 / +425
In the third bout of the evening, prolific jiu-jitsu ace Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza will take on well-rounded veteran “Smokin'” Joey Villasenor. Jacare’s jiu jitsu is unbelievably good, but his standup leaves a lot to be desired, while Villasenor is a far more well-rounded fighter, so this is a nice bit of matchmaking.
Jacare’s jiu jitsu is as good as anyone in the sport, easily. From any position on the ground, he is the master of submitting and controlling opponents with his impeccable technique. He is still young in his MMA career, though, so his skill set in the standup game and the wrestling game is still not up to speed. His boxing is extremely sophomoric, and while his wrestling is not terrible, it’s not good enough to make up for his one-dimensional offense. Still, he is one of the most dangerous fighters in the world because he can catch anyone at any time on the ground.
Joey Villasenor is a very well-rounded fighter who comes from Jackson’s Submission Fighting, one of the top camps on the planet. His ground game is extremely good, but he will still be at a significant disadvantage if this fight devolves into a grappling match. Stylistically, though, he does have a few advantages, namely that his standup is vastly superior and that he is the better wrestler of the two.
Jacare is the more dangerous of the two, but Villasenor is far more well rounded, and I think that plays to his advantage. He will give Jacare fits in the standup, and his wrestling and submission games are good enough that he isn’t going to get steamrolled if it goes to the ground, at least not instantly. Furthermore, you know that Greg Jackson will give Villasenor a solid game plan so that he won’t foolishly get in a grappling match with Jacare like Jason Miller did. I think Villasenor is a great pick to frustrate Jacare and punish him on the feet for a decision. At +400 or so, he is an excellent underdog pick.
Prediction: Joey Villasenor via unanimous decision.
- Bet on the UnderDog Villasenor @+400 for the Win.
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