UFC 318 Preview and Prediction: Patricio Pitbull – Dan Ige

On the main card of UFC 318, we are going to see a big time matchup in the featherweight division. All time Bellator great Patricio Pitbull (36-8) will look to bounce back and get his first win inside the octagon as he takes on “50K” Dan Ige (19-9).

This is a matchup that Dan Ige wanted and it’s the matchup that he got. Ige and Pitbull both fought on the same card at UFC 314 with drastically different results. Ige fought Sean Woodson and he was able to stop Woodson in the third round which snapped a two-fight losing skid for the Hawaiian. He called for a fight with Pitbull and now he’s getting that fight.

Pitbull made his highly anticipated octagon debut against Yair Rodriguez later that night. Had Pitbull won that fight, he likely would be next in line for Alexander Volkanovski. However, Pitbull looked incredibly flat and outmatched as he was dominated by Rodriguez. It was not a good debut for him and it was only his second featherweight loss in the last ten years.

UFC 318 Prediction

I do believe that you are going to see a different Patricio Pitbull on Saturday night. His back is against the wall and really, this is a make or break fight for him. If he loses to Dan Ige, I don’t see any path to him getting an eventual title shot in the UFC.

Dan Ige is one of the most durable fighters in the division and he has incredible boxing. Ige is going to have the boxing and the speed advantage. I think Pitbull will try to do a lot with leg kicks in this matchup and I do expect him to trade in the pocket with Ige. However, if he’s smart, he’ll use the exchanges to chain in his grappling and that’ll be the story of the fight.

If Pitbull is able to land takedowns and he’s very heavy on the pressure, I think he gets the win. However, if he cannot secure takedowns and he’s forced just to strike with Ige, I think he’ll fall to 0-2 in the UFC. For my official prediction, I’m going to go with Pitbull to win a close fight. Despite that debut and his age, I still think he has elite skills and in an absolute must-win, I think he’ll find a way to get it done.

Prediction: Patricio Pitbull by Decision