While the UFC continues to be the king when it comes to MMA and gambling, there is more MMA than ever to bet on now. Promotions all over the world as well as domestic ones are showing up in sportsbooks. The advantage here is that the data is usually quite a bit less sharp than when you’re making MMA predictions for the UFC. So we’ve decided to dig into some each week to get you started on your regional MMA journey. This week we keep it domestic for LFA 243 from Santa Cruz, California for our regional MMA pick.
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MMA Regional Pick of the Week: LFA 243
LFA Strawweight Fight: Aysia Cortez vs Sophie Lang
Card Start Time: Friday (10/9), 7:30pm EST (VICE TV)
Early on the LFA 243 main card, we have a strawweight bout between a couple of exciting up and coming prospects. One has seen twice as many fights as the other, but the other has seen some pretty high level competition. You may want to circle these names and come back in a year or two as someone is headed for the big time.
The side I’d throw my hat in the ring for is Sophie Lang. While she is the less experienced of the two, I love how she looked in her last fight. She took on another exciting prospect in Ashley Barrett and not only beat her, but did so at her own game. Barrett is a staunch grappler with heavy control. Lang met that and even landed takedowns of her own – one leading to a back take. Although she didn’t get the finish, she showed just what she can bring over 15 minutes.
I like the potential of Aysia Cortez as well, but I feel like she’s less developed at this stage. She comes out guns blazing and often throws more than her opponents can handle. That aggression leads to her easy control of fights. The difference is that a gameplan like that stops working the higher up you get. This may be the level where it starts to cost her, as Lang should be able to duck under and pick up an easy takedown to deter that aggression.
LFA 243 Pick: Sophie Lang ML (-110)
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