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18 Mar 2022 by Ewan Lavender

MMA Preview – Paddy Pimblett vs Rodrigo Vargas at UFC Fight Night 204

Click here for today’s sports betting tips from our expert analysts!

PADDY PIMBLETT VS RODRIGO VARGAS FACTS

When is UFC Fight Night 204? Saturday 19th March, 2022 - 18:00 start (UK)

Where is UFC Fight Night 204? The O2 Arena, London, England

Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 204? Click here for the tickets at the O2 Arena

What channel is UFC Fight Night 204 on? BT Sport 1

Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 204? 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!

PADDY PIMBLETT VS RODRIGO VARGAS LOWDOWN

The Paddy Pimblett (17-3) hype train pulls into the O2 Arena in London bringing his posse of fans. The former Cage Warriors champion had a memorable UFC debut back in September last year. He was coming off two first-round finishes – a TKO over Decky Dalton (2020) and a submission over Davide Martinez (2021). Not everyone was convinced in the hype as he took on the dangerous Luigi Vendramini, but after a frenetic and shaky start, Pimblett caught the Brazilian with a perfect flurry sending him to sleep.

Rodrigo Vargas (13-4) is the man tasked with derailing the scouser. He had a tough start to his UFC career losing a unanimous decision to Alex da Silva Coelho (2019) and then he got disqualified after sending an illegal knee to the dome of Brok Weaver (2020) while he was downed. However, he got back in the win column last year and even snapped an 11-fight win streak by outpointing Zhu Rong.

PADDY PIMBLETT VS RODRIGO VARGAS PREDICTION

Vargas is cut from the same cloth as Pimblett and will bring a relentless pace and aggressively use the variety of tools he has at his disposal. They are both well-rounded with Pimblett’s strengths laying in his grappling although we can see him backing his striking.

He is full to the brim with confidence after knocking out Vendramini and he clearly has power, but his suspect defence will catch him out if he does not work on it. He is confident in his chin which is never a good trait and Vargas is a good striker.

So, we expect some feisty exchanges and Pimblett will be there to get hit when he gets carried away. However, this is a better match-up for him and we expect Vargas to try and close the distance which will fall into Pimblett’s hands.

If they tie up, we back Pimblett to get the fight to the floor and land in top position where he will get to work on a submission. He has the skill to pull off a variety of submissions and we expect him to wrap something up or get another knockout, but with the state of those odds, Vargas is a no brainer for a bet.

Prediction: Pimblett via Submission - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)

Value Bet: Vargas to win

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