MMA Preview – Drakkar Klose vs Brandon Jenkins at UFC on ESPN 34
Click here for today’s sports betting tips from our expert analysts!
DRAKKAR KLOSE VS BRANDON JENKINS FACTS
When is UFC on ESPN 34? Saturday 16th April, 2022 - 23:30 start (UK)
Where is UFC on ESPN 34? UFC APEX, Enterprise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC on ESPN 34? Click here for the tickets at the O2 Arena
What channel is UFC on ESPN 34 on? BT Sport 2
Where can I stream UFC on ESPN 34? 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!
DRAKKAR KLOSE VS BRANDON JENKINS LOWDOWN
Drakkar Klose (11-2-1) has struggled to catch a break since his epic brawl with Beneil Dariush over two years ago. He ended up getting sparked out in the back-and-forth scrap which snapped an impressive unanimous decision streak beating Lando Vannata (2018), Bobby Green (2018) and Christos Giagos (2019). He was then scheduled to fight Jai Herbert in February 2021 but one of his cornermen tested positive for COVID and Jeremy Stephens decided to aggressively shove him at their weigh-ins causing a spinal injury. Thankfully, he still has a fight for UFC on ESPN 34, but it has not been straightforward.
Nikolas Motta was lined up for his return, but the fight fell through, but Brandon Jenkins (15-8) has stepped up to the plate. He has been more active fighting seven times since Klose fought going 4-3. He collected three of those wins on his way to his UFC debut including a brilliang flying knee knockout over Jacob Kilburn (2021) for the PFL. However, the debut did not go to plan falling on the wrong side of a knockout courtesy of Zhu Rong (2021).
DRAKKAR KLOSE VS BRANDON JENKINS PREDICTION
Klose only has two losses on the record with one of them being against the current #4 ranked lightweight. That said, he has not fought in a hot minute, and he is fighting a mad man with nothing to lose.
Klose is the better fighter with quality experience, technically sound striking, grappling and solid cardio. However, will need to shake off any rust quickly as Jenkins will aggressively hunt the finish and we expect him to feel Klose out to begin with and then start to offload his flashy attacks with spinning elbows and flying knees.
Jenkins can certainly capitalize if Klose is rusty, but Klose is too good to make any mistakes and he may not make it look pretty resorting to his grappling, but he should get the job done.
Prediction: Klose via Decision - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
Value Bet: Jenkins to win
