Ben Sosoli vs Marcos Rogerio de Lima UFC Picks & Predictions - 2/22/2020

Ben Sosoli vs Marcos Rogerio de Lima

UFC Fight Night 168

Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Ben Sosoli will face off with Marcos Rogerio de Lima at UFC Fight Night 168 in Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand on Saturday, February 22, 2020. The opening line has Sosoli coming in at +125 while Lima is priced at -145.

Ben "Combat Wombat" Sosoli will be looking to add a victory to his record of 7-2-0. The 30-year-old will fight at 265 lbs and stands 5' 9". The southpaw fighter has a wingspan of 72". Marcos "Pezao" Rogerio de Lima stands 6' 1" and steps on the scale at 253 lbs. The orthodox fighter steps into the Octagon with a record of 16-7-1. The 34-year-old has an arm span of 75". Regarding significant strikes, Ben Sosoli connects on 2.22 per min while Marcos Rogerio de Lima is landing 3.55 significant strikes per minute. Sosoli lands 31% of the significant strikes he attempts and Rogerio de Lima connects on 54%. When it comes to defending in the cage, "Combat Wombat" allows 3.56 significant strikes per minute and "Pezao" allows 2.61. Sosoli also defends 48% of the significant strikes that are thrown his way and Rogerio de Lima defends against 54% of the shots thrown his way.

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When it comes to grappling, Ben Sosoli is the lesser skilled grappler as he takes his opponents to the mat 0.40 times per 15 min. Sosoli is getting his opponent to the mat on 10% of the times he tries and defending 10% of all takedowns attempted by his opposition. Rogerio de Lima is taking his opponents to the canvas on 60% of the takedowns he tries and is defending 36% of the attempts against him. Regarding going for the sub, Sosoli is the lesser skilled fighter by attempting 0.4 finishes per 3 rds while Rogerio de Lima looks to get 0.8 finishes per 15 minutes.

The last time he stepped into the Octagon, Ben Sosoli faced Greg Hardy and FALSE via Greg Hardy used an illegal inhaler between rounds in round 3. Hardy landed 54 of 105 total strikes that he let go. Sosoli finished this fight landing 26 of 97 total strikes. Concerning significant strikes, Hardy ended up landing 54 of 105, which means his percentage was 51%. He landed 22 of 72 significant strikes aimed at the head. On the other side of the Octagon, Sosoli landed 26% of his significant strikes by landing 26 of 97. In regard to the placement of these significant strikes, he connected on 15 of 78 pointed at the head. 96% of the significant strikes connected on by Hardy and 100% of them connected on by Sosoli were tallied at a distance.

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In the last bout for Marcos Rogerio de Lima, he battled Stefan Struve and wound up losing the fight by an arm triangle in round 2. Struve ended up connecting on 33% of the significant strikes he took from distance while Lima connected on 4% of the significant strikes he attempted at distance. Lima ended up connecting on 78% of the significant strikes he attempted by connecting on 25 of 32. He connected on 18 of 25 significant strikes to the head. Struve landed 0 of 3 significant strikes in that contest. Out of those significant strikes, he ended up connecting on 0 of 2 aimed at the head. In regard to total strikes thrown, Struve connected on 2 of 7 and Lima landed 68 of 79 total strikes.

Other bouts to watch

Another fight that you're going to want to watch is when Brad Riddell goes up against Magomed Mustafaev. Riddell comes into this bout with a record of 7-1-0. The 28-year-old weighs in at 155 lbs and comes in at 5' 7". The orthodox fighter has an arm span of 71". Mustafaev measures in at 5' 8" and is weighing in at 155 lbs. The orthodox fighter looks to add a victory to his career total of 14-2-0. The 31-year-old stretches 71". When it comes to grappling, Brad Riddell takes his opponents to the mat 1.00 times per 3 rds while Magomed Mustafaev is able to score a takedown 0.30 times per 15 min. In the striking category, Riddell lands 6.07 strikes per minute and connecting on 59% of the strikes that he attempts. On the other side of the cage we have Magomed Mustafaev, who connects on 57% of the strikes he attempts and is landing 3.11 per min.

Another bout to watch is when Zubaira Tukhugov is set to square up in the Octagon with Kevin Aguilar. Aguilar will be looking to add a win to his total of 17-2-0. The 31-year-old tips the scales at 145 lbs and stands in at 5' 7". The orthodox fighter has a reach of 73". Tukhugov stands 5' 8" and steps on the scale at 145 lbs. The orthodox fighter walks into the cage holding a mark of 18-4-1. The 29-year-old reaches 68". When it comes to takedowns, Kevin Aguilar is thwarting 86% of the takedowns his opponents attempt and is finishing his takedown tries on 50% of his tries. Tukhugov is taking his opponents down on 56% of the attempts he tries and stops 100% of all takedown tries against him. In the matter of striking, Aguilar is taking 4.22 strikes/min while he is dishing out 3.78 strikes/minute. Tukhugov, at the same time, is absorbing 2.04 strikes per min and dishes out 2.28 per minute.

Who will win tonight's UFC match against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take Marcos Rogerio de Lima (-145)

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