UFC Vegas 88 Odds, Pick & Prediction for Bryan Battle vs. Ange Loosa: Sexy Bets for Co-Main Event (Saturday, March 16)

Bryan Battle vs. Ange Loosa Odds

Here's everything you need to know about the Bryan Battle vs. Ange Loosa odds at UFC Vegas 88 on Saturday, March 16 – with our expert UFC prediction and pick.

Saturday's UFC co-headliner on ESPN+ (4 p.m. ET event start time) features a potential welterweight war between Bryan Battle (-180) and Ange Loosa (+154).

Despite winning the 29th season of "The Ultimate Fighter" at middleweight, Battle has been making some waves with some impressive finishes since dropping down to 170 pounds.

The North Carolina native may have hit a brief roadblock in the form of Rinat Fakhretdinov back in 2022, but Battle has been able to put that loss in his rearview mirror as he finds himself on the cusp of a three-fight winning streak.

Loosa, who is also riding the momentum of a couple of wins, will be looking to further prove why his Kill Cliff FC training partners have been so high on him for the past few years.

Tale of the Tape

Both men are fairly well-rounded fighters, which means that this contest hypothetically could go in a few directions.

Loosa, who initially stepped onto the scene as an athletic powerhouse who was content at trading at range, has made some solid strides to further build out his game.

Not only has Loosa made a more concerted effort to pressure and look for takedowns in recent outings, but the native of the Congo also appears to be much more comfortable when operating on the feet.

Whether Loosa is dipping and slipping from orthodox or shifting to southpaw, the Henri Hooft-trained fighter seems to have a knack for finding his right hand in many forms.

From uppercuts and rear-handed leads to checking jabs and hooks, Loosa can really let it go once he finds his flow.

That said, Loosa is not beyond being tagged for his efforts and will need to be on his best behavior when trying to close the distance on a long fighter like Battle.

Starting his career as a heavyweight (in the amateur circuits), Battle has essentially hit every weight class on his way down to the welterweight branch of MMA.

Thankfully for the TUF winner, Battle has seemingly carried his power down to this weight class, where his shots seem to count for a lot more.

More importantly, Battle is a long fighter who actually fights to his frame, utilizing weapons like jabs and teeps to maintain his range.

An opportunistic sniper by nature, Battle is typically content with sitting back and picking off his opposition at a distance.

This approach, of course, can inherently invite some unwanted blitzes due to the dynamic his style and stature presents, but Battle has proven that he can keep cool under fire and deliver devastating counters off the backfoot (e.g. his fight with Gabe Green).

Battle, akin to his current counterpart, also has a serviceable takedown game he can go to when he needs to change things up.

And though he carries no official rank in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Battle comes from a solid grappling lineage in Hayastan and should have the superior submission skills in this matchup.

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Battle vs. Loosa Pick

The oddsmakers and the public are siding with the former TUF champ, listing Battle -180 and Loosa +154 as of this writing.

Although Loosa initially looked tempting as an underdog, I became more sold on Battle the more I looked into the matchup.

Loosa may be demonstrating positive trends like pressuring and takedown incorporation in recent fights, but I'm not sure if that will be enough to overcome some of the other hardwired habits I've spotted in his game.

Aside from the fact that Loosa's love for high guards will likely open him up to Battle's body teeps, the African fighter also has a bad habit of slipping or resetting laterally into the kill zone for power kicks from the orthodox stance (which is just asking for a same-side head kick set up that Battle used to knock out Loosa's Kill Cliff FC teammate Takashi Sato).

Add in the nasty ninja choke that Battle could use to dissuade or make Loosa pay for takedown shots, and I suspect that Battle will find multiple avenues and opportunities to finish in the smaller cage.

For that reason, I played Battle to win "inside the distance" at +250 odds. DraftKings has this option listed under the sportsbook's "Method of Victory Double Chance" submenu.

If you don't have access to inside-the-distance lines or are looking for even sexier props, then I suggest considering small sprinkles on Battle to win in Rounds 2 (+850 via FanDuel) or 3 (+2000 via FanDuel) given Loosa's propensity to slow as fights wear on.

The Pick: Brian Battle inside the distance (+250 at DraftKings)