Best bets for UFC Fight Night: Hall vs. Silva
ESPN PLUS ($ MATERIAL)
The UFC returns to Las Vegas this week, where Anderson Silva will fight for the final time of his long and decorated career. And he'll do it as an unranked underdog versus Uriah Hall.
Prelims start at 4 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPN+, and the main card begins at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill.
Middleweight main event: No. 10 Uriah Hall (-220) vs. Anderson Silva (+185)
Tale Of The TapeIt will look like a slowly building striker's duel with a lot of feeling out to start. Silva has never used much of a ground game, and Hall is unlikely to change levels. But neither is a high-paced striker, and neither prefers to lead the dance. One or both would have to break with his normal fighting style in order to start a fire fight.
URIAH HALL ANDERSON SILVA Last fight weight class Middleweight Middleweight Age 36 45 Height 72 74 Reach 79.5 77 Stance Orthodox Southpaw Analyzed minutes 139 254 Stand-up striking offense Total knockdown ratio (scored:received) 6:3 18:4 Distance knockdown rate 8.8% 8.1% Head jab accuracy 39% 50% Head power accuracy 30% 34% Total stand-up strike ratio 0.9 0.8 Striking defense Total head strike defense 76% 78% Distance knockdown defense ("Chin") 98% 97% Wrestling and grappling TD attempts per min standing/clinch 0.17 0.02 Takedown accuracy 39% 75% Advances per takedown/top control 0.2 0.8 Opponent takedown attempts 43 76 Takedown defense 70% 76% Share of total ground time in control 23% 17% Submission attempts per trip to ground 0.10 0.29
That leaves us examining striking precision and defense. Both fighters have similarly high knockdown rates, but Silva gets the slight edge in accuracy and has tighter defense. However, Hall has the range advantage and also averages a high rate of strikes while standing. Hall will also mix in kicks at all levels, which could be difficult for Silva -- at this point of his career -- to withstand for long. Silva's durability is a big factor as he competes at the age of 45, having accumulated damage and injuries along the way.
E+ recommends: Money line lean on Hall.
Best bets elsewhere on the card
The only heavyweight bout on the card will feature two guys trying to put a win streak together. And they'll likely do it entirely on their feet, as neither Greg Hardy (-300) nor Maurice Greene (+250) has ever landed a single takedown in the UFC.
They have identical striking accuracy from a distance, and both like to initiate. The biggest difference is Greene's poor head-strike defense. He's been dropped twice and generally eats more punches than the average fighter. That should be the difference, and Hardy could get a striking finish.
E+ recommends: Money line play on Hardy.
Looking deep into the undercard, we'll find women's flyweights Cortney Casey and Priscila Cachoeira. It's yet another matchup between two fighters who don't use many takedowns. On the feet, both average a very high pace of strikes, but Cachoeira has much worse striking defense -- the worst of any fighter on the card.
Casey has tested herself against more elite talent, albeit mostly in a lower weight class. Still, that experience -- and the liabilities of Cachoeira's technical striking -- make us side with the betting favorite.
E+ recommends: Money line play on Casey