Joel Alvarez vs Alexander Yakovlev Pick, 10/24/2020 Predictions UFC 254 Odds

Joel Alvarez vs Alexander Yakovlev

UFC 254

Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, UAE

Saturday, October 24, 2020

Joel Alvarez will enter the Octagon against Alexander Yakovlev at UFC 254 on Saturday, October 24, 2020. The opening moneyline has Alvarez at -155 while Yakovlev is coming in at +135.

Joel "El Fenomeno" Alvarez comes into this bout with a mark of 17-2-0. The 26-year-old is weighing in at 155 lbs and measures 6'3". The orthodox fighter reaches 77". Alexander "Russian Thunder" Yakovlev comes in at 6'3" and is weighing in at 155 lbs. The southpaw fighter steps into the cage holding a record of 24-9-1. The 36-year-old extends his reach 74". In terms of significant strikes, Joel Alvarez is landing 3.03 per minute and Alexander Yakovlev is landing 1.79 significant strikes per minute. Alvarez is connecting on 36% of the significant strikes he attempts while Yakovlev is connecting on 47%. When it comes to defending in the Octagon, "El Fenomeno" allows 3.67 significant strikes per min while "Russian Thunder" takes 2.44. Alvarez also defends against 53% of the significant strikes that are thrown his way while Yakovlev curbs 58% of the shots thrown his way.

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Concerning wrestling, Joel Alvarez is not as efficient of a grappler as he takes his opponents to the mat 0.60 times per 3 rounds. Alvarez is getting his opponent to the mat on 10% of his tries and stopping 10% of the takedowns his opponents attempt. Yakovlev is taking his opponents down on 33% of the takedowns he attempts and thwarting 72% of the tries against him. Regarding subbing the opposition, Alvarez is the more skilled of the two fighters by trying 0.6 subs per 15 min while Yakovlev attempts 0.4 subs per 15 minutes.

In his last bout, Joel Alvarez squared up with Joe Duffy and wound up getting the win by guillotine choke in round 1. Duffy ended up landing 14 of 26 total strikes attempted in that contest. Alvarez finished this fight landing 18 of 37 total strikes. In terms of significant strikes, Duffy landed 14 of 26, which gave him a percentage of 53%. He landed 6 of 16 significant strikes aimed at the head. On the other side, Alvarez ended up landing 48% of the significant strikes he threw by landing 18 of 37. Out of those significant strikes, he landed 7 of 24 aimed at the head. 

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In the last fight for Alexander Yakovlev, he went up against Roosevelt Roberts and was on the losing end of this fight by way of unanimous decision in round 3. Roberts landed 96% of the significant strikes he took from distance and Yakovlev ended up landing 60% of the significant strikes he tried at a distance. Yakovlev landed 40% of his significant strikes attempted by landing 20 of 49. He connected on 8 of 34 significant strikes to the head. Roberts ended up landing 28 of 98 significant strikes in that fight. Of those significant strikes, he landed 22 of 90 to the head. Regarding the total strikes thrown in this fight, Roberts ended up connecting on 56 of 128 and Yakovlev was 38 of 71 of the strikes he threw in total.

Other fights to watch out for

One more match to look forward to is when Khabib Nurmagomedov meets Justin Gaethje. Nurmagomedov will be looking to add a victory to his record of 28-0-0. The 32-year-old is weighing in at 155 lbs and stands in at 5'10". The orthodox fighter reaches 70". Gaethje measures 5'11" and steps on the scale at 155 lbs. The orthodox fighter will be looking to add a victory to his record of 22-2-0. The 31-year-old has a reach of 70". In terms of takedowns, Khabib Nurmagomedov takes his opponents down 5.35 times per 15 min while Justin Gaethje takes his opponents down 0.80 times per 3 rds. In terms of striking, Nurmagomedov tags his opponents 4.11 strikes/min and is connecting on 49% out of all the strikes he attempts. The other fighter in this bout is Justin Gaethje, who is connecting on 59% of his attempted strikes and connects on 7.74 per min.

Another must see fight on the night is when Jared Cannonier is set to encounter Robert Whittaker. Whittaker will be looking to add a win to his career record of 22-5-0. The 29-year-old weighs 185 lbs and measures in at 6'0". The orthodox fighter has a reach of 73". Cannonier measures in at 5'11" and records a weight of 185 lbs. The switch fighter looks to add a victory to his record of 13-4-0. The 36-year-old stretches 77". Regarding takedowns, Robert Whittaker is able to curb 84% of his opponents' takedown attempts and is finishing his takedowns on 30% of the times he tries. Cannonier is finishing his takedowns on 33% of the tries he takes and is able to deflect 51% of the takedowns his opponents attempt. Concerning striking, Whittaker absorbs 3.43 strikes/min while he is landing 4.51 strikes/min. Cannonier, in contrast, is taking 2.82 strikes/minute and lands 3.72 per minute.

Who will win tonight's UFC match against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take Alexander Yakovlev (+135)

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