MMA Preview – Rodolfo Vieira vs Dustin Stoltzfus at UFC Vegas 31
RODOLFO VIEIRA VS DUSTIN STOLTZFUS FACTS
When is UFC Vegas 31? Sunday 18th July, 2021 - 01:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Vegas 31? UFC APEX, Enterprise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Vegas 31? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC events
What channel is UFC Vegas 31 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC Vegas 31? 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!
RODOLFO VIEIRA VS DUSTIN STOLTZFUS LOWDOWN
Rodolfo Vieira (7-1) emerges out of the shame of getting submitted by Anthony Hernandez back in February. The shame is not getting submitted by Hernandez but getting submitted full stop. Vieira is one of the most decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu champions to grace the sport and went into that fight unbeaten having submitted excellent grapplers – Oskar Piechota and Saparbek Safarov in his first two UFC fights. He completely gassed out and Hernandez capitalized on an exhausted Brazilian to hand out a harsh lesson in MMA but most of all, Vieira’s pride will have taken a massive hit losing via submission.
Dustin Stoltzfus (13-2) is also coming off a rare loss. He was sitting pretty on a 10-fight win streak after passing his audition on the Contender Series. He only technically passed as he slammed Joseph Pyfer on his arm, forcing it out of the socket but he was awarded with a debut three months later in November last year. However, his debut did not go to plan as Kyle Daukaus snapped the streak with a unanimous decision.
RODOLFO VIEIRA VS DUSTIN STOLTZFUS PREDICTION
Vieira will have surely worked on his cardio, but there is only so much it can improve in a short amount of time. He will approach this the same way and look to avoid the striking exchanges and be aggressive in searching for the takedown.
He hunts them tenaciously, but he will have to be cautious shooting in as Stoltzfus is a quality striker with good Muay Thai and he will be waiting to throw kicks and knees down the middle. He also has punishing leg kicks, but it will be too risky to throw them repeatedly as Vieira just needs to catch one to drag the fight into his domain.
Stoltzfus has good ground skills, but most fighters look like amateurs when tangling with the jiu-jitsu wizard. So, it will be a question of whether, Stoltzfus can defend the takedowns and tire Vieira out in the process of find a knockout on the feet.
Stoltzfus has a clear advantage on the feet, but he can only make it count if he can defend the takedown for a round at least. That said, Vieira only needs one to close the show and we are backing him to be more measured than his last performance, secure a takedown and rack up another submission. If this goes past the first round, the money will be on Stoltzfus.
Prediction: Vieira via Submission - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
Value Bet: Stoltzfus via KO/TKO or Decision
