MMA Preview – John Makdessi vs Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC Vegas 23
JOHN MAKDESSI VS IGNACIO BAHAMONDES FACTS
When is UFC Vegas 23? Saturday 10th April, 2021 - 18:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Vegas 23? UFC APEX, Enterprise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Vegas 23? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC events
What channel is UFC Vegas 23 on? BT Sport 3
Where can I stream UFC Vegas 23? 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!
JOHN MAKDESSI VS IGNACIO BAHAMONDES LOWDOWN
UFC veteran John Makdessi (17-7) returns for what we hope is not another annual appearance. He has only fought once a year since 2016 but he has faired well. He enjoyed a three-fight win streak which were all unanimous decisions over Abel Trujillo, Ross Pearson and Jesus Pinedo but came up short in his 2020 outing when the stalwart Francisco Trinaldo bagged the unanimous decision.
Makdessi welcomes Ignacio Bahamondes (11-3) to the UFC and he has his hands full as he has a ton of potential. Besides a split decision win over Chris Brown for the Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA), he has only fought on the regional scene but only lost one of his last eight fights. After that LFA win in September, he got a shot on the Contender Series and made the most out of it by treating Edson Gomez’ head like a football and front kicking him into unconsciousness.
JOHN MAKDESSI VS IGNACIO BAHAMONDES PREDICTION
Bahamondes is the favourite but this is a huge step-up in competition. He is clearly a very dangerous striker, but he has not fought anyone of note whereas Makdessi has all of the experience and he represents all of the betting value.
The most important stats here is the height and reach where Bahamondes boasts seven inches in reach and height which is significant as this will be a striking battle. Makdessi is an out-an-out striker so he will need to call upon all of that experience to close the distance without getting hit.
Bahamondes is extremely dangerous at range with a range of kicks while switching his stance. He has the youth and we can see him utilising his range to pick Makdessi off from a distance, but Chilean has not proved he can do it at this level (yet) whereas Makdessi has been fighting killers for over a decade, so we are leaning towards a decision for the Canadian.
Prediction: Makdessi via Decision
Value Bet: Makdessi via Decision
