UFC has had a strong run of cards outside of the United States of late, and that continues on Saturday as UFC Fight Night returns to Australia for the first time since May 2015. The headliner of the UFC Fight Night 142 card, set to take place in Adelaide, sees a former heavyweight champion in action as Junior Dos Santos takes on the undefeated Tai Tuivasa.
Dos Santos (19-5) returned to the Octagon for the first time in over a year this past July, earning a unanimous decision victory over Blagoy Ivanov in the main event of UFC Fight Night 133. Some viewed the win as a message from dos Santos -- who was returning from a controversial battle with the United States Anti-Doping Agency -- that he's ready to be a force in the heavyweight division once again.
Tuivasa (8-0) presents quite the challenge for dos Santos and his quest to rise back to the top of the division, as the 25-year-old has emerged as one of the more dangerous strikers in the business. It also helps Tuivasa on Saturday that he doesn't appear to be the least bit intimidated by facing the veteran and former heavyweight champ.
"You know me -- I really don't give a [expletive]," Tuivasa told MMAjunkie when asked to break down the matchup. "I approach every fight the same: He's got two hands, I've got two hands. He's got two legs, I've got two legs. It's very simple this fighting game. That's how I look at every fight."
The veteran presence of Dos Santos coupled with the exciting power of Tuivasa brings the potential for this to be a memorable main event on Saturday in Australia.
Here's the fight card with the latest odds from Bovada.
Favorite | Underdog | Weightclass |
---|---|---|
Junior Dos Santos -155 | Tai Tuivasa +125 | Heavyweight |
Tyson Pedro -500 | Mauricio Rua +350 | Light heavyweight |
Justin Willis -120 | Mark Hunt -110 | Heavyweight |
Jake Matthews -150 | Tony Martin +120 | Welterweight |
Sodiq Yusuff | Suman Mokhtarian | Featherweight |
Jimmy Crute -200 | Paul Craig +160 | Light heavyweight |
UFC 142 viewing information
Date: Dec. 1 | Start time: 10 p.m. ET
Location: Adelaide Entertainment Centre -- Adelaide, Australia
TV: FS1 | Stream: fuboTV (try for free)
Prediction
Dos Santos vs. Tuivasa: The unbeaten Tuivasa has been on a rapid rise in the heavyweight division, and he earned himself a victory over a veteran name in Andrei Arlovski at UFC 225 this past June via unanimous decision to further announce himself to the world. The veteran name he faces on Saturday in Dos Santos, though, will present a bit of a tougher challenge for Tuivasa. The much more well-rounded skills of Dos Santos will bring an end to the undefeated run of Tuivasa, but at just 25 years of age, there's no reason to believe "Bam Bam" won't learn from the experience and get back to business from there. Pick: Dos Santos via unanimous decision