Prime Picks: PFL Pittsburgh, UFC Seattle
· Yahoo Sports
A
high-stakes middleweight clash headlines PFL Pittsburgh: Tune in
LIVE, Saturday, March 28 at 10 p.m. ET.
The Professional Fighters League and the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday will stand nose-to-nose before the buying public, albeit 2,500 miles apart, when PFL Pittsburgh “Eblen vs. Battle” unfolds at the UPMC Events Center in western Pennsylvania and UFC Seattle “Adesanya vs. Pyfer” goes down at Climate Pledge Arena in the Pacific Northwest. There should be an ample supply of intrigue at both locales.
Strap in, as we examine the cards from a bettor’s perspective and attempt to maximize our investment in the latest installment of Prime Picks:
The former Bellator MMA champion figures to be as motivated as ever when he zeroes in on UFC refugee Bryan Battle in the PFL main event. Eblen, 34, finds himself on the rebound for the first time, having fallen from the ranks of the unbeaten through a technical submission loss to Costello van Steenis in the fifth round of their PFL Champions Series 2 encounter on July 19. The American Top Team rep entered the cage with a perfect 16-0 record and raced out to a clear lead on the scorecards, then lost his way across the final 10 minutes before being put to sleep by a rear-naked choke in the waning seconds. A re-energized and refocused Eblen could be quite a handful for his counterpart. Battle was jettisoned by the UFC after a series of missed weight cuts and looks to land on his feet in his PFL debut. “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 29 winner has proven vulnerable to Eblen’s strengths in the past, most notably during a December 2022 unanimous decision defeat to Rinat Fakhretdinov in which he surrendered seven takedowns. An accomplished amateur wrestler, Eblen was an NCAA qualifier with more than 80 victories at the University of Missouri and has always leaned into those skills in MMA. Battle could be in for a rough night.
Arce has always managed to fly under the radar despite an extensive track record of success. The Team Tiger Schulmann mainstay and former two-division Ring of Combat champion draws his first assignment under the PFL banner in a featherweight showcase opposite the undefeated Alexei Pergande. Arce, now 36, steps into the spotlight on a three-fight winning streak that dates back to his days in the UFC. He last saw action in the New York-based Victory Fighting League organization, where he punched out Wilson Reis exactly two minutes into their Oct. 24 confrontation. Arce faces an uphill climb in his PFL debut. Pergande has established himself as one of the company’s most promising homegrown talents with seven straight wins, three of them by submission, to start his career. While he has been installed as the rightful favorite (-130), the 24-year-old has not yet faced anyone anywhere near Arce’s caliber. All the pressure to perform falls on Pergande, which makes his opponent a worthy flier.
Everything appears to be in place for Pyfer to launch himself to stardom. The Dana White’s Contender Series graduate gets his crack at one of the top dogs in the middleweight division when he dukes it out with two-time champion Israel Adesanya in the UFC Fight Night 271 headliner. Pyfer, 29, has won eight of his past nine bouts—a decision loss to the crafty Jack Hermansson was the only hiccup—and seems to be on a steady ascent after consecutive victories over Marc-Andre Barriault, Kelvin Gastelum and Abusupiyan Magomedov. Plus, he wields some of the heaviest hands in the 185-pound weight class. On the other side of the equation, Adesanya finds himself in a career-worst tailspin following back-to-back-to-back defeats to Sean Strickland, Dricus Du Plessis and Nassourdine Imavov. The setback against Imavov was particularly troubling, as he failed to get out of the second round. Any further slippage from the 36-year-old City Kickboxing star would leave him alarmingly vulnerable to what Pyfer does best.
Meanwhile, Grasso and Barber are entrenched as Top 5 contenders in the UFC women’s flyweight division ahead of their showdown in the co-main event, and they seem to be exceedingly well-matched on paper. That could lead to plenty of give and take between them, potentially resulting in a bogged-down stalemate. The heightened stakes of their position on the card could also conspire to create caution and inaction, as they attempt to separate themselves from one another. Experience and resume favor Grasso, who went 1-1-1 in a trilogy with current champion Valentina Shevchenko. Questions still surround Barber after she suffered a seizure that resulted in a last-minute fight cancellation with Erin Blanchfield less than a year ago. She put some doubts to rest with a unanimous decision over Karine Silva at UFC 323 on Dec. 6, but she still has some ground to cover in order to restore some of the shine she lost. The services of the judges will almost certainly be needed to settle the score between these two.
Finally, Chiesa closes out his career in a welterweight feature opposite Nico Price. The Sikjitsu standout has enjoyed a serviceable if unspectacular tenure in the UFC since he burst on the scene as an unbeaten prospect in 2012. Chiesa, 38, heads into his supposed “retirement fight” on the heels of three straight victories over Tony Ferguson, Max Griffin and Court McGee. “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 15 winner has nailed down more than half (12) of his 19 pro wins by submission, providing him with a clear path to the winner’s circle against his latest adversary. Price fills in as a short-notice replacement for Carlston Harris and does so with a reputation as a live-by-the-sword-die-by-the-sword competitor. Only six of his 28 bouts have gone the distance, and he has lost twice via submission to opponents—Brandon Thatch and George Sullivan—with far weaker grappling profiles than Chiesa. Expect “Maverick” to ride off into the sunset on a high note.
The Professional Fighters League and the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday will stand nose-to-nose before the buying public, albeit 2,500 miles apart, when PFL Pittsburgh “Eblen vs. Battle” unfolds at the UPMC Events Center in western Pennsylvania and UFC Seattle “Adesanya vs. Pyfer” goes down at Climate Pledge Arena in the Pacific Northwest. There should be an ample supply of intrigue at both locales.
Strap in, as we examine the cards from a bettor’s perspective and attempt to maximize our investment in the latest installment of Prime Picks:
STRAIGHT-UP CASH
Johnny Eblen (-395)
The former Bellator MMA champion figures to be as motivated as ever when he zeroes in on UFC refugee Bryan Battle in the PFL main event. Eblen, 34, finds himself on the rebound for the first time, having fallen from the ranks of the unbeaten through a technical submission loss to Costello van Steenis in the fifth round of their PFL Champions Series 2 encounter on July 19. The American Top Team rep entered the cage with a perfect 16-0 record and raced out to a clear lead on the scorecards, then lost his way across the final 10 minutes before being put to sleep by a rear-naked choke in the waning seconds. A re-energized and refocused Eblen could be quite a handful for his counterpart. Battle was jettisoned by the UFC after a series of missed weight cuts and looks to land on his feet in his PFL debut. “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 29 winner has proven vulnerable to Eblen’s strengths in the past, most notably during a December 2022 unanimous decision defeat to Rinat Fakhretdinov in which he surrendered seven takedowns. An accomplished amateur wrestler, Eblen was an NCAA qualifier with more than 80 victories at the University of Missouri and has always leaned into those skills in MMA. Battle could be in for a rough night.
’DOG WILL HUNT
Julio Arce (+110)
Arce has always managed to fly under the radar despite an extensive track record of success. The Team Tiger Schulmann mainstay and former two-division Ring of Combat champion draws his first assignment under the PFL banner in a featherweight showcase opposite the undefeated Alexei Pergande. Arce, now 36, steps into the spotlight on a three-fight winning streak that dates back to his days in the UFC. He last saw action in the New York-based Victory Fighting League organization, where he punched out Wilson Reis exactly two minutes into their Oct. 24 confrontation. Arce faces an uphill climb in his PFL debut. Pergande has established himself as one of the company’s most promising homegrown talents with seven straight wins, three of them by submission, to start his career. While he has been installed as the rightful favorite (-130), the 24-year-old has not yet faced anyone anywhere near Arce’s caliber. All the pressure to perform falls on Pergande, which makes his opponent a worthy flier.
AN ACCUMULATION CONTEMPLATION
Joe Pyfer (+135)
Alexa Grasso-Maycee Barber Goes the Distance (-400)
Michael Chiesa Wins Inside the Distance (-170)
Total Odds: +367
Everything appears to be in place for Pyfer to launch himself to stardom. The Dana White’s Contender Series graduate gets his crack at one of the top dogs in the middleweight division when he dukes it out with two-time champion Israel Adesanya in the UFC Fight Night 271 headliner. Pyfer, 29, has won eight of his past nine bouts—a decision loss to the crafty Jack Hermansson was the only hiccup—and seems to be on a steady ascent after consecutive victories over Marc-Andre Barriault, Kelvin Gastelum and Abusupiyan Magomedov. Plus, he wields some of the heaviest hands in the 185-pound weight class. On the other side of the equation, Adesanya finds himself in a career-worst tailspin following back-to-back-to-back defeats to Sean Strickland, Dricus Du Plessis and Nassourdine Imavov. The setback against Imavov was particularly troubling, as he failed to get out of the second round. Any further slippage from the 36-year-old City Kickboxing star would leave him alarmingly vulnerable to what Pyfer does best.
Meanwhile, Grasso and Barber are entrenched as Top 5 contenders in the UFC women’s flyweight division ahead of their showdown in the co-main event, and they seem to be exceedingly well-matched on paper. That could lead to plenty of give and take between them, potentially resulting in a bogged-down stalemate. The heightened stakes of their position on the card could also conspire to create caution and inaction, as they attempt to separate themselves from one another. Experience and resume favor Grasso, who went 1-1-1 in a trilogy with current champion Valentina Shevchenko. Questions still surround Barber after she suffered a seizure that resulted in a last-minute fight cancellation with Erin Blanchfield less than a year ago. She put some doubts to rest with a unanimous decision over Karine Silva at UFC 323 on Dec. 6, but she still has some ground to cover in order to restore some of the shine she lost. The services of the judges will almost certainly be needed to settle the score between these two.
Finally, Chiesa closes out his career in a welterweight feature opposite Nico Price. The Sikjitsu standout has enjoyed a serviceable if unspectacular tenure in the UFC since he burst on the scene as an unbeaten prospect in 2012. Chiesa, 38, heads into his supposed “retirement fight” on the heels of three straight victories over Tony Ferguson, Max Griffin and Court McGee. “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 15 winner has nailed down more than half (12) of his 19 pro wins by submission, providing him with a clear path to the winner’s circle against his latest adversary. Price fills in as a short-notice replacement for Carlston Harris and does so with a reputation as a live-by-the-sword-die-by-the-sword competitor. Only six of his 28 bouts have gone the distance, and he has lost twice via submission to opponents—Brandon Thatch and George Sullivan—with far weaker grappling profiles than Chiesa. Expect “Maverick” to ride off into the sunset on a high note.
Visit extonnews.click for more information.