UFC 127: Fitch vs. Penn takes place Feb. 26 at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. The pay-per-view card airs in the U.S. in the UFC's traditional Saturday-night slot due to the time difference. Fitch and Penn share 33 UFC appearances. Fitch has 13 wins inside the octagon; Penn has 12. Penn has 11 title fights under his belt, while Fitch has one. Penn has held two belts; Fitch has held none. Get your UFC 127 Fitch vs Penn predictions in early and don’t miss out on the action.
Main Card Betting Odds:
Jon Fitch (-210) vs. B.J. Penn (+170)
Fitch (23-3 MMA, 13-1 UFC) has had a long, slow and hard road to the top of his weight class, while Penn (16-7-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) has bounced between two weight classes at the top of the UFC heap. UFC president Dana White has announced its headliner as a welterweight title eliminator. But Fitch and Penn are focused on each other, not the next guy in line. "As of now, I'm not even thinking about that," said Penn when asked about the bout's status. "I'm not thinking about titles. I'm just happy to fight an opponent of Fitch's level and Fitch's stature." "I'm in the same position," Fitch added. "I don't really want to waste any time thinking about anything other than fighting B.J. right now. He's just a dangerous opponent and he's been around for so long. If I don't give him full attention and full focus, that would be a huge mistake."
Penn would rather end the fight early to negate a significant size disadvantage against Fitch. That means Fitch is getting ready for an early onslaught and working on weathering the storm so he can wear the former champion down in later rounds, which is one of his specialties. "[Penn] brings a certain type of skillset that if you make a mistake he's able to capitalize and put you away, and that transfers into any weight class," Fitch said. "As a welterweight coming into this fight, I have certain advantages with size. But it's not going to be enough, "I've had to work a lot on speed and explosiveness and keeping everything tight to make sure there are no mistakes in this fight."
Fitch has not lost a fight since he took on Georges St-Pierre at UFC 87 for the welterweight title. He most recently dispatched Thiago Alves at UFC 117 in a rematch announced as a title eliminator. After a workmanlike decision win, that opportunity disappeared. Penn, meanwhile, is on the upward ramp once again after a two-fight skid that saw him lose his lightweight belt to Frankie Edgar and fail to regain it in an immediate rematch. In his most recent appearance, he returned to the welterweight division and knocked out former nemesis Matt Hughes to close their rubber match series up two to one.
Michael Bisping (-300) vs. Jorge Rivera (+240)
If Bisping's (20-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) anger is real and not a counter-troll, you can pat Rivera (18-7 MMA, 8-5 UFC) on the back because it will allow him to take advantage of the fight. If Bisping charges forward more than he normally would during a fight, Rivera will be able to tie things up in the clinch and rough Bisping up before getting a takedown. Bisping is not terrific on his back and hasn't spent a ton of time there. That leaves Rivera to pound out a TKO win. Of course, Bisping could ignore all the slings and arrows thrown his way and out-kickbox the aging Rivera. In that scenario, he should win by decision. Will it excite? No. But it could work for the Brit.
Dennis Siver (+315) vs. George Sotiropoulos (-515)
Chris Lytle (-325) vs. Brian Ebersole (+250)
Chris Camozzi (+190) vs. Kyle Noke (-250)
Point-Spreads.com UFC 127 Fitch vs Penn Odds & Predictions
The Bottom Line: Fitch is a better fighter than Penn, who is on the downslide. Bisping rarely fights talented fighters, Rivera has talent. Get your UFC 127 Fitch vs Penn predictions in early and don’t miss out on the action.
