Ilir Latifi vs Rodrigo Nascimento Pick, 5/20/2023 Predictions UFC Vegas 73 Odds

Ilir Latifi vs Rodrigo Nascimento

UFC Vegas 73

UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV

Saturday, May 20, 2023

Ilir Latifi will battle Rodrigo Nascimento at UFC Vegas 73 on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The line has Latifi priced at +145 while Nascimento is priced at -175.

Ilir "The Sledgehammer" Latifi walks into the Octagon holding a record of 17-8-0 (1 NC). The 40-year-old weighs in at 230 lbs and stands in at 5'10". The orthodox fighter has an arm span of 73". Rodrigo "Ze Colmeia" Nascimento comes in at 6'2" and steps on the scale at 246 lbs. The orthodox fighter holds a career record of 9-1-0 (1 NC). The 30-year-old extends his reach 80". Regarding significant strikes, Ilir Latifi is landing 1.92 per minute and Rodrigo Nascimento is landing 4.05 significant strikes per minute. Latifi is connecting on 42% of the significant strikes he tries and Nascimento is connecting on 51%. When it comes to defending in the cage, "The Sledgehammer" absorbs 2.75 significant strikes per minute and "Ze Colmeia" takes 5.22. Latifi also stops 56% of the significant strikes that are directed at him and Nascimento thwarts 41% of the strikes thrown his way.

Concerning wrestling, Ilir Latifi is not as efficient of a wrestler as he gets a takedown 2.13 times per 15 minutes. Latifi is taking his opponents to the canvas on 36% of the times he tries and is stopping 100% of all takedown tries against him. Nascimento is taking his opponents to the mat on 41% of the takedowns he tries and is stopping 100% of the attempts against him. Regarding going for the sub, Latifi is the lesser skilled fighter by trying 0.3 finishes per 3 rds while Nascimento goes for 1.4 finishes per 15 min.

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In his last bout, Ilir Latifi faced Aleksei Oleinik and ended up winning this fight by way of unanimous decision in round 3. Oleinik ended up landing 68 of 113 total strikes that he threw in that fight. Latifi finished this fight landing 74 of 88 total strikes. When talking about significant strikes, Oleinik ended up landing 28 of 70, which gave him a rate of 40%. He ended up landing 9 of 46 significant strikes aimed at the head. In terms of stats for the opponent, Latifi ended up landing 79% of his significant strikes by connecting on 38 of 48. Out of those significant strikes, he was 32 of 40 pointed at the head. 96% of the significant strikes connected on by Oleinik and 47% of them landed by Latifi were done at distance.

In the last bout for Rodrigo Nascimento, he went up against Tanner Boser and ended up getting the victory by split decision in round 3. Boser ended up connecting on 95% of the significant strikes he attempted at distance while Nascimento ended up landing 83% of the significant strikes he attempted at distance. Nascimento connected on 41% of the significant strikes he attempted by landing 36 of 86. He landed 32 of 81 significant strikes aimed at the head. Boser ended up landing 62 of 115 significant strikes in that battle. In terms of accuracy for the significant strikes, he connected on 40 of 87 to the head. When discussing total strikes thrown in that contest, Boser connected on 163 of 220 while Nascimento was 91 of 149 of all the strikes he attempted.

Other bouts to keep an eye on

Another fight that you're going to want to watch is when Chase Hooper opposes Nick Fiore. Hooper has a career mark of 11-3-1. The 23-year-old is weighing in at 155 lbs and measures 6'1". The southpaw fighter has an arm span of 74". Fiore comes in at 5'10" and is fighting at 155 lbs. The orthodox fighter has a career mark of 6-1-0. The 25-year-old has a reach of 72". Regarding grappling, Chase Hooper gets his opposition to the mat 1.56 times per 15 min while Nick Fiore takes his opponents to the canvas 1.00 times per 3 rds. When talking about striking, Hooper connects on 4.04 strikes/min and is landing 48% of his attempted strikes. On the other side we have Nick Fiore, who is connecting on 36% of his attempted strikes and is connecting on 2.27 per minute.

Another must see fight on the night is when Themba Gorimbo is set to face off against Takashi Sato. Sato has a career mark of 16-6-0. The 32-year-old will fight at 170 lbs and measures in at 5'10". The southpaw fighter has a reach of 73". Gorimbo comes in at 6'1" and will fight at 170 lbs. The orthodox fighter holds a record of 10-4-0. The 32-year-old extends his reach 77". In the category of takedowns, Takashi Sato thwarts 60% of the takedowns his opponents attempt and is taking his opponents down on 50% of the times he tries. Gorimbo is finishing his takedown tries on 100% of his attempts and is able to defend against 0% of all takedown tries against him. With regard to striking, Sato absorbs 4.25 strikes/min while he lands 2.28 per min. Gorimbo, notwithstanding, absorbs 1.06 strikes per minute and lands 0.91 per min.

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

Josh's Pick: Take Rodrigo Nascimento (-175)

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