The first evening fight at UFC Fight Night 216 is an intriguing matchup between two fighters still feeling their way in the promotion. Former footballer Sergey Morozov of Kazakhstan is the favorite against American Journey Newson, who finally reached the winning destination in the UFC in his last fight after four bouts. The preliminary round match will kickstart events at Fight Night 216 in the Apex. Both fighters will be fighting for the fifth time in the promotion and coming into the fight with a win in their last bouts, and they will hope to get a streak going finally. We preview the fighters and look at the best betting odds.
MMA: UFC Bantamweight
Location: UFC Apex, Las Vegas, United States
Date: 18.12.2022, 01:00
Where to watch: ESPN+
Sergey Morozov
In four fights in the UFC, the Kazakhstani mixed martial artist has two wins and two losses. The Former M-1 Bantamweight champion debuted in the UFC in 2021 with a tough contest against Umar Nurmagomedov, which he predictably lost. He won his next fight against Khalid Taha. This February, he faced Brazilian Douglas Silva de Andrade at UFC 271. After a dominant display in the first round, the 33-year-old Kazakh was choked unconscious via a rear-naked choke submission in the second round. The bout earned the Fight of the Night bonus award. He bounced back with a unanimous decision over Raulian Paiva in June to maintain a fifty percent win rate in the UFC.
Tale of the Tape
- Age: 33
- Height: 5’ 5”
- Weight: 135 Ib
- Reach: 67”
- Record: 18-5-0
Journey Newson
The 33-year-old American has had one win in four fights since he joined the UFC. After losing his debut in June 2019, he returned in February of the next year with a TKO in the first minute of his fight with Domingo Pilarte at UFC 247. However, the victory was overturned to a no contest after Newson had tested positive for marijuana during in-competition drug tests. He was subsequently suspended for 30 days. The former CageSport Bantamweight Champion and Prime Fighting Bantamweight Champion made his professional debut in 2015, having first started out in Tae Kwon Do as a twelve-year-old. He is also a professional boxer with one draw and one loss in two fights.
Tale of the Tape
- Age: 33
- Height: 5’ 5”
- Weight: 135 Ib
- Reach: 67.5”
- Record: 10-3-1 (no contest)
Betting Odds
1xbet lists round three will not start at 2.6 odds. A bet that the said round will start is at 1.46 odds.
Sergey Morozov is the clear favorite with 1.40 odds to win on Bet365. A win for Journey Newson is priced at 3.00 odds on Bet365. On BetKing, the odds are 1.36 for Morozov and 3.07 for Newson.
