UFC Fight Night 211 Odds: Main Card, Prelims, Analysis and Predictions

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns after a week off and we have a smaller event in preparation for one of the biggest PPV cards of the year. This week, Mackenzie Dern will face Xiaonan Yan in the main event of UFC Fight Night 211. But besides the big fight, the main card and the prelims are full of prospects and attractive young fighters. Here are our predictions.

UFC Fight Night 211: Main Card, Prelims – Predictions

Ilir Latifi vs Aleksei Oleinik (Heavyweight Bout)

Ilir Latifi Preview

Ilir is a basic wrestler. He has tenacious control. The fighter has abandoned the destructive ground and pound and relies primarily on being passive and methodical. He likes disabling the opponent's limbs, which allows him to more firmly hold the opponent on the ground, maintain cardio and develop a position.

Ilir does not work well on his feet. He throws few punches, aiming at the opponent's head, moves poorly, and therefore misses a lot of punches. Latifi has problems with takedowns. Only 33% of attempts to transfer an opponent to the ground are successful.

Aleksei Oleinik Preview

Aleksei is an international master of sports in combat sambo and a 4th level in BJJ. He is most dangerous on the ground and in the clinch. Oleinik is constantly looking for submissions. He can reach one from any position, even from a clinch.

Aleksei has a rudimentary stance. The fighter is too slow, and his blows are too weak to deal damage. Oleinik is a true martial arts veteran who has suffered many injuries, with a weak grip and huge gaps in the stance, so he often falls into knockouts.

He often flirts on the ground, trying to perform difficult submissions and because of this, he gives all his strength in the first round and enters the second five-minute with a completely empty gas tank. If Oleinik had tried to do simpler and more effective techniques such as rear choke, hand triangle, and armbar, he would have won much more often.

Latifi vs Oleinik Prediction

I expect that the heavyweight fight will drag on and with a high probability go to the 3rd round. The two wrestlers will sort things out on the ground for at least 10 minutes, and the winner will be the one who has enough cardio for better and longer control.

Mike Davis vs Viacheslav Borshchev (Lightweight Bout)

Mike Davis Preview

Mike prefers to fight on his feet. This is a fast and technical fighter who builds a game plan around knockout power. He tries to make the opponent open up, then catches him on a mistake and sends him to sleep. If the fight in the stand does not go according to plan, he can try to take the opponent to the ground, where he will score points through control.

As Davis' performances in the UFC showed, he is far from the top level. He lacks standing technique against technical strikers, and in wrestling, he cannot match a good BJJ specialist.

Viacheslav Borshchev Preview

Viacheslav is an international master of sports in kickboxing, he is the most dangerous in the standing position. Borshchev controls the distance well, works competently on different levels and effectively combines work with his hands with dangerous kicks. Borshchev can end the fight with one accurate hit.

Davis vs Borshchev Prediction

Why is Mike the big favorite here? He comes out after being out for 1 year and 9 months. I think Borshchev, after losing the last fight, tried to improve his grappling skills and he will not let Davis control him.

In the stand, Viacheslav is better than his opponent. He is more technical, more aggressive, and hits harder. Yes, he has bad footwork, but he will calmly interrupt an opponent who does not have enough technique to effectively resist good combinations.

Sodiq Yusuff vs Don Shainis (Featherweight Bout)

Sodiq Yusuff Preview

Yusuff is a boxer. He prefers to work aggressively, throwing a large number of accurate shots. He averages 6 punches per minute with 59% accuracy. I note that Sodiq has knockout power.

If necessary, Sodiq can slow down the pace of the fight. He is good at takedowns and controlling his opponents. But Yusuff flirts in attack and misses a lot of punches. He forgets about protection and gives up. Against a hard-hitting puncher, this can lead to a knockout.

Don Shainis Preview

Don bets on wrestling. His game plan is to take the opponent to the ground and finish him there. On the stand, he relies on knockout power and a flurry of punches, but Shainis has a poor defense. He catches punches with his chin and doesn't protect his body. Because of this, it is easy to beat him on points, and in the future, such tactics can lead to the fact that Don will fall into a knockout from a single punch.

Yusuff vs Shainis Prediction

Sodiq Yusuff does not force things. He will break the opponent in the standing position and score points through the clinch. On his feet, Shainis will not compete with the prospect. Don has no defense and will miss almost anything that flies at him. But the debutant has a strong jaw and I doubt that he will be knocked out in the first fight in the UFC.

Raoni Barcelos vs Trevin Jones (Bantamweight Bout)

Before we reach the predictions for the main event of UFC Vegas 61, we have an explosive fight between two impressive fighters that have the potential to give us the fight of the night.

Raoni Barcelos Preview

Raoni is a wrestler and black belt in BJJ. He is good with takedowns and controls opponents well on the ground. On the stand, Barcelos excels with explosive power, fast punches, and knockout power.

Raoni has cardio issues. By the beginning of the 3rd round, he gets tired and starts to let go of the initiative. It must be understood that a tired Barcelos does not walk around the octagon like a weak-willed doll, trying to breathe all the air in the arena. He continues to fight but begins to not finish his attacks in certain moments, which makes it easier to interrupt him or impose control.

Trevin Jones Preview

Jones is a versatile fighter. In the standing position, he relies on physical strength and aggressive pressing. The fighter does a lot of work on his feet, trying to inflict maximum damage on his opponent.

On the ground, Trevin controls opponents well. Having taken a dominant position, he always tries to finish the opponent with ground and pound, and not score points through passive laying.

Jones has poor defense, gets carried away offensively, forgets to raise his hands, and keeps his jaw open, which is why he misses a lot of punches. On the ground, Trevin can't compete with top grapplers due to the fact that he doesn't know how to work from the back.

Barcelos vs Jones Prediction

There is a high probability that this will be a bright and fleeting battle. Raoni has good wrestling technique and he knows how to perform submissions. If he succeeds in dragging Jones to the ground, then he will be able to get into a comfortable position and finish him.

In the standing position, both athletes will have a chance to finish the opponent. Barcelos, despite the problems with cardio, works at high speeds. If Jones does not keep up with him, then he will receive a large amount of damage and will be knocked out. On the other hand, when Raoni slows down, Trevin will be able to deliver a heavy punch and finish the Brazilian.