MMA Preview – Justin Tafa vs Harry Hunsucker at UFC Fight Night 199
JUSTIN TAFA VS HARRY HUNSUCKER FACTS
When is UFC Fight Night 199? Saturday 18th December, 2021 - 22:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Night 199? UFC APEX, Enterprise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 199? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC events
What channel is UFC Fight Night 199 on? BT Sport 3
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 199? 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!
JUSTIN TAFA VS HARRY HUNSUCKER LOWDOWN
Justin Tafa (4-3) is not blowing anyone away with that record, but he has the power to put anyone to sleep. The problem is that he has struggled to display that power losing three of his four UFC fights. It is hard to forget that hellacious knockout loss on his debut courtesy of Yorgan de Castro (2019). He responded with a vintage first round knockout over Juan Adams (2020) but has gone on to lose two decisions this year. A split decision to Carlos Felipe and a unanimous one to Jared Vanderaa seven months ago.
Harry Hunsucker (7-4) has been rewarded by stepping up on a few days’ notice to fight Tai Tuivasa back at UFC Vegas 22 in March. He inevitably got knocked out but now has a chance to prove he is UFC calibre. He failed to impress the UFC on the Contender series getting TKO’d by Vanderaa (2020) in the first round, That snapped a five-fight win streak (three submissions and two knockouts) under the Hardrock MMA banner and then went back to collect another knockout for them before running into Tuivasa.
JUSTIN TAFA VS HARRY HUNSUCKER PREDICTION
Tafa is a lot better than his record suggests and he is steadily improving. Hunsucker has looked great on the regional scene but that means nothing in the UFC and it remains to be seen whether he can stay afloat in the big time.
Tafa needs to be proactive and start to land. We expect him to throw his power leg kicks but needs to be careful getting taken down. If they do end up on the canvas, you have to back the ground skills of Hunsucker.
However, Tafa only needs to land one clean leg kick to disable Hunsucker. We also back him to win the exchanges causing a lot of trouble from his southpaw stance. There is a lot of value in the underdog and although he will be giving up a lot of weight, he will have the speed to cause Tafa problems. That said, we are backing Tafa to get back on track with a knockout.
Prediction: Tafa via KO/TKO
Value Bet: Hunsucker to win
