Justin Gaethje Favored in Lightweight Clash with Daniel Cerrone at UFC Fight Night 158

Posted on: September 14, 2019, 01:00h. 

Last updated on: September 13, 2019, 12:29h.

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Justin Gaethje has been installed as a slight favorite over Daniel Cerrone in a battle of two exciting lightweight brawlers at UFC Fight Night 158 in Vancouver, Canada on Saturday.

Gaethje Cerrone UFC Fight Night 158
Justin Gaethje comes into UFC Fight Night 158 as a modest favorite over Daniel Cerrone. (Image: The Mac Life)

Gaethje is listed at -200 odds in the main event by DraftKings Sportsbook, while “Cowboy” Cerrone can be backed as a +162 underdog.

Cerrone, Gaethje Should Provide Action-Packed Fight

The fight promises to be one of the more exciting bouts of the year for MMA fans. Both Cerrone (36-12) and Gaethje (20-2) are known for striking first and asking questions later, prioritizing doing damage to attempting to defend themselves. That means that this could be a short, high-octane affair, and that if it does manage to go longer than a round or so, it might even go down as a classic.

That’s not to say that these two warriors don’t have slightly different styles. Gaethje throws more strikes than just about anyone in MMA today, but also gets hit at an astonishingly high rate, as he constantly applies pressure to his opponents. Meanwhile, Cerrone relies a bit more on power than overwhelming volume.

The winner of this bout should see themselves at least on the fringes of the lightweight title picture. In fact, Gaethje says that if he wins, he wants to be given either a championship shot or a chance to compete against the biggest draw in MMA.

I think there’s two options for me – whoever wins [between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson], or I fight Conor [McGregor],” Gaethje told MMA Fighting. “Those are the two options I’ll be looking at when I’m done.”

That supposes that Gaethje wins on Saturday, which is far from a sure thing. But even though either man could put the other down, our pick is for Gaethje to gain momentum early in the fight and win by first-round knockout.

Krylov Looks for Breakthrough vs. Teixeira

A strong co-main event at UFC Fight Night 158 features ranked light heavyweights Glover Teixeira (29-7) and Nikita Krylov (25-6). The 39-year-old Teixeira is coming off of two straight submission victories earlier this year, while Krylov is 1-1 since returning to the UFC in 2018, last defeating Ovince St. Preux at UFC 236 in April. The bout is seen as a dead toss-up by oddsmakers, with both men going off at -112 odds.

While Teixeira is nearly at the end of his career, this fight could be a major opportunity for the 27-year-old Krylov, who is ranked as the No. 13 contender in the division. If he can beat Teixeira – currently ranked ninth – the Ukrainian sees big things in his immediate future.

“It’s a big fight for me, it’s a big opportunity,” Krylov told reporters via an interpreter. “Glover is a great fighter, and it should put me in the top 10 and in the race for me to be a champion. I’m ready to show you guys the best performance I ever did.”

This fight represents not only a clash of styles, but also of skill sets. Teixeira has a more well-rounded game, but Krylov has a major edge in athleticism. Our pick is for Krylov to survive into the middle rounds and get a stoppage win – either by submission or knockout – though it would hardly be a surprise if Teixeira gets into a dominant position and gets an early submission of his own before Krylov’s physical advantages take their toll.

Other fights on the UFC Fight Night 158 card include a heavyweight tilt between Todd Duffee (+100) and Jeff Hughes (-125), as well as a middleweight clash between Uriah Hall (+185) and Brazil’s Antonio Carlos Junior (-240).