Summary:

Las Vegas’s undercard action runs deep on FOX Sports 1, as welterweights Danny “Hot Chocolate” Roberts and Dominique “Non-stop Action Packed” Steele collide in a potential barn-burner.

As one of England’s top mixed martial arts products, Danny Roberts turned heads fighting in Cage Warriors before debuting with the UFC. Moving shop to the United States to train with renown Blackzilians, the well-rounded Roberts will look to continue to show his improvements & growth as a fighter.

Standing in Roberts way is the always dangerous Dominique Steele. Primarily making his name in the mid-west circuits, Dom Steele has had stints in Strikeforce & Bellator before scoring himself a regional title with CES. Dropping his short notice debut to Zak Cummings last year, Steele has since picked up a victory overseas against “Maestro” Dong Hyun Kim. Tasked with testing Hot Chocolate, Steele will look to parlay this opportunity into momentum of his own.

Starting off on the feet, Danny Roberts should have an advantage in this fight. The amateur boxer displays fluid footwork & fundamental striking technique, and despite what his background would suggest, Roberts is not shy about quickly releasing hard kicks from both sides and multiple ranges. Accentuating his strikes is an accurate right hook that Danny throws well coming forward or off the counter.

With Roberts usually initiating exchanges, it will be interesting to see his approach as I see distance management being a key for Hot Chocolate on the feet. A stalking power puncher, Steele will plot forward varying his entries from overhands to shots. Demonstrating a strong motive to enter clinch situations, Dominique displays consistent pressure as he steadily transitions from dirty boxing to grappling.

Although Steele may have his best chances in close, he will have to be careful on his entries and in exchanges, as he will often leave his head habitually on center. Against an accurate and dangerous striker like Roberts, Steele could be dealt a short night should he not mind his defenses. However, if Dominique can work his game from the clinch or ground Danny, the positional grinding of Steele could test the Englishmen and earn him close rounds.

That said, Roberts is no slouch on the ground nor has he ever shied from this part of his game. An underrated wrestler, Danny has consistently shot for takedowns and looked to work over his opposition from the floor. Putting his long frame to good use, Hot Chocolate has developed a taste for chokes that vary from top to bottom. Working with ground specialist Neil Melanson, the Liverpool native displayed solid technique off his back as he made the proper adjustments to finish his last fight.

Although Dominique Steele is a strong young fighter himself, Roberts shows more fight-to-fight improvements and has more ways to win this fight. Even if Steele does manage to get going from top-side, Danny is dangerous from his back, and his relentless scrambling game makes him hard to hold down. Regardless of who you favor here, this will be a fight in the FS1 fold you do not want to miss.

Official Pick: Roberts – Inside the distance

Official Outcome: Roberts – Decision

Preliminary Card Predictions

• Kelades def. Pettis
• Roberts def. Steele
• Lima def. Esparza
• Vick def. Franca
• East def. Harris
• Hester def. De Lima
• Lee def. Escudero

Recommended Plays

Fantasy MMA Picks

High Tier Picks:

-Jon Jones
-Demetrious Johnson
-Anthony Pettis

Low Tier Picks:

-Andre Fili
-Chris Kelades
-Clint Hester

Pieces for your parlay:

-Danny Roberts
-Jon Jones
-Demetrious Johnson

Props worth looking at(5Dimes.eu):

-Johnson/Cejudo – Over: -190 (2 Units)
-Jones/St. Preux – Under: -225 (2 Units)
-Robert Whitaker – by Decision: +266 (1 Unit)
-Andre Fili – Inside the distance +383 (1 Unit)

Fights to avoid:

-Esparza vs Lima
-Pettis vs Barboza
-Vick vs Franca

For the complete analysis of future & past UFC events visit MixedMartialAnalyst.com and for future breakdowns & your latest in world-wide MMA news, stay tuned & follow @MMALatestnws MMALatestNews.com


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