Randy Brown vs Alex Oliveira is the sole welterweight matchup on the main card for UFC Fight Night 186. Brown has opened as the betting favorite, as Oliveira has struggled recently. Both fighters are looking to bounce back after losing their previous match, but Brown has a considerable size and reach advantage over Oliveira, which should help propel him to victory.
The welterweight division will be making an appearance when Randy Brown vs Alex Oliveira square off this Saturday. Both fighters have been inconsistent so far in the UFC, with each fighter coming off a defeat. Randy Brown, aka “Rudeboy,” was last seen losing to Vicente Luque in the second round back on August 1, 2020. Before that, though, Brown was riding a nice little win streak, beating Bryan Barberena and Warlley Alves in back-to-back fights. UFC predictions and the best MMA betting sites favor Rudeboy, but it’s concerning that he only fought once last year. Oliveira is in a similar boat in terms of form, but he was much more active in 2020, where he fought three times. He won his fights against Max Griffin and peter Sobotta before losing to Shavkat Rakhmonov in a first-round submission in October. The top sports bettings sites in NJ and the NJ online sports review have moneyline odds ready for this welterweight bout, and it looks like oddsmakers think it’ll be a close match, but they’re giving the nod to Brown. Brown’s best odds are over at FanDuel, where he’s listed at -158, while the best odds for “Cowboy” Oliveira are listed at +140 at BetMGM. Oliveira has better striking accuracy than Brown but lands less of them per minute at 2.8 as opposed to Oliveira, who 3.67 strikes per minute. Oliveira is more of a floor technician, while Brown is a superior striker who will be looking for the early finish.
Oliveira will have to withstand Brown’s strikes and wait for an opportunity to take him down to the floor. If that happens, Cowboy has a good chance to take out Rudeboy via submission, but I think Brown will put a stop to the fight before it gets to that. My prediction: Brown wins by KO/TKO in the second round.