John Dodson vs Merab Dvalishvili Prediction and Odds, UFC 252 Main Card
Although this fight is in the main card, most people are not talking about it which is a bit surprising considering the fact that it contains a couple of staples in the Bantamweight division. The favorite in this fight is none other than Merab Dvalishvili who has quietly been building a very impressive résumé with the organization. Dvalishvili enters this fight with a solid 11-4 record in his career and he is in the middle of a four-fight winning streak so he has looked incredibly sharp over the past few years.
What makes Dvalishvili unique is his relentless work ethic and attention to detail in the ground game as he has the tendency to abuse his opponents with his quick takedowns. One can even make the argument that he is the best takedown specialist in the history of the division considering the fact that he has broken the record for most takedowns in a Bantamweight fight twice. In each of his last two fights, he has recorded at least 12 takedowns so he has looked like a man possessed lately. Now, he will be looking to use his elite strength to bully another opponent on the ground while repeatedly taking him down at every occasion on Saturday night.
However, Dvalishvili’s opponent is definitely no pushover as John Dodson has been around the block a few times in his career. Dodson has been a member of the UFC since 2012 and he has faced some of the best Bantamweights that the organization has ever had. Dodson’s peak in the UFC was fighting for a title twice against Demetrious Johnson. Although he lost both fights via decision, he has already proven that he can hang with the best in the weight class. Now, he is 35 years old so he is not as athletic as he once was and it has shown lately as he has lost two of his last three fights. Dodson does enter this fight off an impressive knockout victory against future contender Nathaniel Wood so perhaps some of that momentum will carry over into this fight for the UFC veteran.
The one area that Dodson excels in is the standup due to his elite punching power so he is always a threat to end any fight at a moment’s notice. Roughly half of Dodson’s 21 career victories have come via knockout so he is no stranger to the highlight reel finish which is essential if he has any hope of winning this fight. However, Dodson has had his fair share of issues with elite wrestlers in the past so this matchup does possess a lot of problems for him but the wrestling will not play much of a factor if Dodson can connect with one of his lethal punches to Dvalishvili’s head. As for my prediction, I have to side with Dvalishvili in this fight. Dodson is a UFC legend but I am a bit concerned about his slowly deteriorating speed due to age which used to be his biggest strength. Dvalishvili is bigger and stronger than Dodson so I think that the favorite should just be able to ragdoll his opponent like he has for his last few UFC fights. I do believe that Dodson will do enough to prevent getting stopped in this fight over these 15 minutes but I expect Dvalishvili to win by unanimous decision.
