There’s nothing I’d like more than to fill up a shoe with beer and chug it to celebrate Tai Tuivasa winning for the first time in eight fights.
He’s an easy underdog to root for, especially with his signature "shoey" celebration.
Tuivasa enters his heavyweight bout against Robelis Despaigne a +525 underdog and alluring history. He once knocked out Greg Hardy. And Derrick Lewis! He knocked out five men in a row before his losing streak commenced. And so the head overrules the heart when picking a worthy underdog for UFC 331.
We’re going with Alexandre Pantoja.
Granted, this comes with a caveat: Pantoja is only a slight underdog against Joshua Van. He’s listed as +110, and Van is listed at -135, according to BetMGMon Wednesday afternoon.
But we’ll
take our chances on his underdog status holding firm. And if the lines shift hard and turn Pantoja into a favorite, feel free to leave feedback in the comment box.
This fight between Van and Pantoja is a rematch, of course, with Pantoja having lost their first bout by injury to his arm and shoulder 26 seconds into the fight. Van, 24, is 12 years younger and clearly more athletic. Yet Pantoja can overcome that.
“Pantoja is the second-best flyweight the UFC has ever seen, only behind Demetrious Johnson, and lost the first fight to Joshua Van due to a freak injury,’’ Alex Rella, a BetMGM senior trader, said.
Van looked formidable in his last fight, defending the featherweight title with a rugged victory over Tatsuro Taira by fifth-round TKO.
Pantoja can’t match Van’s athleticism and striking volume, but he can draw on experience and superior grappling.
If you’re looking for an underdog, he’s your guy.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alexandre Pantoja is the underdog worth backing at UFC 331
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