The Ultimate Fighter season 30 finalist Zac Pauga returns to action after losing to Mohammed Usman in the finale. In his second professional fight inside the Octagon, Zac will take on Jordan Wright in the UFC Vegas 69 co-main event. The bout is set to take place in the light heavyweight division.
Zac Pauga’s only professional loss came against Kamaru Usman’s brother in August 2022. However, Jordan Wright has also had a torrid time in the UFC since beating Jamie Pickett at UFC 262 in 2021. After that, he lost to Bruno Silva, Marc-André Barriault, and Duško Todorović back to back. So he is under immense pressure to deliver this weekend.
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙮 𝙃𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙉𝙞𝙣𝙟𝙖 vs 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑹𝑰𝑷𝑷𝑬𝑹 💢
— UFC (@ufc) February 17, 2023
Jordan Wright and Zac Pauga go head-to-head in our co-main event tomorrow night!
[ #UFCVegas69 | Feb 18 | Main Card 7pmET | LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/oPOyNVEZBH
Jordan defeated Ike Villanueva in August 2020 to make his UFC debut. So far, he has a UFC record of 4 losses and only two wins. Although he was often on the wrong end of it, all 6 of his UFC fights have finished via stoppages. Pauga, on the other hand, only has 1 stoppage win in his career. But, Zac’s only career loss also came via KO. So which fighter gets the upper hand this Saturday? Let’s find out.
UFC Vegas 69: Jordan Wright vs Zac Pauga, Stats
Stats | Jordan Wright | Zac Pauga |
---|---|---|
Wins | 12 | 6 |
Losses | 4 | 1 |
Height | 5 ft 11 in | 5 ft 11 in |
Division | Light Heavyweight | Light Heavyweight |
Reach | 195.6 cm | 193 cm |
Age | 31 | 34 |
Wright vs Pauga: Fight Breakdown
Zac Pauga currently holds a 100% takedown defense. On top of that, he lands 5.71 strikes per minute and only absorbs 2.17 strikes at the same time. It means the 34-year-old has a striking defense of 70%. Although he got knocked out in his last fight, it was at heavyweight. Pauga is moving to light heavyweight where he may have a better chance to deal with the power of his opponents.
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But Zac is running into a fighter who has a 100% finishing rate. Jordan Wright has 12 wins with 7 KOs and 5 submissions. Although he has lost some fights recently, Wright clearly has not lost his finishing instincts. “The Beverly Hills Ninja” manages to take down his opponents 3.60 times per fight.
At the same time, Wright also lands 5.67 strikes per minute. However, with an absorption rate of 7.54 strikes per minute, Wright is also very vulnerable.
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He can avoid exchanging strikes by landing a takedown early in the fight. Although it will be difficult, Wright is the superior grappler. Hence, Pauga will have to maintain his perfect takedown defense in order to win on February 18. If Pauga manages to keep the bout standing, it may give him a way to drag the contest to a decision. Otherwise, he may be staring at a second career loss in a row.
Prediction: Jordan Wright wins via submission.