MMA Preview – Ike Villanueva vs Vinicius Moreira at UFC Fight Island 8
IKE VILLANUEVA VS VINICIUS MOREIRA FACTS
When is UFC Fight Island 8? Wednesday 20th January, 2021 - 15:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Island 8? Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi (UAE)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Island 8? No tickets are available as this event will take place with a limited number of spectators
What channel is UFC Fight Island 8 on? BT Sport 3
Where can I stream UFC Fight Island 8? 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!
IKE VILLANUEVA VS VINICIUS MOREIRA LOWDOWN
Ike Villanueva (17-11) has struggled on his promotion from the Fury Fighting Championship to the UFC. He was coming off four straight knockouts for the organisation including a first-round finish over Rashad Coulter. However, he got a taste of his own medicine getting knocked out by Chase Sherman and then again by Jordan Wright down at light heavyweight.
Suffering even worse form is Vinicius Moreira (9-4) who is without a win since August 2018. That was on the Contender Series where Moreira showcased his elite jiu-jitsu wrapping John Allan Arte up in a triangle choke - his fifth submission in a row.
IKE VILLANUEVA VS VINICIUS MOREIRA PREDICTION
We are not quite sure why this fight is so high up the card, but it is good matchmaking and will be a fun scrap. It is striker vs grappler and the loser is likely to receive their marching orders.
Villanueva will hunt the knockout and Moreira will hunt the takedown to cinch up a submission. Their weaknesses are each other’s strengths so this is very unlikely to go to the bell as if Villanueva connects with the chin, it’s lights out and if Moreira get the fight to the ground Villanueva will be tapping. We are going for a Villanueva knockout but a Moreira submission is also likely.
Prediction: Villanueva via KO/TKO
