The second of two former champions of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night is Petr Yan, who is taking on Marcus McGhee in a three-round Bantamweight co-main event. The Main Card for this event has a special start time of 3:00 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN+ because it is occurring in Abu Dhabi.
Here is my best bet for the co-main event between Yan vs. McGhee.
Petr Yan To Win By Decision (-185)
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Yan is a -380 favorite, so let’s look at a different way to back the former champion. Since he has won three fights in a row and six of nine via decision, you can get him to win on the judges’ scorecards at -185.
This is an excellent opportunity for Yan to extend his win streak to three and move closer to a title shot. Although McGhee averages more significant strikes per minute (6.06 vs. 5.11), Yan is more efficient (54%). Also on the ground, Yan lands 1.15 more takedowns per 15 minutes (1.61 vs. 0.46) at a 16 percent higher rate (49% vs. 33%).
Yan is at his best when he establishes an aggressive attack on the feet while mixing in level changes with takedowns. When Yan puts out a high volume of strikes, he can be as talented as anyone in this division. Although McGhee is talented and powerful, it seems like this is too steep a step up in competition for him. McGhee’s last win came against Jonathan Martinez, a valiant competitor who was once ranked but is no longer a top 15 bantamweight. Yan is the better all-around fighter and should be able to wear McGhee down if he is active on the feet while mixing in takedowns.
