Tai Tuivasa vs. Greg Hardy Prediction: UFC 264 Odds
It’s the heavyweights’ turn as Tai Tuivasa and Greg Hardy get set to meet on the main card of UFC 264 in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Tuivasa is looking to prove his last two fights weren’t flukes and he can be a force in the heavyweight division. Meanwhile, controversial former NFL player, Hardy, has shown improvement, but has produced mixed results in his UFC career. Both fighters are a few wins from shooting up the heavyweight rankings, or a few losses from flaming out.
Tuivasa is the early -130 favourite to win on the MMA odds, while Hardy is a slight +100 underdog.
Tai Tuivasa UFC 264 Odds
Tuivasa (12-3 MMA record) started his UFC career off with a bang in 2017, winning three straight fights in a seven-month period. The Aussie faltered though, losing his next three fights and spending just over a year away from the octagon. His return to the UFC last October was a dominating one. Tuivasa knocked out (punches) Stefan Struve at UFC 254 with one second remaining in the first round. He ended his next fight even quicker, beating Harry Hunsucker by TKO (punches) 49 seconds into their fight in March. Tuivasa currently sits just outside of the top-15, but a win on Saturday should bump him into the rankings.
“Bam Bam” is a former rugby player and uses that surprising speed to land quick, powerful blows. The 28-year-old is a crafty fighter who mixes in kicks, knees and elbows to do major damage. Unsurprisingly, all but one of his wins have come by knockout. Tuivasa’s best strategy in this fight might actually be a very similar game plan to the one Dustin Poirier used on Conor McGregor in January. If Tuivasa can attack Hardy’s lead leg, that will widen the mobility advantage he already has over Hardy. Tuivasa needs to destabilize his opponent and not let the pace slow. If he can do that, it might be enough to earn the win and a top-15 ranking.
Greg Hardy UFC 264 Odds
Hardy (7-3 MMA record) has been a workhorse since his UFC debut in 2019, logging eight fights in that time. His record, however, hasn’t exactly jumped off the page as he is 4-3 with one no contest in his UFC career. It will be interesting to see how the 32-year-old rebounds from the first stoppage loss of his career, dropping his last fight by second-round TKO (punches) to Marcin Tybura last December. Prior to that fight, he had a TKO (punches) win over Maurice Greene and a unanimous decision win over Yorgan de Castro. Still, Hardy’s record has been too up-and-down to last much longer in a promotion with as much talent as the UFC. His past NFL career won’t help him stick in the UFC forever, he needs to start stringing together some wins.
The “Prince of War” is a powerful fighter and his NFL experience has helped him become faster than the average heavyweight. If he could use that speed and power to go for a takedown and hammer away, Hardy would not only have the edge against Tuivasa, but of almost every heavyweight on the roster. Hardy isn’t an experienced enough kickboxer to go toe-to-toe with Tuivasa, so he’s going to need to come out early and land some big shots right away.
UFC 264 Prediction: Tuivasa vs. Hardy
Both fighters have shown flashes of what they can do, but neither of them have been able to do it over a sustained period. As with any heavyweight fight, we could see either fighter earning the knockout. Tuivasa has come a long way in the last few years and for this fight, we see him winning by second-round KO.