MMA Preview – Gustavo Lopez vs Anthony Birchak at UFC Vegas 13
GUSTAVO LOPEZ VS ANTHONY BIRCHAK FACTS
When is UFC Vegas 13? Sunday 8th November, 2020 - 01:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Vegas 13? UFC APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Vegas 13? No tickets are available as this event will take place without spectators
What channel is UFC Vegas 13 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC Vegas 13? 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!
GUSTAVO LOPEZ VS ANTHONY BIRCHAK LOWDOWN
Gustavo Lopez (11-5) is coming off his UFC debut loss to Merab Dvalishvili back in June. However, it was not really a loss as he filled in for Ray Borg last minute and deserves a ton of credit for accepting a fight and taking the experienced machine that is Dvalishvili to a decision. This broke his three-fight win streak he compiled under the Combate Americas banner but now he hopes to pick that form back up and show the UFC what he is capable of.
Anthony Birchak (16-6) replaces Felipe Colares who tested positive for COVID-19 and embarks on his second stint in the UFC. He went 2-2 in his first stint between 2014-2016 with wins over Joe Soto and Dileno Lopes but lost to Ian Entwhistle and Thomas Almeida. After an unsuccessful run in the Rizin bantamweight tournament he is now coming off three wins in a row – a TKO over Adam Martinez (Combate Americas) and two rear-naked chokes over Raphael Montini de Lima (Legacy Fighting Alliance) and Erik Radleim (Combate Americas).
GUSTAVO LOPEZ VS ANTHONY BIRCHAK PREDICTION
Birchak is very experienced but is taking this fight on just four days notice. Although his promising career stuttered a few years ago it looks like he is experiencing a resurgence and he will give Lopez everything he has got.
Although Lopez has been preparing for Colares, he has had a training camp and is in great shape which will give him the edge here. We can expect a mixture of striking and grappling where Birchak’s wrestling will be his best weapon but Lopez’ output could just get him over the line in a decision but this is a very tough one to call.
Prediction: Lopez via Decision
