Two American heavy hitters clash in the main card of UFC on ESPN: Luque vs. dos Anjos this weekend. Khalili Rountree Jr. and Chris Daukaus have mirror records in their last three fights. While Rountree is on a three-fight win streak, his compatriot Daukaus is riding a three-loss skid. It’ll be interesting to see if the fight makes it to the finish line because Chris Daukaus, a knockout specialist, has lost his last three by knockouts, with Rountree being known to be a decent striker too. Interestingly, Daukaus has cut weight to Light Heavyweight to try to get back into the win column and save his UFC career.
MMA: UFC Light Heavyweight
Venue: UFC Apex, Las Vegas, USA
Where to watch: ESPN/ESPN+
Date: 13.08.2023. 03.30
Khalil Rountree Jr.
Khalili Rountree has always maintained that he wants to force himself into championship conversations. He made his best statement in his controversial decision over Dustin Jacoby last October. Pitched against a more technical striker, the Southpaw eked out a split decision to move to number thirteen in the Light heavyweight rankings. His third win on the bounce marks “The War Horse’s” best period in the UFC. Making his promotional debut in 2016, the 33-year-old, who weighed 300lbs at twenty, is now 4-2 in his last six UFC fights and poised to go four wins in a row in this matchup.
Tale of the tape
- Age: 33
- Height: 6’ 1”
- Reach: 76.5”
- Record: 11-5-2 (NC)
Chris Daukaus
It’s squeaky bum time, as Americans say, for the number fourteen-ranked UFC Heavyweight Chris Daukaus. The knockout specialist has lost three consecutive fights, all by KO. A former Police officer with the Philadelphia Police Department, Daukaus has eleven knockouts from twelve wins. Before going on the three-fight skid, the Heavyweight had reeled out three straight Performance of the Night displays. The Philadelphia native made his UFC debut in 2020 and scored four consecutive wins. To be fair to him, his three losses have come against top competition, including Derrick Lewis, Curtis Blades, and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Usually, the smaller man in his heavyweight clashes, Chris Daukaus, has cut weight to the 205 division to mitigate that disadvantage.
Tale of the tape
- Age: 33
- Height: 6’ 2”
- Reach: 76”
- Record: 21-6
Betting Odds
Khalili Rountree is the bookies’ favorite ahead of the fight. On Marathonbet, the Southpaw is priced at 1.45 odds to win, with Chris Daukaus coming in at 2.625. 1XBET prices the over 1.5 at 2.25, with the under available at 1.62 odds. On Bet365, Daukaus by KO/TKO/DQ is 3.50, and Rountree by Decision is 10.00.
