UFC 238 preview: Cejudo vs. Moraes

June 7th, 2019

Henry Cejudo will battle Marlon Moraes at UFC 238 Saturday on ESPN+ Pay-Per-View. Here are the top three fights Saturday night.

Lightweights

Tony Ferguson 25-3-0 vs. Donald Cerrone 35-11-0

UFC Free Pick: Tony Ferguson

Cerrone has experience and a couple of inches in height over Ferguson. But Ferguson has a reach advantage lands 5.5 significant strikes per minute, compared to Cerrone's 4.2, which gives him the edge.

Women's Flyweight title bout

Valentina Shevchenko 16-3-0 vs. Jessica Eye 14-6-0

UFC Free Pick: Valentina Shevchenko

In the co-main event, two of the top female fighters in UFC will throw down when Shevchenko defends her belt against Eye. Shevchenko prefers to use her submission skills, and 44 percent of her wins have come via submission, while only 25 percent have come via knockout.

Eye is a stand-up fighter, so she'll want to keep this fight off the mat. The only issue with Eye's style is that Shevchenko has a reach advantage. If Eye moves in, Shevchenko can take the fight to the ground.

Bantamweight title bout

Henry Cejudo 14-2-0 vs. Marlon Moraes 22-5-1

UFC Free Pick: Henry Cejudo

Cejudo-Moraes could end up one of those classic UFC battles between fighters who just love to brawl.

Cejudo showed why he is such a dangerous fighter against Demetrious Johnson in August. Cejudo has the ability to fight standing up or on the mat, but because of his flexibility, he can adjust during the fight.

For Moraes to beat Cejudo, he must keep the fight off the ground, but that won't be easy. Cejudo is successful with 35 percent of his takedowns, and Moraes only prevents takedowns 60 percent of the time.

If Cejudo gets the fight on the ground, he can force Moraes to submit. As long as Moraes keeps the fight off the mat, he'll have a shot.

MMA