Dan Ige and Patricio Freire meet Saturday on the main card of UFC 318 at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
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Dan Ige vs. Patricio Freire UFC 318 preview
Ige (19-9 MMA, 11-8 UFC) comes in after successfully rebounding from back-to-back losses by stopping Sean Woodson at UFC 314 in April. Prior to that fight, Ige dropped a super-short notice replacement outing vs. Diego Lopes at UFC 303 followed by a unanimous decision loss to Lerone Murphy. In the fight prior, Ige lived up to his “50K” nickname with a bonus-winning stoppage of Andre Fili. … Freire (36-8 MMA, 0-1 UFC) is hunting for his first win under the UFC banner. The former Bellator champion debuted in April, but couldn’t get the job done against Yair Rodriguez. “Pitbull’s” last victory came by third-round stoppage in his final Bellator bout against Jeremy Kennedy last March.
Dan Ige vs. Patricio Freire UFC 318 expert pick, prediction
In what’s arguably the second-best fight on the card, Dan Ige will get his wish when he meets former Bellator double champ, Patricio Freire.
Considering the theme at the top of this card, you could also argue that this serves as a solid BMF fight as far as featherweight standards go.
Freire, who might not get the respect he deserves from casual fans (particularly after the way Joe Rogan called his last fight), has had one of the more impressive careers outside of the UFC in MMA’s modern era.
Ige, on the other hand, has been building his own resume and reputation within the UFC in recent years, becoming a well-respected staple of the scene who you can always count on for quality fights.
If this fight were a few years ago, then I’d probably be forced to steer away from bias by picking an elite pound-for-pound talent in Freire.
However, with Freire firmly in the post-prime of his career after spending the better part of the past decade hopping around weight classes, I’m not sure I can confidently pick him to outwork or stop a durable and proven product like Ige within three frames.
The pick is Ige by knockout in Round 2.
Dan Ige vs. Patricio Freire UFC 318 odds
The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the Hawaiian fighter, listing Ige -225 and Freire +180 via FanDuel.
Dan Ige vs. Patricio Freire UFC 318 start time, how to watch
Ige and Freire are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 10:40 p.m. ET. The fight broadcasts live on ESPN and ESPN+.
