Alexandre Pantoja vs Brandon Royval Pick, 12/16/2023 Predictions UFC 296 Odds

by Tony Sink - 12/12/2023

Alexandre Pantoja vs Brandon Royval

UFC 296

T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV

Saturday, December 16, 2023

Alexandre Pantoja will enter the Octagon against Brandon Royval at UFC 296 on Saturday, December 16, 2023. The opener has Pantoja priced at -185 while Royval is priced at +154.

Alexandre "The Cannibal" Pantoja looks to add a win to his career record of 26-5-0. The 33-year-old is weighing in at 125 lbs and measures in at 5'5". The orthodox fighter has an arm span of 67". Brandon "Raw Dawg" Royval measures 5'9" and steps on the scale at 125 lbs. The southpaw fighter has a mark of 15-6-0. The 31-year-old has a wingspan of 68". Regarding significant strikes, Alexandre Pantoja is connecting on 4.41 per minute and Brandon Royval lands 3.45 significant strikes per minute. Pantoja connects on 48% of the significant strikes he tries and Royval is landing 38%. In terms of defending themselves, "The Cannibal" absorbs 3.81 significant strikes per min and "Raw Dawg" takes 2.63. Pantoja also stops 51% of the significant strikes that are aimed in his direction while Royval curbs 50% of the shots thrown his way.

ufc picks Alexandre Pantoja ufc predictions best bet odds

UFC 296	Alexandre Pantoja	Brandon Royval
Opening Odds	-185	+154
Record	26-5-0	15-6-0
Average Fight Time	11:11	6:28
Height	5'5"	5'9"
Weight	125 lbs	125 lbs
Reach	67"	68"
Strikes Landed Per Minute	4.41	3.45
Striking Accuracy	48%	38%

Concerning grappling, Alexandre Pantoja is the more capable wrestler as he takes his opponents down 1.75 times per 3 rds. Pantoja is finishing his takedown attempts on 44% of his attempts and stopping 66% of the takedowns his opponents attempt. Royval is scoring a takedown on 85% of his takedown attempts and is stuffing 39% of all takedowns attempted on him. In terms of subbing the opposition, Pantoja is less apt at going for the finish by going for 1.0 finish per 3 rounds while Royval looks to get 2.3 subs per 15 min.

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In his last appearance in the Octagon, Alexandre Pantoja went up against Brandon Moreno and ended up winning this fight via split decision in round 5. Moreno ended up landing 167 of 265 total strikes that he let go in that contest. Pantoja walked away from this fight having landed 161 of 323 total strikes. In terms of significant strikes, Moreno landed 147 of 245, which means his percentage was 60%. He landed 133 of 231 significant strikes directed at the head. Statistically, Pantoja ended up landing 47% of his significant strikes by sticking 129 of 274. Out of all the significant strikes thrown, he connected on 106 of 247 aimed at the head. 87% of the significant strikes connected on by Moreno and 80% of them connected on by Pantoja were done at distance.

In the last Octagon appearance for Brandon Royval, he fought Matheus Nicolau and ended up getting the victory by a knee to the head in round 1. Nicolau ended up connecting on 100% of the significant strikes he tried at a distance and Royval ended up connecting on 23% of his significant strikes at distance. Royval connected on 59% of his significant strikes attempted by landing 13 of 22. He connected on 13 of 20 significant strikes aimed at the head. Nicolau ended up connecting on 2 of 5 significant strikes in that contest. In terms of accuracy for the significant strikes, he ended up landing 1 of 4 directed at the head. In terms of total strikes thrown in that contest, Nicolau connected on 2 of 5 while Royval landed 13 of 22 of all the strikes he threw.

Other fights to watch out for

One more match to look forward to is when Shavkat Rakhmonov encounters Stephen Thompson. Rakhmonov will be looking to add a victory to his total of 17-0-0. The 29-year-old weighs 170 lbs and measures 6'1". The orthodox fighter stretches 77". Thompson stands 6'0" and steps on the scale at 170 lbs. The orthodox fighter will be looking to add a victory to his total of 17-6-1. The 40-year-old has a wingspan of 75". In the grappling category, Shavkat Rakhmonov scores a takedown 1.49 times per 15 minutes and Stephen Thompson is averaging a takedown 0.27 times per 15 min. In terms of striking, Rakhmonov connects for an average of 4.45 strikes/min and connects on 59% of the strikes that he attempts. Joining him in the Octagon is Stephen Thompson, who is landing 45% of the strikes he has attempted and lands an average of 4.20 per minute.

One more can't miss bout is when Paddy Pimblett is set to battle Tony Ferguson. Ferguson will be looking to add a win to his career total of 26-9-0. The 39-year-old weighs in at 155 lbs and stands 5'11". The orthodox fighter stretches 76". Pimblett measures in at 5'10" and tips the scales at 155 lbs. The orthodox fighter looks to add a victory to his career total of 20-3-0. The 28-year-old has an arm span of 73". In terms of wrestling, Tony Ferguson is stopping 66% of the takedowns fighters have gone for and is taking his opponents down on 35% of his attempts. Pimblett is taking his opponents down on 25% of his attempts and defends against 56% of the takedowns his opponents try. In the category of striking, Ferguson takes 4.26 strikes/minute while he is dishing out 4.98 strikes per min. Pimblett, in contrast, takes 3.48 strikes/min and connects on 4.19 per minute.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Brandon Royval (+154)

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Alexandre Pantoja vs Brandon Royval Pick, 12/16/2023 Predictions UFC 296 Odds

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