Ottman Azaitar vs Francisco Prado 7/15/2023 Game Analysis, Picks and Previews
On Saturday, July 15, 2023, Ottman Azaitar (13-1) and Francisco Prado (11-1) will face off in the Octagon at UFC Vegas 77. Azaitar is listed at +100 in the opening odds, while Prado is at -120. Both athletes are outstanding prospects who lost their most recent UFC fights after winning streaks. Both can defeat opponents, but “Bulldozer’s” might is the ultimate leveler.
Azaitar is determined to turn things around after losing by knockout to Matt Frevola in his most recent contest. Azaitar has always succeeded in his professional career, so he’s excited to experience victory once more, as winning is all he’s ever done in MMA up to that point. Azaitar had won 13 straight matches to start his professional career before falling to Frevola.
He has ten knockout victories on his record, but he has also demonstrated in the past that he is a capable grappler. This skill was demonstrated by his back-to-back success against Christopher Hector and Serge Dali in 2015 through rear-naked choke and guillotine, respectively. In the UFC, Azaitar averages 6.97 meaningful strikes landed per minute, while Prado only manages 1.87. In addition, he hasn’t been knocked to the ground in any of his first three UFC matches.
Ottman “Bulldozer” Azaitar will try to improve his 13-1-0 career record. The 33-year-old is 5’8″ tall and weighs 155 pounds. The arm span of the switch fighter is 71.” Francisco Prado is 155 lbs. and 5’10” tall. The orthodox boxer hopes to increase his record, which is 11-1-0. The 21-year-old is 69 cm long. Francisco Prado connects on 1.87 significant strikes per minute, compared to Ottman Azaitar’s 6.97 significant strikes per minute. Prado is landing 37% of his significant strikes, compared to Azaitar’s 54% success rate. Regarding their defense in the cage, “Bulldozer” absorbs 3.93 major strikes per minute, compared to 2.63 for Prado. Prado blocks 43% of the big strikes thrown his way, compared to Azaitar’s 63% defense against them.
Ottman Azaitar is less effective a wrestler regarding takedowns; he only manages to achieve one 0.40 times per 15 minutes. In 15% of his takedown attempts, Azaitar succeeds, and in 85% of his opponents’ takedown attempts, he fails. 15% of Prado’s takedown attempts are successful, and 25% of the shots against him are unsuccessful. Azaitar is the less proficient fighter in finishing off substitute opponents, with 0.5 finishes per three rounds compared to Prado’s 1.0 finishes every fifteen minutes.
Ottman Azaitar faced Matt Frevola in his most recent match but was defeated that night by a blow to the head in round one. Frevola released 28 blows throughout this fight, landing 12 of them. By the time the night was out, Azaitar had made 11 out of 23 blows. Frevola ultimately connected on 11 out of 27 essential strikes for a rate of 40%. He ultimately scored 10 of the 24 critical headshots. On the other side of the cage, Azaitar ultimately connected on 10 22 significant strikes, landing 45%. He hit on 6 of his 17 head-targeted blows, a substantial percentage. Frevola made 63% of her big blows from a distance, whereas Azaitar made 100% of his.
Ottman Azaitar vs Francisco Prado 7/15/2023 Game Analysis, Picks and Previews
Francisco Prado battled Jamie Mullarkey in his final Octagon outing, but a unanimous decision in round 3 defeated him. Mullarkey ultimately landed 83% of his significant long-range strikes, whereas Prado succeeded in landing 100% of his considerable long-range blows. 28 of the 75 significant strikes Prado tried were successful, or 37% of his total attempts. In the end, 18 of his 58 critical head-directed hits were successful. Mullarkey eventually connected on 59 of 104 crucial swings throughout the match. He hit the head with 28 of the 70 significant blows he threw. Mullarkey scored 78 of the 126 total strikes thrown in that bout, while Prado scored 31 of the 78 total strikes he threw.
As this bout versus Azaitar will be his second in the MMA league, Prado is still a rookie in the UFC. But he’s certainly no stranger when it comes to winning. Mr. Prado even has championship experience, having won the Samurai Fight House championship in his division. Before the year was up in 2022, he successfully defended the title three times in a row after defeating Diego Basualdo by knockout in February 2022.
Prado, though, was defeated by Jamie Mullarkey by unanimous decision in his UFC debut back in February. However, now that he is familiar with fighting in the UFC, he could do better this time. Due to his five knockout victories and six submission victories, Prado is a more well-rounded competitor than Azaitar. He has never been knocked out or surrendered, which speaks something about his strong defense.
Ottman Azaitar vs. Francisco Prado. Prado will likely test his opponent’s grappling with a balanced approach, but Azaitar will drop a bomb that finishes the fight in round two. Azaitar will show off his punching skills in this bout, but don’t be shocked if he also uses his grappling skills to knock down Prado, who was brought down three times in his UFC debut.
Prediction: Azaitar wins by TKO, Round 2 (-105)
Location: UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada
Date: Saturday, July 15, 2023
Main Card: 10:00 PM ET
Prelims: 6:00 PM ET
Watch on: ESPN and ESPN+
