AJ Fletcher vs Themba Gorimbo Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for UFC Vegas 69 (Fletcher's Ground Game Proves Crucial)

Fletcher vs Gorimbo Fight Info, Date & Time

UFC Vegas 69 — Preliminary Card Welterweight Bout
AJ Fletcher (9-2-0, 4 KOs) vs. Themba Gorimbo (10-3-0, 1 KO)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023
Fight Time: This will be one of the fights on the preliminary card, which begins at 4 p.m. ET.
Venue: UFC Apex — Las Vegas, NV
Coverage: ESPN+, PPV

Fletcher vs Gorimbo Odds & Prop Bets

All UFC Vegas 69 odds, lines and prop bets are available on FanDuel Sportsbook.
Moneyline:
- AJ Fletcher: (-250)
- Themba Gorimbo: (+190)

Method of Victory:
- Fletcher by KO/TKO: (N/A)
- Fletcher by Points: (N/A)
- Fletcher by Submission: (N/A)
- Gorimbo by KO/TKO: (N/A)
- Gorimbo by Points: (N/A)
- Gorimbo by Submission: (N/A)

Fletcher vs Gorimbo Prediction

AJ Fletcher is still in search of his first UFC victory after losing bouts against Matthew Semelsberger and Ange Loosa via unanimous decision. The 25-year-old's endurance ended up costing him as he looked fatigued in the later rounds of both fights. That will need to change in Las Vegas this weekend.

Fletcher's opponent is Themba Gorimbo, who is set to make his debut on Saturday. The Zimbabwe native is a former Extreme Fighting Championship Welterweight Champion and enters this fight with one main edge. Gorimbo (76.4") owns a ridiculous nine-inch reach advantage against Fletcher (67.0").

That reach could come in handy early on, but it won't make a huge difference if Flether is able to get Gorimbo to the ground. That's where he struggled in his most recent professional fight. Fletcher averages 2.31 takedowns per 15 minutes and has racked up four professional wins via submission.

I'll side with AJ Fletcher to come out on top.

Fletcher vs Gorimbo Best Bet

It's tough to predict how the preliminary card bout will finish. Fletcher has the striking ability to knock Gorimbo out and the grappling skills to make him submit, but he has not shown enough endurance to warrant a win via decision. It wouldn't be surprising to see him go all-out at the start because of that.

I see his fight ending within the distance with a big roar from the crowd. Fletcher earned four straight wins via a first-round submission in 2020-21, so Gorimbo is going to have to be careful when it comes to his ground game. It may only take one knockdown for Fletcher to get in great position for a choke.

Bet: AJ Fletcher by Submission (TBD)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

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