Rani Yahya vs Montel Jackson Pick, 4/22/2023 Predictions UFC Vegas 71 Odds

by Josh Schonwald - 4/19/2023

Rani Yahya vs Montel Jackson

UFC Vegas 71

UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV

Saturday, April 22, 2023

Rani Yahya will battle Montel Jackson at UFC Vegas 71 on Saturday, April 22, 2023. The moneyline has Yahya coming in at +390 while Jackson is at -550.

Rani Yahya comes into this fight with a record of 28-10-1 (1 NC). The 38-year-old tips the scales at 135 lbs and stands in at 5'6". The orthodox fighter reaches 67". Montel "Quik" Jackson measures in at 5'10" and weighs in at 135 lbs. The southpaw fighter has a record of 12-2-0. The 30-year-old reaches 75". When talking about significant strikes, Rani Yahya lands 1.58 per min while Montel Jackson is connecting on 3.39 significant strikes per minute. Yahya is connecting on 38% of the significant strikes he tries and Jackson is landing 54%. In terms of defending in the cage, Yahya allows 1.76 significant strikes per min and "Quik" takes 1.40. Yahya also prevents 50% of the significant strikes his opponents attempt while Jackson is able to curb 63% of the shots thrown.

ufc picks Rani Yahya ufc predictions best bet odds

UFC Vegas 71	Rani Yahya	Montel Jackson
Opening Odds	+390	-550
Record	28-10-1 (1 NC)	12-2-0
Average Fight Time	10:10	11:46
Height	5'6"	5'10"
Weight	135 lbs	135 lbs
Reach	67"	75"
Strikes Landed Per Minute	1.58	3.39
Striking Accuracy	38%	54%

When it comes to wrestling, Rani Yahya is not as efficient of a wrestler as he scores a takedown 2.90 times per 3 rounds. Yahya is taking his opponents to the canvas on 33% of the times he tries and is defending 24% of all takedown tries against him. Jackson is taking his opponents to the mat on 71% of the takedowns he attempts and is stopping 67% of the tries against him. Regarding going for the sub, Yahya is the more capable of the two fighters by going for 1.9 finishes per 3 rounds while Jackson tries 0.3 finishes per 3 rds.

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The last time he fought, Rani Yahya went up against Kyung Ho Kang and took home the victory via unanimous decision in round 3. Kang landed 103 of 154 total strikes attempted in that contest. Yahya finished this fight landing 152 of 218 total strikes. In the category of significant strikes, Kang landed 43 of 82, giving him a percentage of 52%. He finished the fight landing 36 of 73 significant strikes directed at the head. In terms of stats for the opponent, Yahya ended up landing 56% of his significant strikes by landing 27 of 48. Looking at the significant strike accuracy, he was 7 of 25 to the head. 93% of the significant strikes landed by Kang and 96% of them connected on by Yahya were tallied at distance.

In the last Octagon appearance for Montel Jackson, he squared up with Julio Arce and wound up getting the win via unanimous decision in round 3. Arce ended up connecting on 96% of the significant strikes he took from distance and Jackson ended up connecting on 68% of the significant strikes he attempted at distance. Jackson ended up landing 45% of his significant strikes attempted by landing 48 of 106. He connected on 39 of 95 significant strikes directed at the head. Arce connected on 26 of 126 significant strikes in that fight. Looking at the significant strike accuracy, he ended up landing 13 of 102 directed at the head. In regard to total strikes that he let go in that contest, Arce landed 44 of 156 while Jackson was 64 of 127 of the strikes he threw in total.

Other fights to watch

An additional bout that shouldn't be missed is when Francis Marshall squares up in the Octagon against William Gomis. Marshall comes into this fight holding a mark of 7-0-0. The 24-year-old weighs 145 lbs and stands 5'9". The orthodox fighter reaches 72". Gomis stands in at 6'0" and is weighing in at 145 lbs. The southpaw fighter steps into the Octagon with a mark of 11-2-0. The 25-year-old has an arm span of 73". In terms of takedowns, Francis Marshall is able to score a takedown 4.95 times per 3 rds and William Gomis takes his opponents to the mat 3.00 times per 15 minutes. In the striking category, Marshall lands 6.26 strikes per min and is landing 42% of his attempted strikes. Joining him in the Octagon is William Gomis, who lands 45% of the strikes he attempts and lands an average of 2.13 per minute.

An additional fight that you're going to want to see is when Batgerel Danaa is set to square up in the Octagon with Brady Hiestand. Hiestand comes into this fight with a record of 7-2-0. The 23-year-old steps on the scale at 135 lbs and stands in at 5'8". The orthodox fighter extends his reach 71". Danaa comes in at 5'7" and is fighting at 135 lbs. The orthodox fighter steps into the Octagon with a mark of 12-4-0. The 33-year-old has an arm span of 70". Concerning grappling, Brady Hiestand thwarts 50% of the takedowns fighters have gone for and is taking his opponents to the canvas on 47% of the times he tries. Danaa is finishing his takedowns on 33% of the attempts he tries and is able to deflect 66% of takedowns his opponents have tried. In the category of striking, Hiestand is taking 4.03 strikes per minute while he lands 2.83 per min. Danaa, on the other hand, is absorbing 4.56 strikes/min and lands 6.22 per minute.

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

Josh's Pick: Take Montel Jackson (-550)

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Rani Yahya vs Montel Jackson Pick, 4/22/2023 Predictions UFC Vegas 71 Odds

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