The Stats Zone
November 27 2018, 15:57 · Ewan Lavender

MMA Preview – Junior dos Santos vs Tai Tuivasa at UFC Fight Night 142

AT A GLANCE

When is UFC Fight Night 142? Sunday 2nd December, 2018 - 01:00 start (UK)

Where is UFC Fight Night 142? Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide, Australia

What channel is UFC Fight Night 142 on? BT Sport 2

Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 142? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website

Are tickets still available for UFC Fight Night 142? http://uk.ufc.com/event-ticket...

THE STATISTICS

THE LOWDOWN

Two heavy fan-favourites headline the second UFC event that has been staged in Adelaide, with the Sydney slugger Tai Tuivasa hosting the former heavyweight champion, Junior dos Santos. This should be a barnburner between two of the heaviest hitters in the division and for Tuivasa, it is the biggest fight of his career so far.

‘Bam Bam’ is unbeaten, finishing all but one of his fights via knockout so we know exactly what to expect from him. However, Dos Santos is one of the most fearsome strikers on the whole roster who combines power with supreme technical ability.

THE PREDICTION

Tuivasa’s grappling has been untested and that is likely to continue as ‘Cigano’ prefers to finish all his fights with his dangerous hands. If he decides to make this a grappling contest it is finely balanced but he will back the technique of his boxing along with mixing the odd high kick to disrupt the tempo of the Australian and inflict fight-ending damage.

However, if Dos Santos does not respect the explosiveness and athleticism of Tuivasa he will be in trouble. Considering the wars the Brazilian has been in and how fresh Tuivasa is, Dos Santos cannot afford to eat too many shots so his defence will be key. That said, Dos Santos has too much class to make any mistakes and although he has the power to shut the lights out with one shot, Bam Bam has the durability to take this to a decision.

Winner: Dos Santos via Decision

Striking and grappling stats sourced via FightMetric.