Fight Night: Jai Herbert vs. Farez Ziam Analysis and Prediction

Another London event is on the UFC schedule and coming up this weekend. One of the interesting fights is this main card opener between lightweights Jai Herbert and Farez Ziam. England’s own will be welcoming a Frenchman to the rowdy O2 Arena on Saturday night.

Read more for the fight analysis and the official Herbert vs Ziam prediction ahead of making your bets for this weekend.

Jai Herbert vs Farez Ziam

Location of the fight: O2 Arena, London, England.

Date and Time: Saturday, July 22. 3:00 PM ET main card start

How to Watch: ESPN+

Herbert is coming off a draw against Ludovit Klein in March.

Ziam’s last appearance in the octagon was last September when he beat Michal Figlak by unanimous decision. 

Herbert is a 35-year-old martial artist from England with a professional record of 12-4-1 with 10 finishes. This will be his fourth fight in a row taking place in the O2. He is 6’1” with an impressive 77” reach. 

So far in his career, Herbert averages only 2.55 significant strikes landed and 2.92 absorbed per minute. To go along with that, he has a 52% takedown defense and averages 0.25 takedowns every 15 minutes.

Ziam is a French fighter that trains out of the famous Kill Cliff FC gym with a great team around him. He is only 26 years old and has a professional MMA record of 13-4 with 9 finishes. He matches Herbert’s height at 6’1”, but has a reach of 75”. 

Ziam averages only 2.52 significant strikes landed per minute, but has great striking defense at 66% and only absorbs 1.70 significant strikes per minute. Ziam wrestles a little more than Herbert as well; averaging 0.96 takedowns per 15 minutes, and has a 70% takedown defense.

No injuries have been reported to the UFC. 

It’s early on in fight week, so the prop bets haven’t been released, but the moneylines have. Herbert is coming in as the +135 underdog going up against Ziam, the betting favorite, at -155. The over/under is set at 2.5 rounds, with the ‘over’ being favored.

Since there aren’t too many lines to break down, keep your eye open all week for new props and UFC odds to be released at your sportsbooks. 

From a technical view of this matchup, Herbert is a dangerous and skilled striker that has shown he can hurt just about anybody he steps in the octagon with. He has struggled with finishing fights when he hurts his opponent, but he is very skilled.

Ziam is also a long, lengthy fighter like Herbert and has solid striking skills. He brings an extra wrinkle to his game with his wrestling ability, and he uses his long arms to lock up submissions well. 

Previewing this matchup proves that the Herbert vs Ziam prediction is basically a coin flip. These two are very evenly matched fighters that will have opportunities to finish each other. 

After looking at this matchup, making UFC picks for fights like this is very difficult. You have to look beyond the numbers and try to find who has the most advantages. 

• The Herbert vs Ziam prediction leans toward Herbert’s favor.

He is comfortable at the O2; he has the motivation to get that last draw in the rear-view mirror and continue his winning ways. The wrestling of Ziam will be very tough to deal with for him, though.

No matter who wins, the way to go on this one is hitting the under 2.5 rounds at +160. Herbert doesn’t want scorecards involved, and Ziam has a very good opportunity to take this fight to the ground and lock up a submission with his long limbs. 

If you love sports and want more sports betting information@InsidersBetDigfree betting picks.