UFC Fight Night 233: Song vs. Gutiérrez Odds, Schedule, Predictions
Song Yadong was scheduled to have the honor of fighting in his native China for the first time in five years at UFC Fight Night 233. On Saturday night, he'll have to settle for getting a main event slot at the UFC Apex Facility against Chris Gutiérrez.
The card was intended to take place in Shanghai, China, but it was announced in November that the card would actually be held in Vegas.
Still, the card features a good mix of veterans and up-and-coming talent that should generate some good fights regardless of where they are held.
Joining the Song vs. Gutiérrez main event is a light heavyweight bout between Anthony Smith and Khalil Rountree Jr. in the co-main.
Here's a look at the complete card along with the latest odds and a preview and prediciton for the two featured bouts.
- Song Yadong (-380) vs. Chris Gutierrez (+300)
- Anthony Smith (+170) vs. Khalil Rountree (-205)
- Nasrat Haqparast (-192) vs. Jamie Mullarkey (+160)
- Tim Elliott (-130) vs. Su Mudaerji (+110)
- Andre Muniz (+154) vs. Junyong Park (-185)
- Kevin Jousset (-148) vs. Song Kenan (+124)
- Sung Hyun Park (-600) vs. Shannon Ross (+440)
- Melquizael Costa (-265) vs. Steve Garcia (+215)
- Stephanie Egger (+124) vs. Luana Santos (-148)
- Carlos Hernandez (+440) vs. Tatsuro Taira (-600)
- Talita Alencar (+140) vs. Rayanne Amanda (-166)
Main Card (ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET)
Prelims (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)
The main event pits two ranked fighters together in the bantamweight division. Song Yadong is ranked seventh in the division while Chris Gutiérrez is barely hanging on at the No. 15 spot.
This might not be the most prestigious main event in UFC history, but it does have the makings of a banger.
Song is a strong striker and he's won six post-fight performance bonuses in 12 career fights. He's only 26 years old and continues to grow into a fighter who looks like he will compete for titles before he's done.
He's won four of his last five fights and the lone loss was to a former title contender in Cory Sandhagen.
Gutiérrez is on a similar streak with his only loss in 10 fights was to Pedro Munhoz. He's an exciting kickboxer who continues to stack up wins.
However, Song is the younger fighter who has performed in bigger spots. Song has been in five round fights before and this matchup feels like it was made for him to showcase his skills in what was supposed to be a home-country fight.
Prediction: Song via fourth-round TKO
Anthony Smith is nothing if not willing to take some risks. The veteran has always been willing to take on a hard assignment and he has another one on Saturday.
Khalil Rountree is on a four-fight win streak and was supposed to fight fellow rising contender Azamat Murzakanov. When Murzakanov pulled out of the bout, the UFC had to find someone willing to fight a dangerous fighter like Rountree on short notice on two weeks' notice.
Smith has always been a company man and it's served him well as he continues to get fights in the spotlight despite diminishing performance.
That being said, he's still a game opponent and beat Ryan Spann via split decision in August.
Rountree has always been a dangerous fighter, but he hasn't been consistent. At one point he was much closer to being cut from the roster than contending for a ranking with a 1-3 stretch.
Now, he's ripped off four wins in a row and appears to have things in order.
That should continue against Smith. The veteran is tough and durable but Rountree is fighting at the top of his game.
Prediction: Rountree via second-round TKO
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