What Al Iaquinta(-130)and Jorge Masvidal (+100)lack in name recognition they will certainly make up for inside the Octagon with their high output thrilling styles. Both are on a three fight winning streaks and on the verge of demanding a top ten opponent with a victory.
Masvidal is the bettor's favorite and on paper he should be. He s more experienced, competed against better talent, and possess beautiful standup. He has held his own against the likes of Gilbert Melendez (lost), K.J. Noons (won) and Paul Daley (lost). Anyone who can go three rounds against Paul Daley with his head still attached to his torso deserves a hand. Masvidal's striking is varied and fluid. His hands are his best weapon but he can unload nice low and high kicks. He is difficult to take down but he probably doesn't have to worry about that against Iaquinta.
For years I have bet against Serra-Longo Fight Team. I was one of the one's who felt Chris Weidman was lucky against Anderson Silva. Then he did it again. Then he beat Lyoto Machida. What came through most in Weidman's performances was that his coaches, Matt Serra and Ray Longo, not only prepared their fighters but also devised pinpoint and top level game plans. Al Iaquinta has been a great beneficiary of his coaches' wealth of knowledge. He is gifted with cannon in his fists and an iron jaw. He has shown discipline in his fights following his corner's directions almost exactly. For that he has three straight TKO victories to show. It seems that things are falling into place for Iaquinta. He TKO'd Joe Lauzon in his last outing, one of the toughest and most durable fighters in MMA. He faced some adversity in that fight but he stuck to the gameplan and found the victory. There is nothing else excellent in the arsenal of Iaquinta, but if you could hit as hard as he does, you wouldn't need anything else either.
Masvidal tends to be hit early in his fights. Not a good thing against Iaquinta. Vegas has this one as essentially a pick 'em. With good reason. We have two young, rising talents with almost equal skill sets. But Masvidal has been knocked out in his career. His chin is not weak but Iaquinta has shown to make many a chins weak after he lands. After rocking Masvidal early in round, Iaquinta will finish the fight early in round two with strikes to the head.
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