The featherweight match between No. 11-ranked contender Dan Ige and former Bellator champion Patricio Pitbull will be part of the UFC 318 main card on July 19 inside the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.

Due to his underwhelming performance in his octagon debut last April, Pitbull is going to be the betting underdog with +165 UFC odds. On the other hand, Ige, who’s coming off a bounce-back win in his previous fight, will be the -200 betting favorite.

UFC 318: Ige vs. Pitbull Odds

Dan Ige: -200
Patricio Pitbull: +165

UFC 318: Ige vs. Pitbull: Prediction

I predict that Ige will win via unanimous decision against Pitbull because he’s the much younger fighter, and this youth will be his key to beating the former Bellator champion in both the striking and grappling departments.

At 38, I think that Pitbull’s best days and prime are behind him, and we’ve seen it during his time with Bellator. The evidence was on full display when he made his UFC debut against Rodriguez, where he just couldn’t keep up with a younger opponent anymore.

Pitbull is the latest case of the Michael Chandler situation, who joined the promotion a little too late and was stuck in another organization for too long. I believe that Ige’s combination and speed will be too much for him to handle for the full 15 minutes.

Dan Ige’s Recent Fight Results

Ige was among the first batch of standouts in the Dana White Contender Series in 2018, as he submitted Luis Gomez in the competition to earn a UFC contract. Since his promotional debut in January 2018, Ige has had an up-and-down trajectory in his UFC campaign.

Several of his notable wins were against Mirsad Bektic, Edson Barboza, Gavin Tucker, Damon Jackson, Andre Fili, and Sean Woodson. Meanwhile, he received losses from Julio Arce, Calvin Kattar, Chan Sung Jung, Movsar Evloev, Bryce Mitchell, Diego Lopes, and Lerone Murphy.

Patricio Pitbull’s Recent Fight Results

Pitbull is an MMA veteran who has been competing since March 2004. His longest tenure was with Bellator MMA, where he became a two-division champion. He captured the featherweight and lightweight titles, but he mostly dominated in the 145-pound weight class.

After several years in Bellator, Pitbull finally signed with the UFC this year and was immediately pitted against Yair Rodriguez last April at UFC 314. However, he was rudely welcomed with a unanimous decision defeat courtesy of “El Pantera.”

UFC 318: Ige vs. Pitbull: Tale of the Tape