George Roop originally appeared on season 5 of TUF, and very little was thought of him. Eventually, he dropped down to featherweight and moved to the WEC, and was paired against fan favourite Chan Sung Jung who was coming off the controversial loss to Leonard Garcia. Roop dominated Jung culminating in a brutal second round knockout, setting up a big fight with Mark Hominick, which saw Roop fall to the superior striker. In his most recent fight, Roop bounced back by scoring another huge upset over Josh Grispi, which saw Roop badly outstrike the once #1 contender in the division.
George Roop vs Hatsu Hioki Odds;
Hatsu Hioki is widely considered the top featherweight outside of the UFC, namely for two wins in Canada over Mark Hominick, and his performances in Shooto and Sengoku over the last few years. At the end of 2010, Hioki faced the toughest test of his career against knockout artist Marlon Sandro, and most expected Hioki to lose. Instead, Hioki put on a career defining performance as he dominated Sandro for all five rounds, fearlessly standing with him early, and controlling him on the ground. Now Hioki is making his UFC debut, and is possibly two to three fights away from a title shot.
There are very little secrets about Roop’s gameplan. Roop would like to keep this fight standing at all costs, and try to knock Hioki out.
Hioki’s gameplan however is a little more unclear. While Hioki unquestionably has a big advantage on the ground, he’s not the kind of fighter who will chase takedowns if they’re not there. This was especially evident in his fight with Takeshi Inoue, which saw Hioki rarely attempt takedowns.
The problems for Roop are twofold here. Firstly, Hioki probably has good enough wrestling to get him to the ground, and once on the ground, it’s very likely Hioki will be able to cinch up his mounted triangle. However, even if things stay standing, there are no guarantees for Roop. Roop’s ability to outstrike opponents has largely stemmed from his length and reach advantages, but he won’t hold those here.
The Hatsu Hioki vs George Roop prediction is that Hioki takes Roop down early and submits him. It’s perfectly within the realm of possibilities that this fight stays standing, and I can see the better of each fighter getting the standup, although I do give the advantage to Hioki.
Some people may point to the lack of success of Japanese fighters in the UFC, and that’s an argument for another time. I will however admit that the -330 price is very steep on Hioki, and so I can only recommend a tiny play, even though I think this is a good stylistic matchup for him.
Conclusion: Hioki’s mounted triangle is death, but at -330, only a tiny play can be warranted, since there’s a possibility that Roop outstrikes him.
Bet On The Latest George Roop vs Hatsu Hioki Odds At Bodog.Com Now!
