Daniel Santos vs. JooSang Yoo Odds
| Santos Odds | -155 |
| Yoo Odds | +130 |
| Over/Under | 2.5 (-166/+130) |
| Location | T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas |
| Bout Time | 8:15 p.m. ET |
| TV/Streaming | ESPN+ |
| UFC 320 odds as of Saturday and via DraftKings. Bet on UFC 320 with our DraftKings promo code. | |
Check out the Daniel Santos vs. JooSang Yoo prediction for UFC 320on Saturday, October 4, with my betting preview and breakdown.
The scheduled featherweight bout between Daniel Santos and JooSang Yoo is now a 153 lbs catchweight. Reports suggest that Santos, a former bantamweight with past weight-cut issues, was the one who called for the change. Interestingly, the line has shifted slightly to Santos following weigh-ins, so the market evidently believes not having to cut so much weight is a benefit to Santos. Either way, it should be an exciting fight between two all-action fighters.
Here's my Santos vs. Yoo pick and prediction.
Tale of the Tape
| Santos | Yoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 13-2 | 9-0 |
| Avg. Fight Time | 13:37 | 0:28 |
| Height | 5'7" | 5'7" |
| Weight (pounds) | 151 lbs. | 152.5 lbs. |
| Reach (inches) | 67" | 71" |
| Stance | Orthodox | Orthodox |
| Date of birth | 3/12/1995 | 1/21/1994 |
| Sig Strikes Per Min | 4.74 | 12.86 |
| SS Accuracy | 40% | 75% |
| SS Absorbed Per Min | 4.96 | 4.29 |
| SS Defense | 51% | 50% |
| Take Down Avg | 3.03 | 0 |
| TD Acc | 39% | 0 |
| TD Def | 73% | 0 |
| Submission Avg | 0 | 0 |
The biggest problem for Daniel Santos in his young career has been making it to the cage. Since signing with the promotion in 2021, he's gone 3-1 across four fights, but had six cancellations. While they weren't all his fault, his struggles with the scale have been one of the contributing factors, which has evidently continued despite his moving up a weight class.
To his credit, he not only made weight but won in his featherweight debut this May against Jeong Yeong Lee, before being booked against another Korean fighter in Doo Hoo Choi. When that fell through, the UFC pegged JooSang Yoo as a replacement, as they seem intent on exclusively pairing him with Korean opposition.
Once he makes it to the cage, the Chute Boxe representative is reminiscent of a past generation of Brazilian strikers. He's all gas, no brakes, pressing forward with flurries of punches, kicks, and knees. While he's finished just one of his UFC wins, his regional record includes three knockouts with spinning techniques.
That strategy comes at a price. Santos gets as good as he gives in striking exchanges, with a negative overall striking differential, and he was dropped in the first round by John Castenada before coming back to pick up a knockout of his own.
Which should make for a fun fight against Yoo. "Zombie Jr." is a disciple of Chan Sung Jung, the Korean Zombie, so nicknamed because of his ability to walk through punches. It remains to be seen if he will match his mentor's early-career durability, but he's shown even more power, flattening Jeka Saragih in less than 30 seconds in his UFC debut.
Yoo was a direct signing by the UFC and didn't enter the promotion through the Contender Series or Road to the UFC, so we have all of 28 seconds of data on him fighting UFC-level opponents — if we can even count Seragih as such.
Based on that, he seems to have a similar aggressive, defense-optional style as Santos.
What could be the deciding factor here is Santos' grappling. He's used takedowns to bail himself out after getting clipped, and it's probably not a coincidence that his lone UFC loss is also the only fight where he wasn't able to take his opponent down. I was impressed by the diversity of his takedown game, mixing in trips and throws along with traditional wrestling shots. That allows him to land takedowns from anywhere, rather than relying on a specific range or type of takedown.
While we don't know for sure that Yoo will struggle to defend takedowns, it seems reasonably likely given his style, since swinging hard leaves fighters open to being taken down. Not only will that allow Santos to survive if he starts taking damage, but it will also help him swing close rounds in his favor on the judges' scorecards.
Santos vs. Yoo Pick, Prediction
While we're paying a slight premium on this plus-sized version of Daniel Santos, his combination of UFC experience and grappling upside more than justifies the line movement. I don't trust Yoo's skillset to hold up against tougher opponents, and Santos has a particularly challenging combination of skills. DraftKings has made the smallest adjustment to their line, giving them the best odds on Santos at -155.
However, rather than go all in on "Willycat", I'm betting to win half of a unit on his moneyline. On top of that, I'm taking the under 2.5 round prop at +140 via ESPNBet. Both fighters have the ability to put each other away, while simultaneously not showing much interest in defense.
While the line movement means a half-unit bet on the under wouldn't quite cover a Santos loss, it would certainly ease the pain if Zombie Jr. pulls off another quick knockout. Santos likely has most of the decision equity here, and we'd break even if he wins a decision, while returning a solid profit if Santos picks up a finish.
Billy's Picks: Daniel Santos -155 (DraftKings | Under 2.5 Rounds +140 (ESPNBet)
