The UFC 272 main card opens up with two big sluggers. They know what they’re doing by having this as the first fight, It’s highly unlikely to see the final bell.
Greg Hardy has been on a skid, losing two in a row to Marcin Tybura and Tai Tuivasa. ‘The Prince of War’ seeks redemption with a career defining victory over Moldova’s Sergey Spivak. Spivak, recovering from his own loss to hot prospect Tom Aspinall, has a great HW resumé, and looks to add to his roster of victories this weekend.
Greg Hardy vs Sergey Spivak Prediction
The reality of this fight is this: Greg Hardy either knocks Spivak out, or Spivak survives the early onslaught to grind Hardy out on the ground.
Spivak isn’t known for his striking, he’s more of a take them down and grind them out sort of fighter. This being said, he’s shown promise on the feet, with some quick counter combos like those he threw against Alexey Oleynik. But when you consider Oleynik is 40+ years old and known for his grappling, it becomes less impressive.
Tom Aspinall folded Spivak in less than half a round last November. Whilst Aspinall is slimmer than Hardy, they both share the same penchant for straight punches. This is something Spivak struggles with, as his striking is quite rudimentary and he often leaves his guard wide open for those straights to come through.
You can’t play with the power of Hardy. He’s not the fittest or the most technically sound, but he has legitimate knock your head off capabilities, and a nasty temperament. I predict Hardy by knockout.
My pick – Hardy by KO/TKO
Greg Hardy vs Sergey Spivak Betting
Oddschecker actually has Hardy as a sizeable underdog. The grappling threat from Spivak isn’t to be understated, but neither is Hardy’s power. Hardy to win outright is 7/4, and to win by KO/TKO/DQ it’s 3/1. The knockout odds in particular should be of interest.
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