UFC Fight Night 176: Overeem vs Sakai betting tips

Overeem vs Sakai UFC betting preview

Augusto Sakai (15-1-1) is a young up-and-comer in the UFC Heavyweight division at 29 years old. Alistair Overeem (46-18-0) is a seasoned veteran at 40 years old. Can Sakai pass his main event test against Overeem at UFC Fight Night 176 in Las Vegas, Nevada, or will he taste defeat for the first time at this level?

Overeem has won three of his last four fights, scoring technical knockout wins over Sergei Pavlovich, Alexey Oleynik, and Walt Harris. He was just a few seconds away from securing a win in his main event fight against Jairzinho Rozenstruik last December before being knocked out in the closing moments of the fifth round. That was the 14th loss by knockout of Overeem’s long professional career.

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Sakai is a perfect 4-0 through his first four fights in the UFC. His knockout power was on display in a devastating first-round knockout against Marcin Tybura last September, but that win has been sandwiched between two underwhelming split-decision victories over Andrei Arlovski and Blagoy Ivanov. Sakai will get his toughest test to date against the veteran Overeem this Saturday.

This is an intriguing matchup. On the one hand, Overeem has struggled in the past with fighters who have significant power, and Sakai certainly has that with 11 of his 15 professional wins coming by way of knockout. But on the other hand, Sakai is a slow and lumbering heavyweight; a style that could struggle to keep up with a quicker and more agile fighter like Overeem.

The UFC put together a great fight here, as this bout will give us a much better indicator of just how good Sakai is. If you do decide to bet on Sakai, a big knockout blow looks like his only obvious path to victory. But considering how good Overeem has looked in his advanced age, we see the veteran using his advantages in experience, athleticism, and conditioning to pick up a win.