Marlon Vera and Pedro Munhoz fight Saturday in UFC 291 at the TD Garden. Vera enters this fight with a 20–81 record and is winning 40 percent of his fights by submission. Munhoz enters this fight with a 20-7 record and has won 40 percent of his fights by submission.

Marlon Vera Betting Preview

Vera has won 10 of his last 13 fights and is coming off a March loss to Cory Sandhagen. Vera is averaging 4.09 significant strikes per minute, with an accuracy percentage of 49 percent. He is averaging 0.61 takedowns with an accuracy percentage of 40 percent. Vera is coming off a decision loss at UFC on ESPN 43 where he ate 187 total strikes and was taken down 3 times. Vera is now looking to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time since 2017-18. All 8 of Vera’s losses have come by decision. Vera is an athletic, jumpy fighter who is tough to get comfortable against on the feet, and he throws compact strikes with pop behind them. Vera is an exciting fighter with 15 career finishes and a black belt in BJJ. At 30 years old, 29 fights and never been finished, Vera’s resume kind of speaks for itself. This will be Vera’s first career fight in Massachusetts.

Pedro Munhoz Betting Preview

Munhoz has won 2 of his last 7 fights and is coming off an April win over Chris Gutierrez. Munhoz is averaging 5.30 significant strikes per minute, with an accuracy percentage of 43 percent. Munhoz is averaging 0.51 takedowns with an accuracy percentage of 20 percent. Munhoz is coming off a decision win at UFC on ESPN 44 where he landed 74 total strikes and ate 79 total strikes. Munhoz is now 7-7 in career decisions, and he looks for back to back wins for the first time since 2018-19. Six of Munhoz’s last 7 fights have gone the distance. Munhoz is an aggressive volume striker who does his best work on his feet, and he uses a lot of his strikes to set up his takedowns. Munhoz comes from a kickboxing background and is a black belt in BJJ. He controls the octagon very well with his movement and doesn’t need much to find a submission hold. Six of Munhoz’s 8 submission victories have come by the guillotine choke. Munhoz has also never been finished in his career, with all 7 losses coming by decision. This will be Munhoz’s first career fight in Massachusetts.

H2H History 

There’s no fight history between these 2 fighters.

Randy’s Free Pick

This should be a fun fight between two veteran fighters who neither have been finished. It has the potential to be an action packed back and forth contest. With that said, Vera is the more accurate striker, has more success with his takedown attempts, and he has a 5-inch reach advantage with a switch stance. It’s not that much of a surprise, Vera is favored in this bout.

Give me Vera to get the job done.