UFC Vegas 78 Odds: Da'Mon Blackshear-Jose Johnson prediction

UFC Vegas 78: Vicente Luque vs. Rafael Dos Anjos continues on the prelims with a fight in the men's bantamweight division between Da'Mon Blackshear and Jose Johnson. Blackshear is coming off a dominant victory in his last fight meanwhile, Johnson is coming off three straight victories as he makes his UFC debut. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Blackshear-Johnson prediction and pick.

Da'Mon Blackshear (13-5-1) was originally scheduled to take on Brady Hiestand who had to pull out due to injury just a week before fight time. He now takes on Contender Series alumni Jose Johnson who will be stepping in on less than a week's notice. Blackshear will be looking to get on his first winning streak inside the octagon when he takes on Johnson this weekend at UFC Vegas 78.

Jose Johnson (15-7) will be looking to finally make his UFC debut after he suffered a medical issue that resulted in his release from the promotion. After Hiestand withdrew from the bout, Johnson took the opportunity to step in on short notice to take on his toughest competition to date in Da'Mon Blackshear this weekend at UFC Vegas 78.

Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

UFC Vegas 78 Odds: Da'Mon Blackshear-Jose Johnson Odds

Da'Mon Blackshear: -280

Jose Johnson: +220

Over 2.5 Rounds: +112

Under 2.5 Rounds: -142

How to Watch Da'Mon Blackshear vs. Jose Johnson

TV: ESPN

Stream: ESPN+

Time: 4:00 p.m. ET/ 1:00 p.m. PT (Prelims)

Why Da'Mon Blackshear Will Win

Da'Mon Blackshear looks to make it two in a row when he takes on short-notice replacement Jose Johnson this weekend at UFC Vegas 78. He was getting ready to take on a very good grappler in Brady Hiestand before he had withdraw due to injury. Now he takes on a long-range striker in Johnson who will be looking to keep this fight on the feet where he can just pick Blackshear apart at range.

Blackshear was impressive in his most recent win against Luan Lacerda where he submitted him in the second round by rear-naked choke. He was able to dominate Lacerda in every facet of the fight from the pace and striking to the wrestling and grappling, it was just a complete performance. Johnson has a big glaring weakness which is Blackshear's biggest advantage which is the wrestling and grappling. If he goes in there and fights smart looking for the takedown he has a great chance of another submission finish and making it two in a row for his first win streak inside the octagon.

Why Jose Johnson Will Win

Jose Johnson was set to take on both Vince Morales and Garrett Armfield for his UFC debut back in November 2022 and February 2023 before he had to withdraw from both bouts. After his most recent withdrawal against Armfield, the UFC brass had enough of Johnson, and was subsequently released from the promotion. They have since given him another chance after this short-notice opportunity arose where he took this fight on less than two weeks' notice.

Johnson does his best work on the feet and at kicking range where he can land his long-range attacks without being countered. He is a very dangerous striker with seven of his 15 wins coming by knockout. Johnson definitely has a chance to score the upset as long as he isn't buried underneath Blackshear for the majority of the fight and can keep the fight on the feet where he should be the much better striker between the two.

Final Da'Mon Blackshear-Jose Johnson Prediction & Pick

This should be a great scrap between these two bantamweight contenders. Blackshear really showed his dominance in his last fight and his tenacity to never quit in his loss against one of the top prospects in Javid Basharat in his fight before that. His wrestling and grappling will be unmatched here in this fight against Johnson who's struggled with defending grappling all throughout his entire career.

Johnson has 68 combined fights between professional and amateur and he still has yet to get better defensively when it comes to defending takedowns. Just in his two Contender Series fights he was taken down 18 times on 26 attempts which is good for a whopping 30% takedown defense. This spells disaster against a fighter that will put on relentless grappling pressure that is truly hard to match. He was even able to dominate and submit a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt in his last fight and has a higher level of grappling experience than Johnson. It's up to Johnson to defend takedowns and punish Blackshear when he attempts them but that's easier said than done. Ultimately, Blackshear takes Johnson down at will, dominates him on the mat, and eventually finds the back to sink in the rear-naked choke finish.

Final Da'Mon Blackshear-Jose Johnson & Pick: Da'Mon Blackshear (-280), Over 2.5 Rounds (+112)