Cub Swanson vs Darren Elkins Pick, 12/18/2021 Predictions UFC Vegas 45 Odds

Cub Swanson vs Darren Elkins

UFC Vegas 45

UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV

Saturday, December 18, 2021

Cub Swanson will face off against Darren Elkins at UFC Vegas 45 on Saturday, December 18, 2021. The opening odds have Swanson at -200 while Elkins is at +170.

Cub Swanson walks into the cage with a record of 27-12-0. The 38-year-old is weighing in at 145 lbs and stands 5'8". The orthodox fighter stretches 70". Darren "The Damage" Elkins measures in at 5'10" and weighs 145 lbs. The orthodox fighter will be looking to add a win to his record of 27-9-0. The 37-year-old has a reach of 71". When talking about significant strikes, Cub Swanson is landing 4.63 per minute and Darren Elkins lands 3.46 significant strikes per minute. Swanson is landing 50% of the significant strikes he tries and Elkins is landing 38%. Regarding defending in the Octagon, Swanson takes 3.66 significant strikes per minute while "The Damage" takes 3.05. Swanson also deflects 60% of the significant strikes his opponents throw at him and Elkins is able to curb 52% of the shots thrown his way.

Regarding takedowns, Cub Swanson is the lesser skilled grappler as he scores a takedown 1.08 times per 15 minutes. Swanson is finishing his takedown attempts on 51% of the times he tries and stuffing 60% of takedowns his opponents have tried. Elkins is getting his opponent to the mat on 33% of the takedowns he attempts and stuffing 56% of the tries against him. Regarding going for the sub, Swanson is the lesser skilled of the two fighters by trying 0.5 subs per 3 rounds while Elkins attempts 1.1 subs per 3 rounds.

Get all of our UFC Picks

In his previous fight, Cub Swanson fought Giga Chikadze and walked away in defeat by way of a kick to the body in round 1. Chikadze ended up landing 12 of 18 total strikes attempted in that fight. Swanson walked away from this fight having landed 4 of 6 total strikes. In terms of significant strikes, Chikadze landed 12 of 18, which gave him a percentage of 66%. He finished the fight landing 9 of 14 significant strikes aimed at the head. Statistically, Swanson landed 66% of his significant strikes by landing 4 of 6. Looking at the significant strike accuracy, he was 1 of 1 aimed at the head. 58% of the significant strikes connected on by Chikadze and 100% of them connected on by Swanson were thrown at distance.

In the last bout for Darren Elkins, he faced off with Darrick Minner and ended up getting the victory in the fight via a punch to the head while on the ground in round 2. Minner ended up landing 26% of the significant strikes he attempted at distance and Elkins landed 10% of the significant strikes he attempted from distance. Elkins connected on 66% of his significant strikes attempted by connecting on 20 of 30. He ended up connecting on 18 of 28 significant strikes aimed at the head. Minner ended up connecting on 19 of 35 significant strikes in that contest. Out of all the significant strikes thrown, he connected on 14 of 27 aimed at the head. Discussing total strikes that he let go in that fight, Minner ended up landing 36 of 55 while Elkins ended up landing 137 of 154 of all the strikes he attempted.

Other fights to watch out for

Another fight that you're going to want to watch is when Dustin Stoltzfus squares up with Gerald Meerschaert. Stoltzfus steps into the cage with a mark of 13-3-0. The 30-year-old weighs 185 lbs and stands in at 6'0". The orthodox fighter stretches 75". Meerschaert stands 6'1" and weighs 185 lbs. The southpaw fighter looks to add a win to his total of 33-14-0. The 33-year-old has an arm span of 77". When it comes to grappling, Dustin Stoltzfus scores a takedown 0.48 times per 3 rounds while Gerald Meerschaert scores a takedown 2.58 times per 3 rds. In terms of striking, Stoltzfus is landing 3.68 strikes/minute and connects on 41% of the strikes that he throws. The other guy in this fight is Gerald Meerschaert, who is landing 44% of the strikes he has tried and is connecting on 3.41 per min.

Another bout to watch is when Harry Hunsucker is set to square up against Justin Tafa. Tafa comes into this bout with a record of 4-3-0. The 27-year-old will fight at 264 lbs and comes in at 6'0". The southpaw fighter has a reach of 74". Hunsucker measures in at 6'2" and weighs in at 241 lbs. The orthodox fighter steps into the Octagon with a mark of 7-4-0. The 32-year-old has a wingspan of 75". In terms of grappling, Justin Tafa is able to deflect 70% of the takedowns fighters have gone for and is getting his opponent to the mat on 20% of his tries. Hunsucker is taking his opponents down on 30% of the tries he takes and is able to deflect 30% of all takedown attempts. In the matter of striking, Tafa is taking 6.12 strikes/min and he connects on 5.15 strikes/min. Hunsucker, moreover, is absorbing 8.44 strikes per minute and dishes out 4.33 per min.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Cub Swanson (-200)

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

Most Recent UFC Picks

• Geoff Neal vs Rafael Dos Anjos Pick, 10/26/2024 Predictions UFC 308 Odds
• Kennedy Nzechukwu vs Chris Barnett Pick, 10/26/2024 Predictions UFC 308 Odds
• Abus Magomedov vs Brunno Ferreira Pick, 10/26/2024 Predictions UFC 308 Odds
• Robert Whittaker vs Khamzat Chimaev Pick, 10/26/2024 Predictions UFC 308 Odds
• Said Nurmagomedov vs Daniel Santos Pick, 10/26/2024 Predictions UFC 308 Odds
• Lerone Murphy vs Dan Ige Pick, 10/26/2024 Predictions UFC 308 Odds
• Mateusz Rebecki vs Myktybek Orolbai Pick, 10/26/2024 Predictions UFC 308 Odds
• Shara Magomedov vs Armen Petrosyan Pick, 10/26/2024 Predictions UFC 308 Odds
• Magomed Ankalaev vs Aleksandar Rakic Pick, 10/26/2024 Predictions UFC 308 Odds
• Ismail Naurdiev vs Bruno Silva Pick, 10/26/2024 Predictions UFC 308 Odds