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Two experienced bantamweight fighters will take the octagon this Saturday as Andre Ewell and Irwin Rivera square off in a preliminary card event for UFC Vegas 11 live from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and on ESPN+.
Ewell will enter the fight as the fight as the favorite, but it won’t be by a huge margin. He’s 16-6 in his UFC career, winning seven of his last nine bouts. As for his victories Mr. Highlight” is a mixed bag. He has seven KO/TKOs, four submissions and five decision wins.
As for his style, Ewell is a southpaw-stance fighter that thrives as a striker. He lands 3.74 strikes per minute, an impressive number when you consider his average fight is 14-and-a-half minutes long. He’ll also enter with a nine-inch reach advantage over Rivera.
Neither of these fighters are big into takedowns with Ewell averaging .21 per 15 minutes, having a 50 percent takedown accuracy and 66 percent defense rate. Rivera is a bit more confident on the ground, aiming for a takedown per 15 minutes. He lands just 22 percent of his attempts though, and is 10-5 in his MMA career. Both have fought once this year with Rivera riding the better recent streak, winning four of his last five.
Rivera is better on the ground, landing 2.33 strikes per minute and absorbing 3.50. The 31-year-old will have to watch Ewell’s reach advantage as the three-quarters-of-a-foot difference should factor into the outcome. Ewell vs. Rivera will be the second of three straight men’s bantamweight fights to start the card.
Here are the betting odds at DraftKings Sportsbook for Andre Ewell vs. Irwin Rivera at UFC Fight Night on September 19th.
Money line odds
Andre Ewell: -210
Irwin Rivera: +165
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