It’s been almost a month since the UFC’s last pay per view event as Daniel Cormier defeated Anthony Johnson at UFC 210 back in April. However, the hiatus is well earned as the UFC have put together a stacked card for UFC 211 this Sunday, the 7th of May. We preview and give our betting tips for the two main events below.
Stipe Miocic (c) vs Junior dos Santos
The UFC seems to finally have a settled and marketable star holding the heavyweight title belt in Stipe Miocic. After winning the belt from Fabricio Werdum in May of last year, Miocic became the first person to successfully defend the title since Cain Valasquez in October of 2013.
Dos Santas will come into the fight with varied form and holding an overall 18-4 record. A win over Miocic back in December of 2014 was sandwiched between two losses to Cain Valasquez and Alistair Overeem, and after a win over Ben Rothwell in April last year, it seems this title shot is coming out of respect for a great career rather than form.
Dos Santos has defeated Miocic, but that almost three years ago and the American will be a much different fight now. On the night, Dos Santos was able to control the tempo of the fight and turn it into a boxing match, which suits him perfectly. Since then, we’ve seen Miocic hone his takedown skills, which should even up this contest greatly.
It’s a tough fight to pick a winner, while dos Santos hasn’t had the best form of late, his boxing game still presents real trouble for Miocic, who has struggled to find a way to stop fights becoming boxing matches in the past. While he has developed some tools in take downs and leg kicks to stem the flow, dos Santos is a tricky matchup for him. We are happy to back the underdog here.
TIP: Junior dos Santos to win - $2 at Sportsbet
Joanna Jedrzejczyk (C) vs Jessica Andrade
Arguably the most dominant force in women’s MMA Joanna Jedrzejczyk will attempt to defend her title for a 5th consecutive time on Sunday when she faces Jessica Andrade of Brazil. Andrade has taken the straweight division by storm since moving down back in 2016. Her three fights in the division have garnered three decisive victories over Jessica Penne, Joanne Calderwood and Angela Hill and she has earnt a shot at the title.
Since Joanna Jedrzejczyk beat Carla Esparza for the title in 2015, she has barely looked like being beaten, in fact, with a 13-0 record she’s barely looked like being beaten her whole career. A unanimous decision win over compatriot Karolina Kowalkiewicz in UFC 205 stamped her dominance over the division.
It’s another tough fight to pick, Andrade has the advantage of coming down a division recently. She’s used to fighting more powerful women so the power of Jedrzejczyk shouldn’t be too much of an issue here. However, she’ll still be aiming to find ways to avoid a boxing match with Jedrzejczyk, because that’s most likely a fight she’ll lose every day of the week. As impressive as Andrade has been, it’s tough to go against the pedigree here.
TIP: Joanna Jedrzejczyk to win - $1.60 at Sportsbet
Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
