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Tyron Woodley v Darren Till

Saturday night’s main event could come down to Woodley’s choice of approach.

The champion is arguably the best wrestler in the UFC, but takedowns haven’t been a part of his game for a long time. Instead, he relies upon his explosive forward movement and powerful overhand right.

Woodley’s become an exceptional defensive fighter, and he completely neutralised the long-range karate style of Stephen Thompson in their two meetings in 2016 and 2017.

But Till is a more dangerous striker than Thompson. He out-struck and beat the American just a few months ago.

Woodley might decide to risk going toe-to-toe with the Liverpudlian and hope to land one of his big bombs, but he would be well-advised to try and take this fight to the mat.

Till’s unbeaten in his six-fight UFC run, but he’s never had to fight off his back, and it’s hard to see him dealing with Woodley’s strength on the mat.

Expect the champion to start tentatively, but then go back to his wrestling roots and grind his way to a fourth successful title defence.

Woodley to win by decision
{{::outcome.FormattedDecimal}} {{::outcome.Numerator}}/{{::outcome.Denominator}} 5/2

 

Karolina Kowalkiewicz v Jessica Andrade

The winner of this women’s strawweight fight will probably get a shot at Rose Namajunas’ title.

Kowalkiewicz was the last fighter to beat the champion, earning a split decision win in 2016, but she then lost to Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Claudia Gadelha before bouncing back with two wins.

Andrade, meanwhile, has also won two in a row since her own decision defeat to Jedrzejczyk.

This should be a classic striker and grappler match-up, with the Pole attempting to box from the outside and the Brazilian looking to land a big right hand or take the fight to the ground.

Andrade is incredibly strong but was unable to make the most of her physical advantages against Jedrzejczyk, and she can clearly be beaten by an elite striker.

If Kowalkiewicz can follow that blueprint on Saturday night, she should be able to keep the fight on the feet and earn a narrow decision victory.

Kowalkiewicz to win by decision
{{::outcome.FormattedDecimal}} {{::outcome.Numerator}}/{{::outcome.Denominator}} 5/1

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