UFC Fight Night 183: Thompson vs. Neal Picks

The final UFC event of the year! Assuming everybody makes weight and nobody tests positive for COVID last minute we're getting a banger to finish off the year. While I'm not sharing my picks for these fights, I have to say if you're a fan of fights then make sure to tune in to see Jose Aldo fight the red hot Chito Vera and Khaos Williams take on the ever-spinning Michel Pereira. Fun fights but their odds are just too close to call for me to put any of my money down.

Marlon Moraes vs. Rob Font

This is a very clean, cut and dry decision to make on this fight. Marlon is only a -150 favorite because he’s on a losing skid and Font has a very clean 1-2 punch combination that’s very similar to his training partner Calvin Kattar but Marlon in the first round is an animal. Among the top strikers at 135 and he shuts the lights off on people. I have a lot of respect for Font as a fighter but Moraes is just a level above him.

Moraes: -150

Anthony Pettis vs. Alex Morono

Anthony Pettis will really fight anybody. The former lightweight champ who went up against Tony Ferguson, Stephen Thompson, Nate Diaz, and Donald Cerrone in the past year is going up against a relative unknown in Alex Morono. This is going to be a very tough night for Pettis and I’ll tell you why. Morono loves to bang. The strategy to beat Pettis is known and it’s to keep moving forward. Morono keeps piling on pressure and throws a multitude of strikes. Pettis hates pressure and I feel he’s mentally shot now. He’s on his last fight of his UFC contract and already hinted at signing to Bellator once the contract is finished. Give me Morono at +188 all day. Now here’s another gif of Pettis’s Showtime Kick as a nice throwback to better times in his career.

Morono: +188

Stephen Thompson vs. Geoff Neal

One of the most fun match ups that welterweight has to offer. Two dynamic strikers that have something to prove. Neal is looking to assert himself near the top of the UFC’s rankings and Wonderboy is fighting to keep his hopes of a potential title fight alive. Thompson is a slight underdog here most likely due to Neal’s history of aggression and finishing fights and Thompson’s lack of knockouts in recent years. This is perfectly sound thinking for anyone besides of Stephen Thompson. Outside of Israel Adesanya, Thompson is far and away the best fighter on the feet in the entire UFC. People love to talk about Masvidal’s knock outs and aggression but he looked out of Thompson’s league when they fought. Vincente Luque was another hyped striker but Thompson had his way with him. Neal’s style of bouncing in and out throwing fast and varied combinations will work on everybody else in welterweight aside from Thompson. When Neal lunges in for a straight punch to the body, Thompson will meet him with a front leg side kick to the body. When Neal lets his hands go he’ll be swinging at air. Also, Neal had congestive heart failure only a few months ago which is no joke when going into a fist fight with someone who went undefeated in 58 kickboxing matches. I really don’t see this going well for him at all. I’m putting the house on Thompson.

Thompson: +100