Robert Whittaker vs. Marvin Vettori: UFC Fight Night Paris Odds, Prediction
In the wake of his recent loss to UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in their rematch at UFC 271, Robert Whittaker returns to action perched as a -220 favourite to win on the UFC odds. Pegged at No. 3 on the UFC middleweight rankings, Vettori returns to action for the first time in over 10 months sporting lengthy +180 odds.
Robert Whittaker UFC Fight Night Paris Odds
Robert Whittaker will have a lot to prove in Saturday’s matchup at Accor Arena. “The Reaper” was denied the victory in his recent rematch with UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 271, falling to defeat by unanimous decision despite dominating at times, particularly on the mat. The loss was particularly frustrating for Whittaker, whose only two defeats over his past 14 fights have come against “The Last Stylebender”.
Overall, Whittaker has seen six of his past seven outings get decided by the judges, with five of those contests going a full five rounds. However, the 31-year-old New Zealander remains a finishing threat both standing and on the mat, with nine of his 23 wins coming by KO or TKO, and five coming by submission. Indeed, Whittaker sports particularly impressive striking ability, and ranks third all-time among UFC middleweights with 884 total significant strikes, and eighth with seven knockdowns.
Marvin Vettori UFC Fight Night Paris Odds
Marvin Vettori makes his return to the UFC middleweight division after tallying a five-round unanimous decision victory over Paulo Costa in his light heavyweight debut last October at UFC Vegas 41. Like Whittaker, “The Italian Dream” has enjoyed steady success in recent years; that is unless he is facing Adesanya. Vettori has dropped a pair of decisions to the current champ, which also represent his only losses over his past 10 octagon appearances.
The similarities between these two fighters don’t stop there. Vettori has seen 11 of his past 12 contests get decided by the judges, with the lone exception being a first-round submission win over Karl Roberson in their 190.5-pound catchweight clash at UFC Vegas 2, and sits just ahead of Whittaker with the second longest average fight time in UFC middleweight history. Vettori is also a formidable striker and takedown threat, but could struggle to take things to the mat on his own terms against Whittaker, who sports one of the bet takedown defences in the history of the 185-pound division.
UFC Fight Night Paris Prediction: Robert Whittaker vs. Marvin Vettori
Fight fans should be prepared to settle in for a lengthy battle between these middleweight rivals, which is a solid bet to go the distance. And given how well these two fighters match up, it is tough to ignore the value in Vettori’s long odds to pull off the upset and saddle Whittaker with consecutive defeats for the first time in almost nine years.
Prediction: Marvin Vettori (+180)