MMA Preview – Chris Gruetzemacher vs Rafa Garcia at UFC Vegas 33
CHRIS GRUETZEMACHER VS RAFA GARCIA FACTS
When is UFC Vegas 33? Sunday 1st August, 2021 - 00:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Vegas 33? UFC APEX, Enterprise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Vegas 33? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC events
What channel is UFC Vegas 33 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC Vegas 33? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
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!
CHRIS GRUETZEMACHER VS RAFA GARCIA LOWDOWN
We first saw Chris Gruetzemacher (14-4) on The Ultimate Fighter 22 in 2015 and he had high hopes sitting on a record of 12-1 but unfortunately for him, he got knocked out by the ‘goat’ Artem Lobov in his first fight. He earnt a unanimous decision in the finale to get his UFC career up and running but it has only gone downhill since. He has fought just four times since getting submitted by Chas Skelly and Davi Ramos in 2017. He TKO’d the war beaten vet, Joe Lauzon in 2018 but he is now coming off a knockout loss to Alexander Hernandez in October last year.
Rafa Garcia (11-1) made his long-awaited UFC debut four months ago in March, but it did not go plan suffering the first loss of his career. He stepped up on short notice replacing Don Madge and it was a very tough fight for a debut. He ended up losing a unanimous decision to Nasrat Haqparast, but he gave a good account of himself. He now heads to the APEX hoping to showcase the talent that made him an unbeaten lightweight champion for Combate Americas
CHRIS GRUETZEMACHER VS RAFA GARCIA PREDICTION
This is a much better opportunity for Garcia. He has had more time to prepare and is fighting a lower-level fighter. Gruetzemacher has also been submitted three times which will wet the appetite of Garcia who has seven subs to his name.
Garcia only has one knockout in the win column, but he can strike. He is aggressive and we expect him to walk Gruetzemacher down with his boxing targeting the head and body. Gruetzemacher is very durable, and he will go toe-to-toe in the striking exchanges, confident of absorbing whatever Garcia throws and countering back.
The worrying sign for Gruetzemacher is that he got knocked out in his last fight and looked very rusty. He is also not getting any younger whereas we are not even sure how high Garcia’s ceiling is yet.
This is a good match-up for Garcia to prove what he is capable of and we expect him to hurt Gruetzemacher on the feet to eventually set up a submission or comfortable decision.
Prediction: Garcia via Submission - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
