UFC Vegas 12 Odds: Maurice Greene vs. Greg Hardy Prediction

Saturday’s UFC main card includes an intriguing heavyweight fight between Maurice Greene and former NFL player Greg Hardy.

Both of these fighters possess devastating knockout power, which should make for an interesting fight. Hardy is the favourite to win on the MMA odds at -335, while Greene is +240.

Maurice Greene UFC Fight Night Odds

“The Crochet Boss” (9-5) is a submission specialist who has already fought twice in 2020 and three times in the past year.  Greene is coming off a submission win over Gian Villante in June 2020, but dropped fights to Aleksei Oleinik (submission at UFC 246 in January) and Sergei Pavlovich (first-round TKO in October 2019) before the Villante win.

Greene’s biggest advantage is his long reach. He holds a two-inch reach advantage over his opponent and he likes to keep other fighters at bay with a long attack. Greene’s reach helps him average 4.58 significant strikes per minute, compared to Hardy’s average of 3.88.  Preferring to patiently wait for submission opportunities, Greene’s 0.87 submission average per 15 minutes ranks No. 3 in the division (Hardy’s average is 0).

Greene will need to dictate this fight to win. If he can keep distance between himself and Hardy early in the fight, his opponent is bound to make a mistake that Greene can pounce on.

Greg Hardy UFC Fight Night Odds

Hardy (8-2), the former NFL player, has sudden and stunning one-punch knockout ability. Seven of his eight wins have come by KO or TKO and he enters this fight coming off a unanimous decision win over Yorgan De Castro at UFC 249 in May. Hardy is a workhorse who fought five times last year, picking up two wins, two losses and one no contest.

As physically intimidating as Hardy’s size is, he moves fast laterally and to the outside, which helps him move in range to land a flurry of punches and retreat before his opponents can strike back. His significant strike defense is surprisingly good at 64 per cent (Greene’s defense is 53 per cent) and he has become a better and more patient fighter each fight. Hardy is a harder hitter on his feet than Greene is, but he’ll need to break through Greene’s long reach to unleash his knockout power.

UFC Fight Night: Greene vs. Hardy Prediction

This fight should come down to which fighter can dictate the style. Hardy has the power advantage standing up, but Greene is the most accomplished submission artist Hardy has ever faced. Hardy has shown consistent improvement every fight, if that trend continues look for Hardy to pick up a win by KO/TKO.