UFC Fight Night Battle vs Loosa Odds, Picks, and Predictions: 'The Butcher' Takes Care of Business

A high-octane welterweight fight between Bryan Battle and Ange Loosa serves as the co-main event of tonight’s UFC Fight Night, taking place this Saturday, March 16, at the Apex in Las Vegas.

These are two pressure fighters who will not take a backward step, though Battle’s size and Loosa’s leaky defense edge the fight in Battle’s favor.

UFC odds have Battle as a -190 favorite, while Loosa is currently listed as a +150 underdog. Here are my free picks for Battle vs. Loosa at UFC Fight Night.

Bryan Battle vs Ange Loosa fight odds

Method of Victory	Battle	Loosa
To win outright	-190	+150
To win by KO/TKO	+405	+600
To win by points	+160	+320
To win by submission	+540	+1,450
Draw	+2,500	+2,500

Odds courtesy of Bet99 on March 16, 2024.

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Battle vs Loosa picks

Fight prediction: Battle ML

Bryan Battle is an exciting fighter who is going to get featured thanks to his aggression and creative offense. He’s unorthodox, but not sloppy, and he can land some eye-catching shots with authority. Case in point, three of his four wins in the UFC have come inside the distance.

Ange Loosa cannot play the matador in this fight and needs to take the fight to Battle. While he seems to be the more well-rounded fighter from a technical standpoint, his striking defense borders on being poor. What Loosa can do is try to exploit Battle’s tendency to get taken down. Still, he has to do so cautiously because Battle is physically bigger than him and could turn any extended engagements in close range into an unfavorable situation.

I don’t think Battle is going to have too much trouble here. The two share a common opponent in AJ Fletcher, and Battle easily handled him as Loosa was in trouble late in that fight. Even in Loosa’s last fight against Rhys McKee, the six takedowns he scored were nearly all for naught as McKee had him hurt in the closing seconds of the final round.

The one thing about Loosa is that he has a tremendous chin. He’s absorbed a lot of punishment in recent fights and keeps coming and throwing strikes, almost to his detriment.

It’s possible that he can hang in the pocket with Battle, absorbing a few shots while trying to score a takedown, but coming forward with your chin as a shield is never a sound strategy.

Battle will avoid the mat, exploit Loosa’s defense, and come up big with a win in a fun fight.

Prediction: Battle moneyline (-180 at Bet99)

Fight best bet: Battle by KO or decision

For reference, Loosa absorbs 6.88 significant strikes per minute. That is not good at all. For someone like Battle who can put his strikes together, you can’t let him generate momentum and continue to let him tag you in the hopes of landing a takedown.

While Battle can be downed by solid wrestling, Loosa isn’t that kind of fighter despite scoring eight takedowns in his last two fights. At the same time, Loosa is not a finisher. All his UFC wins have gone the distance, and he has yet to score a knockdown or threaten a stoppage despite his heavy work rate and recent proficiency in getting his opponents on the mat.

I don’t see a scenario where Loosa gets Battle to gas out without absorbing a debilitating amount of damage first. By the time he does manage to potentially score a takedown, the fight might be out of reach for him, and his defensive deficiencies all but ensure he’ll continue to give Battle scoring opportunities. If his recent performances are any indication, he might be in serious danger of being stopped in the final few minutes of the fight.

Expect Battle to pile on the strikes, with my best bet of the fight being Battle winning by decision or knockout.

Pick: Battle by KO or decision (-115 at Bet99)

Battle vs Loosa betting preview

Battle is a physically strong welterweight who strikes with a purpose, can work on the ground, and uses relentless pressure to get to his opponent. Only two of Battle’s wins have gone the distance, having scored three knockouts and five submissions.

In his last fight, Battle slowed AJ Fletcher down with body strikes until he was able to snatch him up for a rear-naked choke. He’s averaging 4.52 significant strikes per minute, absorbing 3.73 in return.

Loosa is a physical specimen and a tremendous striker, though he’s yet to score a stoppage in the UFC. Like Battle, Loosa likes to push his opponents back and throws a high volume of strikes when they have nowhere to go. We’ve seen an improvement in his ground game, though he primarily operates as a striker. His defense is problematic, and he’s nowhere as efficient when he’s forced to counter or defend.

Much has been made about Battle’s takedown defense as a result of him absorbing seven takedowns against Rinat Fakhretdinov. However, Loosa isn’t as proficient or stylistically similar to accomplish the feat. Neither fighter has been knocked out in their MMA career, but Battle did suffer a submission loss in his second professional fight in 2019.

Bryan Battle vs Ange Loosa tale of the tape

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