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UFC 272 is set to get going this weekend from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, March 5th. There is a five-bout main card highlighted by a welterweight bout between Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal, but there’s plenty of action earlier in the day. ESPN and ESPN+ will host the preliminary card on Saturday, where you can watch Nicolae Negumereanu vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu in a light heavyweight bout.
Negumereanu enters with an 11-2 record in his professional career so far. Most recently, he took on Ike Villanueva in October of 2021. Negumereanu came away with a first-round knockout only 1:18 into the match. After his loss in 2019, he took nearly two years off from fighting and it appears to have helped. He has won his two fights since his return and looks to take that momentum into this matchup. He is the slight underdog with +125 odds.
Nzechukwu has a 9-2 record in his short fighting career so far. The 29-year-old Nigerian had a three-match win streak heading into his previous bout against Da-Un Jung in November of 2021. Unfortunately, he took the first-round, knockout loss in the bout. Nzechukwu will look to get back on track in this matchup to have a strong start to 2022. He is the favorite with -145 odds.
How to watch Negumereanu vs. Nzechukwu
Date: Saturday, March 5th
Fight time: Preliminary card starts at 8:00 p.m. ET
Live stream: ESPN and ESPN+ via WatchESPN or the ESPN app
DraftKings Sportsbook Odds/Predictions
Negumereanu: +125
Nzechukwu: -145
Splits: 64% of handle, 34% of bets on Nicolae Negumereanu
The money is following Negumereanu, but the number of bets is following Nzechukwu which makes sense due to him being the odds-on favorite. Nzechukwu is coming off just the second loss of his career and the first knockout loss he has taken. Negumereanu has the momentum winning his last two matches. In fact, the lone loss of his career was just a unanimous decision loss, his first in the UFC and he has responded with back-to-back wins. I’m following the money and going Negumereanu in the upset.
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