This Saturday night’s installment of mixed martial arts excitement is UFC Fight Night 177. Originally, the main event was supposed to feature Thiago Santos and Glover Teixeira in a matchup of former UFC Light Heavyweight Championship challengers, but Teixeira had a positive COVID-19 test announced on September 3, so that bout has tentatively been set for October 3. The main event will feature a pair of former Invicta FC champions, as Michelle Waterson and Angela Hill will square off in the Octagon. The co-main event will pit Ottman Azaitar against Khama Worthy in a lightweight tilt.
Check out the full fight card as well as our UFC betting insights and picks on some of the top MMA matchups.
MMA Betting News : September 12
UFC Fight Night 177: Waterson vs Hill Preview
Saturday, September 12, 2020
UFC Apex, Enterprise, Nevada
ESPN+
Main Card
Michelle Waterson vs Angela Hill (Women’s Strawweight)
Ottman Azaitar vs Khama Worthy (Lightweight)
Roxanne Modafferi vs Andrea Lee (Women’s Flyweight)
Ed Herman vs Mike Rodriguez (Light Heavyweight)
Billy Quarantillo vs Kyle Nelson (Featherweight)
Preliminary Card
Matt Schnell vs Tyson Nam (Flyweight)
Julia Avila vs Sijara Eubanks (Women’s Bantamweight)
Matt Frevola vs Roosevelt Roberts (Lightweight)
Bobby Green vs Alan Patrick (Lightweight)
Alexander Romanov vs Roque Martinez (Heavyweight)
Frank Camacho vs Brok Weaver (Lightweight)
Bryan Barberena vs Anthony Ivy (Welterweight)
Sabina Mazo vs Justine Kish (Women’s Flyweight)
Michelle Waterson vs Angela Hill
Michelle Waterson (17-8, +105) vs Angela Hill (12-8, -125) features a couple of intriguing fighters. Hill has been a relevant MMA figure since her appearance on “The Ultimate Fighter” back in 2014. Her first swim through UFC was not promising, as she got demolished in her first two fights and then was cut, but her rise to strawweight champion in Invicta FC got her a second chance in UFC. She decided to maximize her number of fighting opportunities, and that has paid off. Between 2019 and 2020, she won three fights in five months, although her last fight was a controversial split decision loss against Claudia Gadelha. She’s clearly ready to move into the top ten in the division — and now she has a headliner, even if it comes as a last-minute schedule change.
Waterson also found her way to an Invicta FC belt, but the rub on her was that she could only win via submission, which could mean that larger opponents could give her problems. She beat Felice Herrig and Karolina Kowalkiewicz, showing that she had improved her striking game at range. She lost to Carla Esparz and Joanna Jedrzejczyk in her last two fights, which may have shown a ceiling — or may motivate her to keep growing.
Hill likes to start out crisply, bringing plenty of movement, but then she would slow down over the course of the fight. She has shown more pacing lately, but going to five rounds will test her stamina. She has also shown some wrestling skills in wins over Hannah Cifers and Konklak Suphisara, and her size advantage could make that a factor here. However, Waterson has added enough muscle to make that submission difficult. While the fight might move slowly, Waterson should stack enough points to win on the cards.
Final Prediction:
Waterson wins via decision | Check the Odds
Khama Worthy vs Ottman Azaitar
Khama Worthy (16-6, -135) vs Ottman Azaitar (12-0, +115) will be Worthy’s third fight with UFC.
Before he came to UFC, he was known as a steady but pedestrian counterstriker, and some wondered how that would translate into the elite MMA. However, Worthy had a stunning debut, knocking Devonte Smith out and then beating Luis Pena via submission in June.
In this fight, he takes on a prospect from Morocco in Azaitar. In his debut, Azaitar demolished Teemu Packalen, knocking him out in the first round. He likes to bring the action forward in a hurry from the beginning of the bout, looking to land that one big bomb that will end the fight. When Worthy has lost, it has been to the early knockout before he figures out his opponent. So Azaitar could light him up early, but it’s more likely that Worthy will maintain his defense and start to stack up points.
Final Prediction:
Worthy wins via decision | Check the Odds
