http://www.mmaoddsbreaker.com/news/full-ufc-on-fox-23-betting-odds/
Nash brings big power into the Octagon, and it’s a good thing. Seven of his eight wins have come by stoppage, and in many cases he’s needed that stoppage after being down on the cards. Nash can sometimes fall into the trap of not throwing because he knows he has power in his back pocket, but that is not his only woe. Defensively, he’s hittable on the feet, and prone to being controlled in grappling and clinch situations. Against Jingliang, who has never been stopped by strikes, I think Nash runs into a very unfavorable UFC debut. Jingliang will have a higher output than Nash, scoring more points, and he should only get stronger as the bout goes, whereas Nash has faded a bit in the past. I like ‘The Leech’ pretty big in this one, and will probably look to play him in some fashion.
I remember my thoughts on Frank Waisten (he will always be Frank Waisten to me) originally being that he was tough but not particularly skilled. Then he went out and showed that toughness in his UFC debut, overcoming early adversity to pick up a win. In his second UFC bout, he showed off more grappling chops than I thought he had, and it looked like he turned a corner. However, his last performance validated everything I thought about him originally. I don’t think this one goes much better. If Frank Waisten struggled with Craig’s submission game from the bottom, he’s really going to have a tough time with Johnson on top of him, and I expect that to be where much of this fight takes place. Maybe Johnson doesn’t get the finish in his debut, but he should controlling virtually all of the grappling exchanges en route to a victory here, and I’ll bite if it’s near even.
Michael Bisping’s miraculous title victory aside, Spicely scored one of the biggest upsets of 2016. Very few thought he had a chance against Thiago Santos, but he landed early to throw the Brazilian off, and then quickly went to what he knew, securing the first-round submission. This obviously wouldn’t present the same shock, but it would be another solid win for Spicely. The only problem is, I don’t think it happens. Di Chirico seemed to take a step back in his sophomore UFC outing, but I think physically and tactically, Spicely is a winnable fight for him. Di Chirico is the better striker and wrestler, and as long as he’s not overaggressive, he should be able to use those tools to pick up a win. I’m not terribly confident in that outcome, as he was taken down twice by Garreth McClellan, but I still lean slightly towards the Italian.
I feel like I’ve been watching Kimball for way too long for him to only be 25. Perhaps that’s because I first saw him beat Chidi Njokuani as a 22-year-old. He’s never been the most imposing physical specimen, but he’s tough, has a decent grappling game and is able to put pressure on opponents consistently. His striking has also improved markedly in recent years. It’s possible none of that matters, and De Lima melts him in the opening minute here. But I feel like Kimball survives the opening minutes, and we see the same quit in de Lima that rears it’s head every time he doesn’t get that immediate finish. Kimball hasn’t won by sub since that bout against Njokuani in March 2013, but I think he picks one up here against a tired de Lima looking for a way out.
The great thing about the flyweight division is that there is still excellent talent that hasn’t made its way to the UFC. Shelton and Pantoja are two examples, and they make for one of the better bouts between a pair of debuting fighters that we’ll likely see in 2017. Shelton is the better athlete but more raw as far as his skills go. Pantoja’s grappling game has really become dangerous over the past couple of years, but his striking isn’t to be overlooked either. This one is tough to call for me, as Pantoja is the more likely to win striking exchanges, and he has the better chance of catching a sub, but Shelton will spend more time in top position. Unless Pantoja can find his way to Shelton’s back early and dissuade him from wrestling too much, I think Shelton grinds out a decision, but I’ll just be sitting back to watching this one unless the line seems way out of whack.
Neither Cottrell nor Gonzalez made particularly noteworthy or good UFC debuts. Cottrell showed very poor positional awareness, as he often threw strikes that left him wide open for takedowns. Gonzalez, on the other hand, just seemed wide open for whatever Drew Dober wanted to throw. At least when Michel Prazeres landed on Cottrell, he would move laterally and was able to eat the shots. Gonzalez backed straight up and then got put away in short order. I think Cottrell might be able to navigate Gonzalez’ reach (especially since he won’t be threatened with a takedown on every kick he throws), and put the tall guy defense to the test once again. Until I see that defense and chin pass the test, I have to assume it can’t. I’ll take Cottrell, but not looking to bet it.