Jose Aldo vs. Marlon Vera Odds
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In the co-main event of Saturday night's UFC Fight Night event, No. 7-ranked Bantamweight challenger Jose Aldo will square off against No. 15-ranked challenger Marlon Vera. Aldo is seeking to snap his three-fight losing streak, the longest of his impressive career. Vera is coming off a huge August win and has been in a groove over the past two years, winning six of his past seven fights.
So which fighter has the edge in this matchup? I'll break down the matchup and betting odds below, but you can find my full breakdown of Saturday's card here.
Tale of the Tape
| Aldo | Vera | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 28-7 | 16-6-1 |
| Avg. Fight Time | 13:39 | 10:30 |
| Height | 5'7" | 5'8" |
| Weight (pounds) | 135 lbs. | 135 lbs. |
| Reach (inches) | 70" | 70" |
| Stance | Orthodox | Switch |
| Date of birth | 9/9/86 | 12/2/92 |
| Sig Strikes Per Min | 3.48 | 3.70 |
| SS Accuracy | 44% | 48% |
| SS Absorbed Per Min | 3.55 | 4.05 |
| SS Defense | 62% | 52% |
| Take Down Avg | 0.60 | 0.86 |
| TD Acc | 61% | 42% |
| TD Def | 90% | 69% |
| Submission Avg | 0.1 | 1.2 |
Aldo vs. Vera Betting Pick
For all of the controversy surrounding the late stoppage – as Petr Yan brutalized Jose Aldo in the fifth round of their July 12 Bantamweight title fight – it's easy to forget how close that bout was in the early stages.
Aldo won the second round, pulling the live odds to a pick'em heading into Round 3 before the 34-year-old legend began to wear down and absorb more damage than he was giving back.
It was a potential life-changing beating for Aldo, who will try to break a three-fight losing streak on Saturday night against rising contender Marlon Vera – who capitalized on Sean O'Malley's foot injury in their Aug. 15 contest.
Historically, "Chito" Vera is an extremely slow starter. Still, he has also never been finished. While Aldo (a BJJ blackbelt) is rarely tested on the ground (90% takedown defense) – Chito is more of an opportunistic grappler who seizes upon moments in the fight rather than attacking takedowns (0.86 landed per 15 minutes, 42% accuracy) or submissions (1.2 attempted per 15 minutes).
As a result, I expect Vera to lose the first round against an in-form Aldo, who should begin to tire out in the second half of the fight. However, it's difficult to envision Vera (52% striking defense, -0.35 differential) winning a standup battle against Aldo (62% striking defense, -0.07 differential) unless he repeatedly works the body, so I can't necessarily recommend placing a live wager.
Aldo needs to rely on early volume to win the first two rounds, and Chito will likely be searching for a late finish against a tiring opponent.
This is the first step down in competition for Aldo in some time – his first fight against an opponent ranked outside of the top five since UFC 129 – and I don't think "Chito" has ascended to the top of that food chain quite yet.
I see some value in this fight to go the distance (projected 66%), and I'll take a small stab on the Over 2.5 rounds at -200 or better.
Pick: Aldo/Vera, Over 2.5 Rounds (-200)
