UFC San Antonio: Vera vs. Sandhagen Three Best Prop Bets
UFC SAN ANTONIO: VERA VS. SANDHAGEN THREE BEST PROP BETS – The AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, will host the UFC this weekend.
Two top-five ranked bantamweight contenders headline the event; Marlon “Chito” Vera and Cory Sandhagen attempt to sort out the deep division. It is a clash of styles, but one of the most exciting fights this year. Both men are talented and durable, with neither losing by knockout in their career. It is sure to be an entertaining matchup.
Marlon “Chito” Vera is on a four-fight win streak and has earned the number three ranking in the bantamweight division. His overall record is 20-7-1, with all his losses via decision. Vera will have a slight advantage in reach and leg reach but will stand three inches shorter than Sandhagen.
Cory “Sandman” Sandhagen enters this fight following a main event stoppage over Song Yadong. Before that, he lost two close decisions to Petr Yan and T.J. Dillashaw, both main events. His overall record is 15-4, with one loss via submission and three decision losses.
Sandhagen to Win by Decision +100
This matchup is the ultimate clash of styles. Both men do a lot of things well, but approach fights differently.
Vera likes to take his time and use his power to invoke damage on his opponents. Sandhagen lands volume and mixes in takedowns to keep his opponents off balance while he weaponizes his cardio en route to a decision victory.
Both men use elbows that damage and cut opponents, and Sandhagen is skilled in using his knees. Both are great grapplers and submission threats on the mat, so this fight likely remains standing most of the time.
Vera Plays the Long Game
Vera typically is on the losing end of the first couple of rounds as he finds his range and timing.
Sandhagen likes to jump out to an early lead and lands constant volume to soften his opponent. Sandhagen lands almost two more strikes than he absorbs, while Vera absorbs one more shot than he lands per minute.
Given that neither man has been knocked out, this fight likely goes the distance, and Sandhagen has the advantage in that kind of fight.
Fight to be Won by Unanimous Decision +100
This prop wager is nearly the same as the previous one, but different in a few ways. Vera could find his distance in the third round of the fight and win the final three, because Sandhagen is durable enough to withstand it.
He could also surprise everyone and start aggressively, but he would be hard-pressed to beat Sandhagen at his own game. Neither are Vera’s most likely paths to victory, but both are possible.
Both men are 30 years old, but Vera has more professional experience and more UFC experience.
It is a close fight, but the slight edge must go to Sandhagen. Vera relies on quality over quantity and damage to win. Sandhagen can take damage and land volume. He is also capable of damaging Vera. If Sandhagen can nearly match the damage from Vera, he will land more strikes, which should help him on the scorecards. Either way, one man will be the clear winner after five rounds.
Vera to Win by KO/TKO/DQ +350
“Chito” Vera’s most likely path to victory is a knockout and is certainly not out of the question.
Cory Sandhagen has been knocked down before, but has never been truly close to being knocked out. He has also not faced an opponent with the power of Vera.
Since joining the UFC in 2014, Vera has transformed and grown into his game. Early in his career, he used his jiu-jitsu to win fights, but recently he has used his power.
Two of his last three bouts have resulted in highlight reel knockouts: a front kick on Frankie Edgar and another head kick on Dominick Cruz.
He has shown the ability to time and land accurate power shots on the toughest of opponents. Even in his win over Sean O’Malley, he landed a perfect kick to the side of O’Malley’s leg that sat him down and led to a stoppage.
Even though Sandhagen has never lost via knockout, anyone is susceptible to a perfectly placed kick, knee, or elbow from Vera. He is dangerous, which makes this bet worth a shot.