Ricky Turcios vs. Brady Hiestand Odds, Preview and Prediction, (August 28): UFC

Credit: photo by Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

 

Odds

Time (Main Card)	10:00 p.m. EST
Ricky Turcios money line	-165
Brady Hiestand money line	+140

 

Key stats

	Ricky Turcios	Brady Hiestand
Height	5'9	5'8
Weight	135	135
Reach	71'	71'
Record	10-2	5-1
Streak	W1	W1
Last 5	3-2	4-1

 

Preview

The Ultimate Fighter 29 Bantamweight finale is upon us, as Ricky Turcios battles Brady Hiestand. There is some redemption in this for Turcios, as he dropped a close decision to Boston Salmon on Dana White’s Contender series back in 2017. Turcios kept at it on the regional scene, but the opportunity of TUF presented an excellent chance to finally make it to the UFC. Turcois has made the most of that opportunity, winning two fights on the show to earn this finale showdown against Hiestand. A fighter, who narrowly escaped the quarter-finals, winning via split decision. However, in the semi-finals, Hiestand left the judges out of it, knocking out Vince Murdock in the opening round.

Prediction

From the little tape I’ve seen, Ricky Turcios looks to be a good striker. He likes to keep his distance, and pepper his foes with jabs and leg kicks. While he looks to be competent in grappling, I was a little concerned about his takedown defense. It's pretty leaky if you ask me. A definite concern, especially when you consider the fact that Hiestand is a wrestler. A good one at that. While his striking needs work, his wrestling pretty much aided him all the way to the finale. Impressively too, as he beat two of the more experienced fighters on the show.

As for a prediction, I'm going with Hiestand. While my read on this fight isn't great, the combination of Hiestands wrestling and cardio lead me to believe he grinds out a decision victory.

PICK: Brady Hiestand (+140)

 

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