Fletcher vs Gorimbo Fight Info, Date & Time
UFC Vegas 69 – Preliminary Card Welterweight Bout
AJ Fletcher (9-2-0, 4 KOs) vs. Themba Gorimbo (10-3-0, 1 KO)
Date:'Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023
Fight Time:'This will be one of the fights on the preliminary card, which begins at 4 p.m. ET.
Venue:'UFC Apex – Las Vegas, NV
Coverage:'ESPN+, PPV
Fletcher vs Gorimbo Odds & Prop Bets
Moneyline:
– AJ Fletcher: (-250)
– Themba Gorimbo: (+190)
Method of Victory:
– Fletcher by KO/TKO: (N/A)
– Fletcher by Points: (N/A)
– Fletcher by Submission: (N/A)
– Gorimbo by KO/TKO: (N/A)
– Gorimbo by Points: (N/A)
– Gorimbo by Submission: (N/A)
Fletcher vs Gorimbo Prediction
AJ Fletcher is still in search of his first UFC victory after losing bouts against Matthew Semelsberger and Ange Loosa via unanimous decision. The 25-year-old's endurance ended up costing him as he looked fatigued in the later rounds of both fights. That will need to change in Las Vegas this weekend.
Fletcher's opponent is Themba Gorimbo, who is set to make his debut on Saturday. The Zimbabwe native is a former Extreme Fighting Championship Welterweight Champion and enters this fight with one main edge. Gorimbo (76.4") owns a ridiculous nine-inch reach advantage against Fletcher (67.0").
That reach could come in handy early on, but it won't make a huge difference if Flether is able to get Gorimbo to the ground. That's where he struggled in his most recent professional fight. Fletcher averages 2.31 takedowns per 15 minutes and has racked up four professional wins via submission.
I'll side with'AJ Fletcher to come out on top.
Fletcher vs Gorimbo Best Bet
It's tough to predict how the preliminary card bout will finish. Fletcher has the striking ability to knock Gorimbo out and the grappling skills to make him submit, but he has not shown enough endurance to warrant a win via decision. It wouldn't be surprising to see him go all-out at the start because of that.
I see his fight ending within the distance with a big roar from the crowd. Fletcher earned four straight wins via a first-round submission in 2020-21, so Gorimbo is going to have to be careful when it comes to his ground game. It may only take one knockdown for Fletcher to get in great position for a choke.