We have afternoon UFC action this Saturday afternoon – afternoon in the USA, anyways. UFC Fight Night 145 from the Czech Republic is headlined by the light heavyweight bout between Jan Blachowicz and Thiago Santos. Here’s a look at the top fights and their UFC odds. It’s the UFC’s first-ever trip to the Czech Republic.
UFC Fight Night 145 Odds, Preview & Picks
Dominant debut!
Flash🔙 to when @JanBlachowicz made a statement in his Octagon debut with THIS body kick! #UFCPrague pic.twitter.com/eEXZ03a71y — UFC (@ufc) 20 de febrero de 2019
- When: Saturday, 2 PM ET
- Where: O2 Arena, Prague, Czech Republic
- TV: ESPN2
- Live Stream: UFC Fight Pass
Main Card
- Jan Blachowicz vs Thiago Santos
- Stefan Struve vs Marcos Rogerio de Lima
- Gian Villante vs Michal Oleksiejczuk
- Liz Carmouche vs Lucie Pudilova
- John Dodson vs Petr Yan
- Magomed Ankalaev
Preliminary Card
- Carlo Pedersoli Jr. vs Dwight Grant
- Daniel Teymur vs Chris Fishgold
- Veronica Macedo vs Gillian Robertson
- Damir Hadžović vs Polo Reyes
- Michel Prazeres vs Ismail Naurdiev
- Rustam Khabilov vs Carlos Diego Ferreira
- Damir Ismagulov vs Joel Alvarez
Jan Blachowicz (23-7) vs. Thiago Santos (20-6)
- UFC Fight Night 145 Odds: Blachowicz -110 / Santos -110
This is a pick’em at MyBookie with both fighters priced at -110 as of this writing. Both men are 35 and trying to make a legitimate run at the title while they are at the tail end of their fighting primes.
Poland’s Blachowicz is a former KSW light heavyweight champion. He has had somewhat of career revival since mid-2017, starting 2-4 inside the promotion but rebounding in a big way to win his last four. Most recently, Blachowicz submitted Nikita Krylov with an arm-triangle choke in September. In those last four outings, Blachowicz has earned himself three post-fight bonuses.
Blachowicz’s average fight time of 12:16 in UFC light heavyweight competition is second longest among active fighters in the weight class behind Jon Jones (13:58). Blachowicz lands 54.2 percent of his takedown attempts in UFC light-heavyweight competition, the second highest rate in divisional history behind Lyoto Machida (65 percent).
Santos has been on a tear since moving to 205 pounds, knocking out Eryk Anders and Jimi Manuwa in devastating fashion. One of the most active fighters on the UFC roster in 2018, Santos competed five times and won three post-fight bonuses while moving up a weight class.
Santos’ 10 knockouts since 2014 in UFC competition are tied with Derrick Lewis for most in the company. Santos’ eight knockout victories in UFC middleweight competition are tied with Anderson Silva for most in divisional history.
Santos’ nine knockdowns landed in UFC middleweight competition are tied for third-most in divisional history behind Silva (13) and Nate Marquardt (12).
Stefan Struve (28-11) vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima (16-6-1)
- UFC Fight Night 145 Odds: Struve +115 / De Lima -135
Struve is riding a three-fight losing streak with disappointing performances against Alexander Volkov, Andrei Arlovski, and Marcin Tybura. Those were against top contenders but if he loses against de Lima, then Struve’s UFC future could be over.
Struve has landed 342 combined significant strikes landed in all his wins in the UFC. His highest output in a single fight was against Nogueira where he landed 93 to a winning cause. Struve is an underrated veteran that always puts on exciting fights.
After 21 Octagon appearance in the UFC, he has tallied three Submission of the Night, one Knockout of the Night, one Performance of the Night and two Fight of the Night awards. Struve was 16-2 before getting signed by the UFC. He lost to Romualds Garkulis and future Bellator light heavyweight champion Christian M’Pumbu.
Struve’s 10 stoppage victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied for fourth-most in divisional history behind Frank Mir (13), Arlovski (11) and Gabriel Gonzaga (11). Struve’s 20 submission attempts in UFC heavyweight competition are the second most in divisional history behind Mir (21).
De Lima is considered a step down in competition for Struve. The Brazilian is 4-3 in the UFC as a light heavyweight. However, he moved up to heavyweight for his last outing and won a decision on Adam Wieczorek, handing him his second ever loss. De Lima will look for the knockout as he is a devastating puncher but he will need to work hard to close the distance and find the chin of the towering Dutchman.
De Lima has alternated wins and losses over his past seven fights. De Lima has earned 14 of his 16 career victories by stoppage. He’s finished 13 of those wins in Round 1.
Gian Villante (17-10) vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk (12-2)
- UFC Fight Night 145 Odds: Villante +170 / Oleksiejczuk -200
Villante is coming off his split decision win over Ed Herman at UFC Moncton in October. He contested his first bout under the UFC banner back in 2013. During his tenure with the promotion, he has claimed a record of 7-7 in the Octagon.
Villante is the only light heavyweight fighter in UFC history to absorb 100 or more significant strikes in three consecutive fights. Villante defends 85.4 percent of all opponent takedown attempts in UFC light heavyweight competition, the second highest rate among active fighters in the weight class.
Oleksiejczuk had a UFC debut unanimous decision win over Khalil Rountree overturned to a no contest after he tested positive after undergoing pre-fight screening for his short-notice UFC bow. The Polish fighter was handed a year’s suspension and was fined. “Lord” was on a nine-fight win streak and was a champion under the Thunderstrike Fight League banner ahead of signing with the UFC.
Expert UFC Fight Night 145 Picks
Bet Blachowicz, de Lima and Oleksiejczuk.
