MMA Preview – Chris Gutierrez vs Alatang Heili at UFC Fight Night 230
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CHRIS GUTIERREZ VS ALATANG HEILI FACTS
When is UFC Fight Night 230? Saturday 14th October, 2023 - 22:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Night 230? UFC APEX, Enterprise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 230? Click here to buy tickets for UFC Fight Night
What channel is UFC Fight Night 230 on? TNT Sports 1
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 230? 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!
CHRIS GUTIERREZ VS ALATANG HEILI LOWDOWN
Chris Gutierrez (19-5-2) finally got his streak snapped. He was riding an eight-fight unbeaten run including violent knockouts over Danaa Batgerel earning him a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus and Frankie Edgar last year who he knee’d into retirement. That led him into the path of Pedro Munhoz back in April who snapped the streak with a unanimous decision.
He was preparing for Montel Jackson last week at UFC Fight 229, but he had to pull out the week of the fight. Thankfully, Alateng Heili (16-8-2) has stepped up to the plate. It is good to see as we have not seen him all year despite picking up two decent wins last year. He TKO’d Kevin Croom and earnt a unanimous decision over Chad Anheliger at UFC 279.
CHRIS GUTIERREZ VS ALATANG HEILI PREDICTION
Gutierrez is the clear favourite with a full training camp behind him. He would be the favourite regardless as his striking is at a very high level. He packs a lot of power and has vicious kicks.
However, this is a tough fight for him. Heili is well-rounded and is powerful striker himself. He will be playing with fire if he decides to stand and trade for three rounds, but he does have his wrestling to call upon. If he can enforce his game plan before Gutierrez preventing him from settling, he can easily cause the upset.
Gutierrez needs to respect the power of Heili and get off to a quick start. We can see Heili finding success on the feet as long as he mixes in his wrestling. He is great value considering the odds, but we are backing Gutierrez to sway the judges with his volume and damage, in particular his leg kicks.
Prediction: Gutierrez via Decision
Value bet: Heili via Decision
