Torres vs. Banuelos Pick
LAS VEGAS, NV (TheSpread) – A fan-favorite and former WEC Champion makes his UFC debut at UFC 126 as Miguel Torres takes on Antonio Banuelos in a bantamweight bout.
Torres enters the fight as the favorite according to oddsmakers from online sportsbook Sportsbook.com with betting odds of –500 while Banuelos comes in with betting odds of +300. UFC 126 takes place from the Mandalay Bay Events Center and will air live on Pay-Per-View at 10PM ET.
HOW TORRES WINS
Torres (38-3) is a very explosive and fiery fighter that held the WEC bantamweight title for a sustained period of time. Coming off back-to-back losses, Torres changed up his training and then earned a win back in September. Torres has gone with more of a calm and composed style, which can be concerning since his reckless style faired so well for so many years. Still, Torres trains with a good gym, led by training Firas Zahabi, so he should be more than prepared for this fight. Torrey will look to use his length for set up his striking will mixing in takedowns and submission attempts.
HOW BANUELOS WINS
Banuelos (18-6) is a good scrapper that is compact and strong. His biggest wins come from his ability to take his opponents down and control on the ground. Banuelos will have a significant reach disadvantage for this fight, but he will have to find a way to get inside Torres. If the fight hits the ground, he will need to be on top and be using his ground strikes. The only way I can see this fight ending in favor of Banuelos is a decision where he is able to score takedowns and keep Banuelos on the ground.
WHO TO PICK?
I think this should be a relatively easy fight for Torres to win, assuming he has the right mindset going in. His biggest challenge will be avoiding takedowns, which he can do. I like Torres to work his strikes to slow down Banuelos before pouncing on him in the third round and securing a choke for his first UFC win.
UFC 126 FREE PICK: MIGUEL TORRES -500
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