UFC Fight Night 172: Eye vs. Calvillo - Predictions and Picks

#5 Bantamweight: Jordan Espinosa vs. Mark De La Rosa

Mark De La Rosa will look to save his UFC career with a win this weekend

This Bantamweight clash will almost certainly be a loser-leaves-town match. De La Rosa – once considered a solid prospect at 125lbs – has lost his last three fights in pretty comprehensive fashion, while Espinosa is coming off two losses by triangle choke. It’s also notable that both men are moving up to 135lbs for this one.

So who takes the win? From what I’ve seen of both men, they’re similar fighters. Neither is the most natural striker, but both men are willing to exchange on the feet in order to close the distance and get the fight to their real realm – the ground.

I’d say that Espinosa – who is slightly taller and has more reach – is more adept on the feet, but it’s close to call. It is worth nothing, though, that he’s never been stopped by strikes – while De La Rosa suffered his first KO loss earlier this year and was also stunned badly by Kai Kara-France in their fight.

However, on the ground you’d have to suspect the advantage to lie with ‘Bumblebee’. While both men have multiple submissions wins to their name – De La Rosa has 6, Espinosa has 7 – De La Rosa has never been submitted – while Espinosa has been tapped out on 4 occasions.

This one could honestly go either way due to the grappling chops of both men, and the fact that Espinosa seems to be the more gifted athlete and will have a slight size advantage. However, I’m going to bet on the experience and tighter grappling skill of De La Rosa to pull through – saving his UFC career in the process.

The Pick: De La Rosa via second round submission