MMA Preview – Youssef Zalal vs Da’Mon Blackshear at UFC Vegas 60
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YOUSSEF ZALAL VS DA’MON BLACKSHEAR FACTS
When is UFC Vegas 60? Saturday 13th August, 2022 - 22:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Vegas 60? Pechanga Arena, San Diego, California (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Vegas 60? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC events
What channel is UFC Vegas 60 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC Vegas 60? 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!
YOUSSEF ZALAL VS DA’MON BLACKSHEAR LOWDOWN
Youssef Zalal (10-5) jumped into prospect status after winning his first three UFC fights via unanimous decision. However, he is now on a three-fight skid and fighting to save his UFC career. He outpointed Austin Lingo (2020), Jordan Griffin (2020) and Peter Barrett (2020) but fell on the wrong side of unanimous decisions to Ilia Topuria (2020) and Seung Woo Choi (2021) before dropping a closer split decision to Sean Woodson in June last year.
He was scheduled to welcome Cristian Quinonez to the octagon but visa issues have gifted Da’Mon Blackshear (12-4) the opportunity to make his debut instead. He is coming in hot with four straight wins. He submitted Joseph Penafiel (2021) for CES MMA and then outpointed Mateo Vogel (2021) for the Cage Fighting Championships. That set up a title fight against Deandre Anderson (2021) claiming the strap with a rear naked choke and defended it with another choke over Josh Smith back in May.
YOUSSEF ZALAL VS DA’MON BLACKSHEAR PREDICTION
Blackshear has all of the momentum although he has only had 10 days to prepare. Zalal also makes his debut down at bantamweight but they size up very similarly. Blackshear is the one with nothing to lose whereas Zalal’s UFC career will be hanging by a thread with another loss.
So, Blackshear needs to capitalize on any hesitancy from Zalal. He needs to close the distance and force the pressure with clinch work and output in the pocket and drag the fight to the floor if the opportunity presents itself.
Zalal has great distance control and will understandably be cautious by constantly moving to stay out of trouble. He also has solid wrestling, so on paper he should take this all day. He has the skill, the tools and a full training camp behind him.
There is value on Blackshear especially if he is aggressive. We expect this to be competitive with Zalal doing enough to earn the decision.
Prediction: Zalal via Decision - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
Value Bet: Blackshear to win
