Michael Morales vs Jake Matthews Pick, 11/18/2023 Predictions UFC Vegas 82 Odds

Michael Morales vs Jake Matthews

UFC Vegas 82

UFC Apex in Las Vegas

Saturday, November 18, 2023

Michael Morales will enter the Octagon with Jake Matthews at UFC Vegas 82 on Saturday, November 18, 2023. The opening line has Morales at -270 while Matthews is at +220.

Michael Morales comes into this fight with a mark of 15-0-0. The 24-year-old records a weight of 170 lbs and measures in at 6'0". The orthodox fighter extends his reach 79". Jake "The Celtic Kid" Matthews comes in at 5'11" and is weighing in at 170 lbs. The orthodox fighter steps into the cage with a mark of 19-6-0. The 29-year-old stretches 73". Concerning significant strikes, Michael Morales connects on 5.17 per min while Jake Matthews connects on 3.27 significant strikes per min. Morales connects on 48% of the significant strikes he attempts while Matthews is connecting on 45%. Concerning the fighter's defense, Morales absorbs 3.54 significant strikes per min and "The Celtic Kid" takes 2.33. Morales also stops 48% of the significant strikes his opponents throw his way and Matthews is able to curb 60% of the strikes thrown his way.

When it comes to grappling, Michael Morales is the not as competent as a grappler as he takes his opponents to the canvas 1.66 times per 15 min. Morales is taking his opponents to the canvas on 45% of his attempts and is stuffing 91% of takedowns his opponents have tried. Matthews is finishing his takedown attempts on 41% of his takedown attempts and thwarting 61% of takedowns his opponents have attempted. In terms of subbing the opposition, Morales is the lesser skilled of the two fighters by going for 0.3 subs per 15 min while Matthews tries 0.7 subs per 3 rds.

The last time he stepped into the Octagon, Michael Morales fought Max Griffin and got a win for the night via unanimous decision in round 3. Griffin ended up landing 39 of 105 total strikes that he let go. Morales walked away from this fight having landed 73 of 165 total strikes. In regard to significant strikes, Griffin landed 36 of 102, which gave him a rate of 35%. He finished the fight landing 28 of 93 significant strikes aimed at the head. On the other side, Morales ended up landing 43% of the significant strikes he threw by landing 72 of 164. Out of those significant strikes, he connected on 59 of 145 pointed at the head. 97% of the significant strikes landed by Griffin and 94% of them landed by Morales were tallied at a distance.

In the last bout for Jake Matthews, he went up against Darrius Flowers and took home the win by way of rear naked choke in round 2. Flowers ended up landing 86% of his significant strikes at distance and Matthews ended up connecting on 78% of the significant strikes he tried at a distance. Matthews ended up landing 59% of the significant strikes he attempted by connecting on 60 of 101. He connected on 40 of 78 significant strikes directed at the head. Flowers ended up landing 36 of 64 significant strikes in that fight. Looking at the significant strike accuracy, he ended up landing 21 of 48 aimed at the head. Regarding total strikes thrown in that contest, Flowers ended up connecting on 41 of 69 and Matthews ended up connecting on 71 of 113 of all the strikes he threw.

Other fights on the card to keep an eye on

Another fight to keep an eye on is when Chase Hooper goes up against Jordan Leavitt. Hooper walks into the cage holding a record of 12-3-1. The 24-year-old tips the scales at 155 lbs and stands in at 6'1". The southpaw fighter reaches 74". Leavitt measures 5'9" and is weighing in at 155 lbs. The southpaw fighter walks into the cage with a record of 11-2-0. The 28-year-old has an arm span of 71". When it comes to grappling, Chase Hooper takes his opponents down 1.47 times per 3 rounds and Jordan Leavitt scores a takedown 2.31 times per 3 rounds. When talking about striking, Hooper lands an average of 5.00 strikes per min and is connecting on 51% of his attempted strikes. On the other side we have Jordan Leavitt, who is landing 60% of the strikes he has tried and is connecting on 2.64 per minute.

If you're into fun fights, you're going to want to see when Nick Aguirre is set to enter the Octagon with Payton Talbott. Talbott looks to add a win to his career record of 6-0-0. The 25-year-old is fighting at 135 lbs and measures in at 5'10". The switch fighter has an arm span of 70". Aguirre stands in at 5'9" and weighs 135 lbs. The southpaw fighter looks to add a win to his total of 7-1-0. The 27-year-old reaches 74". When it comes to takedowns, Payton Talbott stops 94% of the takedowns his opponents go for and is taking his opponents to the mat on 15% of his tries. Aguirre is finishing his takedown tries on 15% of the attempts he tries and defends against 33% of all takedown attempts. In the category of striking, Talbott takes 5.07 strikes/minute and he is dealing 9.67 strikes per minute. Aguirre, in contrast, absorbs 3.13 strikes/min and is dishing out 0.93 per minute.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Jake Matthews (+220)

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