Mauricio Rua vs Paul Craig Pick, 11/21/2020 Predictions UFC 255 Odds

by Josh Schonwald - 11/19/2020

Mauricio Rua vs Paul Craig

UFC 255

UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV

Saturday, November 21, 2020

Mauricio Rua will take on Paul Craig at UFC 255 on Saturday, November 21, 2020. The line has Rua coming in at +150 while Craig is priced at -170.

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua looks to add a win to his total of 27-11-1. The 38-year-old is fighting at 205 lbs and measures 6'1". The orthodox fighter has an arm span of 76". Paul "Bearjew" Craig measures in at 6'3" and steps on the scale at 205 lbs. The orthodox fighter walks into the cage with a mark of 13-4-1. The 32-year-old has a reach of 76". Regarding significant strikes, Mauricio Rua connects on 3.63 per min while Paul Craig is connecting on 2.30 significant strikes per min. Rua is connecting on 50% of the significant strikes he throws and Craig connects on 48%. Regarding defense, "Shogun" absorbs 2.70 significant strikes per min and "Bearjew" allows 2.56. Rua also stops 54% of the significant strikes his opponents attempt while Craig deflects 48% of the strikes thrown in his direction.

Concerning grappling, Mauricio Rua is the better grappler as he takes his opponents to the mat 2.17 times per 15 minutes. Rua is taking his opponents to the canvas on 48% of his attempts and is stopping 47% of all takedown attempts. Craig is taking his opponents down on 21% of his takedown tries and stopping 55% of the attempts against him. Regarding going for the sub, Rua is less likely to go for the finish by trying 0.8 finishes per 15 minutes while Craig looks to get 1.6 finishes per 15 minutes.

In his previous bout, Mauricio Rua squared up with Rogerio Nogueira and ended up getting the win by split decision in round 3. Nogueira ended up landing 75 of 129 total strikes that he let go in that contest. Rua finished this fight landing 78 of 129 total strikes. In regard to significant strikes, Nogueira landed 46 of 100, which gave him a rate of 46%. He ended up landing 39 of 91 significant strikes aimed at the head. On the other side, Rua landed 52% of his significant strikes by connecting on 54 of 103. Of those significant strikes, he was 27 of 72 aimed at the head. 89% of the significant strikes connected on by Nogueira and 83% of them landed by Rua were tallied at a distance.

Related: Get UFC predictions

In the last fight for Paul Craig, he squared up with Gadzhimurad Antigulov and wound up getting the win by way of a triangle choke in round 1. Antigulov landed 9% of the significant strikes he tried at a distance while Craig landed 90% of the significant strikes he tried at a distance. Craig connected on 40% of his significant strikes attempted by landing 2 of 5. He connected on 2 of 5 significant strikes aimed at the head. Antigulov ended up connecting on 11 of 16 significant strikes in that contest. Of all the significant strikes, he ended up connecting on 9 of 14 aimed at the head. In terms of the total strikes thrown in this fight, Antigulov landed 16 of 22 and Craig connected on 4 of 7 of the strikes he threw in total.

Other bouts to watch

Another fight that you're going to want to watch is when Brandon Moreno takes on Brandon Royval. Moreno steps into the Octagon with a record of 17-5-1. The 26-year-old is weighing in at 125 lbs and stands in at 5'7". The orthodox fighter has an arm span of 70". Royval comes in at 5'9" and is fighting at 125 lbs. The southpaw fighter holds a career mark of 12-4-0. The 28-year-old has an arm span of 68". In the grappling category, Brandon Moreno gets a takedown 1.75 times per 3 rds while Brandon Royval scores a takedown 1.06 times per 3 rounds. In the striking category, Moreno connects on 3.00 strikes per min and is connecting on 34% out of all the strikes he attempts. On the other side we have Brandon Royval, who tags his opponent on 52% of his attempted strikes and is landing 3.90 per min.

Another must see fight on the night is when Jordan Wright is set to enter the Octagon against Joaquin Buckley. Buckley steps into the Octagon holding a record of 11-3-0. The 26-year-old tips the scales at 185 lbs and stands in at 5'10". The southpaw fighter has an arm span of 76". Wright stands in at 6'2" and is fighting at 205 lbs. The orthodox fighter steps into the Octagon holding a mark of 11-0-0. The 29-year-old extends his reach 77". In the category of takedowns, Joaquin Buckley stops 52% of the takedowns his opponents go for and is getting his opponent to the mat on 25% of the times he tries. Wright is taking his opponents down on 10% of his attempts and deflects 55% of all takedown attempts. Concerning striking, Buckley is absorbing 6.09 strikes/min while he lands 3.92 per minute. Wright, on the other side, is taking 7.79 strikes per minute and is dishing out 7.79 per minute.

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

Josh's Pick: Take Mauricio Rua (+150)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get all of Today's Free UFC Picks

Get all of Today's Expert UFC Picks

Start:	November 24, 2024 @ 1:00 PM
Expert:	Vernon Croy
Free $60 Account Sign Up

Mauricio Rua vs Paul Craig Pick, 11/21/2020 Predictions UFC 255 Odds

Most Recent UFC Picks