Jon Jones vs Thiago Santos UFC Picks & Predictions - 7/6/2019
Jon Jones vs Thiago Santos
UFC 239
T-Mobile Arena
Saturday, July 6, 2019
Jon "Bones" Jones (24-1-0) will battle Thiago "Big Monster" Santos (11-5-0) at UFC 239 in T-Mobile Arena on Saturday, July 6, 2019. The opening odds have Jones priced at -900 while Santos is at +545.
Jon "Bones" Jones comes into this fight with 24 wins and 1 loss. The Albuquerque, NM fighter is 31 years old, weighs in at 205 lbs and is 6'4" inches tall. He has a 84.5" reach and fights in the light heavyweight division. Jones has a total of 20 fights in the UFC. The last time he stepped in the cage, Jones won in the 5th round against Anthony Smith by unanimous decision. In the light heavyweight division, he is 1st in strikes with 1,431 and is 16th out of all fighters in the UFC.
When it comes to strike accuracy, Jon Jones ranks 114th among UFC fighters and 19th in the light heavyweight division landing 60.0% of the strikes he attempts. He also has a total of 37 takedowns which ranks him 23rd among UFC fighters and 2nd in the light heavyweight division. Jones finishes 48.1% of his takedown tries which ranks him 157th among UFC fighters and 16th among fighters in the division. He ranks 1st among fighters in the division and 7th among UFC fighters for significant strikes with 1175. Of those significant strikes, 600 of them were aimed at the head while 278 of them were directed at the body which ranks him 1st and 1st respectively among fighters in the division. At UFC 232: Jones vs. Gustafsson 2, he won via stoppage in the third round when he fought Alexander Gustafsson. 2 fights ago, Jones won in the third round when he fought Daniel Cormier at UFC 214: Cormier vs. Jones 2 by stoppage.
Walking into the Octagon for this matchup, Thiago "Big Monster" Santos has a total of 11 wins and 5 losses. The 32-year-old fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil measures 6'3" inches tall and weighs in at 265 lbs. The Team Nogueira fighter competes in the heavyweight division and has a 76.0" reach. He has a total of 18 fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Thiago Santos won by unanimous decision when he fought Jan Blachowicz in his most recent fight at UFC Fight Night: Blachowicz vs. Santos. In terms of strikes, Santos is 103rd out of all fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and 7th in the division with 667.
In terms of strike accuracy, he is landing 55.3% of the strikes he attempts which has him sitting at 17th in the heavyweight division and 189th in the UFC. In addition, Santos ranks 11th in the heavyweight division and 215th in the UFC with a total of 6 takedowns. Ranking 23rd in the division and 297th in the UFC, Santos completes 33.3% of his takedown attempts. With 521 significant strikes, he ranks 77th in the UFC and 5th in the division. Santos ranks 2nd in the division for significant strikes directed at the body with 121 and 7th for significant strikes aimed at the head with 301. At UFC 231: Holloway vs. Ortega, he won via KO/TKO in the 2nd round when he fought Jimi Manuwa. A few fights ago, Santos won in round 3 when he fought Eryk Anders at UFC Fight Night: Marreta vs. Anders by KO/TKO.
When dissecting this matchup between Jon Jones and Thiago Santos, it is good to understand how the two fighters match up with one another. Jon Jones is the more accurate striker of the two fighters, connecting on 60.0% of his strikes meaning Thiago Santos will want to stay defensive. With respect to physical qualities, let's start by taking a look at Jon Jones who is 6'4" while the fighter on the other side of the cage is 6'3". With respect to reach, Jones extends 84.5" while Santos measures out at 76.0" meaning Jones will want to prevent his opponent from closing the distance Thiago Santos won't be able to use it to his advantage. Jones is the younger of the two fighters at 31 years of age while Santos is the older fighter checking in at 32 years of age. When discussing experience in the UFC, Jones has 20 fights which means he is the veteran in this fight while Santos has battled 18 battles inside the UFC Octagon. With respect to overall MMA experience, Jones has 24 wins and 1 losses while Thiago Santos has an overall MMA record of 11 wins and 5 losses.
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Tony's Pick: Take Jon Jones (-900)
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