UFC Fight Night 228: Bryan Battle vs AJ Fletcher 09/23/2023 Preview, Picks and Prediction

UFC Fight Night 228: Battle vs Fletcher 09/23/2023 – Welterweight fighters Bryan Battle and AJ Fletcher clash in a three-round showdown on Saturday, September 23 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The clash is part of the main card of UFC Fight Night 228 that will begin at 7:00 PM ET. Matches will be televised on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass will cover the fights via livestream. Battle and Fletcher are coming off victories in their respective matches and they seek to extend their winning streak to boost their status in the 170-pound division. Online UFC betting odds are already updated for MMA aficionados who want to earn money and watch an exciting bout at the same time.

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Main Card

Bryan Battle

Battle (9-2, 4-1 UFC) began his UFC career in a positive note, winning his first three matches over Gilbert Urbina (submission-2nd round), Tresean Gore (unanimous decision) and Takashi Sato (KO-1st round). However, he bumped into a brick wall in his fourth UFC fight, losing to Rinat Fakhretdinov via unanimous decision. He returned to the octagon in May and it took him just 14 seconds to finish Gabriel Green via knockout. Battle comes into the fight with a three-inch height and 10-inch reach advantage that he can use in striking his opponent.

Battle has seven finishes in his career (three by knockout and four submissions). He also has two decision wins on his credit. The fighter known as “Pooh Bear” has averaged 4.47 significant strikes landed per minute in his UFC bouts and has connected on 54% on his strike attempts. He was able to defend 40% of the strikes launched against him and absorbed an average of four strikes per minute. In terms of grappling, Battle has averaged 0.79 takedowns per 15 minutes at a 20% accuracy rate. He has successfully defended 38% of the takedowns attempted by his foes and has a submission average of 0.4 per 15 minutes.

AJ Fletcher

After two initial UFC losses, Fletcher (10-2, 1-2 UFC) rebounded strongly, securing a second-round guillotine choke victory over Themba Gorimbo. The win helped the 5-foot-10 fighter bounce back from two stinging decision losses to Matthew Semelsberger and Ange Loosa. The fighter known as “The Ghost” may encounter a 3 1/2-inch height and 10-inch reach disadvantage when he steps into the octagon against Battle, but he will try to negate it with his aggressiveness and all-around skill.

Fletcher has recorded nine finishes in his 12 bouts. Four of them ended via knockout and five were via submission. He has yet to loose by knockout or submission. A switch hitter, Fletcher has landed an average of 3.54 significant strikes per minute at an accuracy rate of 49%. He has been able to stop 47% of his opponents’ strike attempts and has absorbed 4.59 strikes per minute. Grappling wise, Fletcher has averaged 1.92 takedowns per 15 minutes and was successful in 41% of his attempts. However, he’s vulnerable to takedowns, defending only 28% of attempts and averaging 1.1 submission attempts per 15 minutes.