Deiveson Figueiredo vs Alex Perez Tips & Fight Predictions

Early bird out here finding GREAT value on Alex Perez, the challenger for the flyweight strap. Perez has it all: high volume, takedowns, leg kicks, submissions, knock outs ... the only reason he is a 3.50 dog is because Figueiredo beat Benavidez twice. If not for those two wins, this would be a pick'em, or Deiveson might even have been a dog here. The first fight against Benavidez was impressive, but in rematches, the winner of the first tends to win the second 70% of the time, and let's not forget that Deiveson missed weight for the first one ... Not taking anything away from Deiveson but two wins against the same guy is not as impressive as two wins against two different guys. We are boldly going with the challenger here, as champions in 2020 are unbeaten, however, there is sufficient reasoning for us doing so. First of all, Deiveson has a negative strike differential which is very rare for a champion - he absorbs more than the lands. Going the distance against a technical high-volume fighter like Perez, that's not gonna go well for him. Secondly, Perez is one of those fighters who throws 33% to the legs, 33% to the body, and 33% to the head, which is super effective. These guys are the new generation, and looking at Figueiredo he almost only goes for the head, and has only thrown about 4 leg kicks in his last five fights - that's not good enough for a champion. Perez is younger, has more experience, is WAY more well-rounded, and could certainly become the next flyweight champ here. At this price I have to pick him. Bettors remember what they saw last, which is Figueiredo knocking out Benavidez. Perez is a far superior striker, and his leg kicks are out of this world. Mix in a few takedowns here and there and he could get the win 4 out of 10 times here. 2-unit play for UFC 255. Gamble responsibly.