Maki Pitolo vs Takashi Sato MMA Betting Tips - 2/22/2020

Maki Pitolo vs Takashi Sato

UFC Fight Night 168

Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Maki Pitolo will battle Takashi Sato at UFC Fight Night 168 in Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand on Saturday, February 22, 2020. The opening odds have Pitolo coming in at -105 while Sato is at -115.

Maki "Coconut Bombz" Pitolo comes into this bout with a record of 12-5-0. The 29-year-old records a weight of 170 lbs and stands in at 5' 10". The orthodox fighter has an arm span of 75". Takashi "Ten" Sato stands 5' 10" and will fight at 170 lbs. The southpaw fighter holds a career mark of 15-3-0. The 29-year-old has a reach of 73". When talking about significant strikes, Maki Pitolo lands 5.42 per minute while Takashi Sato connects on 3.13 significant strikes per minute. Pitolo lands 45% of the significant strikes he tries and Sato connects on 36%. In terms of the fighter's defense, "Coconut Bombz" absorbs 3.43 significant strikes per minute while "Ten" allows 5.22. Pitolo also thwarts 50% of the significant strikes his opponents throw at him while Sato curbs 51% of them.

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In the category of takedowns, Maki Pitolo is the lesser skilled grappler as he scores a takedown 0.40 times per 3 rounds. Pitolo is taking his opponents to the canvas on 10% of his tries and defending 25% of takedowns his opponents have attempted. Sato is taking his opponents down on 50% of the takedowns he tries and stuffing 77% of all takedowns attempted by his opposition. When it comes to going for the submission, Pitolo is the more apt fighter by going for 0.9 subs per 3 rds while Sato tries 0.2 subs per 15 min.

In his last fight, Maki Pitolo went up against Callan Potter and wound up taking the loss via unanimous decision in round 3. Potter landed 127 of 198 of the strikes he let go in total for this contest. Pitolo walked away from this fight having landed 103 of 198 total strikes. In the category of significant strikes, Potter landed 48 of 96, giving him a percentage of 50%. He finished the fight landing 44 of 91 significant strikes to the head. On the other side of the Octagon, Pitolo landed 38% of his significant strikes by connecting on 60 of 155. In regard to the placement of these significant strikes, he was 49 of 142 to the head. 85% of the significant strikes connected on by Potter and 100% of them connected on by Pitolo were tallied at a distance.

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In the last fight for Takashi Sato, he squared up with Belal Muhammad and walked away with a loss by rear naked choke in round 3. Muhammad connected on 85% of the significant strikes he attempted at distance and Sato connected on 100% of the significant strikes he tried at a distance. Sato ended up landing 32% of his significant strikes attempted by landing 29 of 89. He landed 23 of 79 significant strikes to the head. Muhammad landed 49 of 106 significant strikes in that fight. Out of those significant strikes, he ended up connecting on 40 of 85 aimed at the head. When discussing total strikes that he threw in that fight, Muhammad ended up landing 78 of 148 while Sato ended up connecting on 34 of 95 total strikes.

Other fights to keep an eye on

Another fight that you're going to want to watch is when Ben Sosoli opposes Marcos Rogerio de Lima. 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". 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". In the grappling category, Ben Sosoli scores a takedown 0.40 times per 15 minutes and Marcos Rogerio de Lima is able to score a takedown 0.78 times per 15 min. When it comes to striking, Sosoli lands 2.22 strikes/minute and is connecting on 31% out of all the strikes he attempts. On the other side we have Marcos Rogerio de Lima, who tags his opponent on 54% of the strikes he attempts and lands 3.55 per minute.

Another must see fight on the night is when Magomed Mustafaev is set to face off against Brad Riddell. 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". Concerning wrestling, Brad Riddell is able to deflect 80% of the takedowns fighters have tried and is finishing his takedowns on 100% of his tries. Mustafaev is taking his opponents down on 10% of his tries and stops 25% of all takedown attempts. In the matter of striking, Riddell absorbs 2.40 strikes per minute while he is dealing 6.07 strikes/min. Mustafaev, on the other hand, is taking 2.78 strikes/minute and dishes out 3.11 per min.

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

Josh's Pick: Take Maki Pitolo (-105)

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