MMA Preview – Andrei Arlovski vs Waldo Cortez-Acosta at UFC Fight Night 234
Click here for today’s sports betting tips from our expert analysts!
ANDREI ARLOVSKI VS WALDO CORTES-ACOSTA FACTS
When is UFC Fight Night 234? Saturday 13th January, 2024 - 22:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Night 234? UFC APEX, Enterprise, Las Vegas (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 234? Click here to buy tickets for UFC Fight Night
What channel is UFC Fight Night 234 on? TNT Sports 1
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 234? TNT Sports subscribers can stream the fight online via the TNT Sports website and Discovery+
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
ANDREI ARLOVSKI VS WALDO CORTES-ACOSTA LOWDOWN
Andrei Arlovski (34-23(1)) walks out for his 41st UFC fight hunting his 24th UFC win. Only Jim Miller has more wins and appearances than him and he is also on the card. The Pitbull is finding wins harder to come by these days, however. He picked up four decision wins in a row over suspect competition – Chase Sherman (2021), Carlos Felipe (2021), Jared Vanderaa (2022) and Jake Collier (2022). Marcos Rogerio de Lima (2022) snapped the streak with a submission and then Don’Tale Mayes TKO’d back in June last year to take his UFC tally down to 23-17.
Waldo Cortes-Acosta (10-1) is coming off a perfect day at the office back in August starching Lukasz Brzeski back in the first round. It came in response to losing a limp unanimous decision to de Lima who handed the ‘Salsa Boy’ his first professional loss. Now, he takes on the legend hoping to build another streak.
ANDREI ARLOVSKI VS WALDO CORTES-ACOSTA PREDICTION
We fully know what to expect from Arlovski by now. He is good everywhere and will plod along in his new cautious style mixing in basic combinations, leg kicks and the odd clinch. Inevitably his chin has become very fragile after years of juicy monsters taking aim at it.
This is what Cortes-Acosta will be aware of and he will look to use his speed advantage to find that jaw. There are a lot of holes in Cortes-Acosta’s game which the veteran can exploit. We expect him to fire in leg legs and close the distance with his grappling.
However, we expect Cortes-Acosta’s speed and explosiveness to be too much for the heavy underdog and a couple clean cracks to the chin will be night night.
Prediction: Cortes-Acosta via KO/TKO
Value Bet: Arlovski via Decision
