Tale of the tape for Ike Villanueva vs. Jordan Wright

A UFC newcomer will step in as a last-minute replacement at light heavyweight against a promotion veteran as Ike Villanueva takes on Jordan Wright at UFC on ESPN this Saturday live in Las Vegas on ESPN+.

Villanueva is 16-10 in the UFC, and was scheduled to fight Jorge Gonzalez last weekend before the bout was scrapped. In his only UFC bout so far, he was TKO’d in the second round in May by Chase Sherman. He landed only 16 significant strikes in that fight, but absorbed 51 before being stopped. “Hurricane Ike” had won his last four in the Fury FC promotion before moving to the UFC, and trains with team Xtreme Couture.

Wright takes over for Jorge Gonzalez who withdrew for this bout, and the short-notice nature might be why he weighed in at just 200 lbs., five short of the 205 limit at light heavyweight. He is undefeated in his UFC career at 10-0, but lost in 40 seconds to Anthony Hernandez at Dana White’s Contender Series. However that fight was later overturned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission as Hernandez tested positive for marijuana.

All 10 of Wright’s wins are by stoppage (five KO’s, five submissions), with nine of them coming in the first round. The 28-year-old fights out of Los Angeles.

Here are the betting odds from various sportsbooks for Ike Villanueva vs. Jordan Wright at UFC Fight Night on August 22nd:

Money line odds

Ike Villanueva: +105
Jordan Wright: -125

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL). Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/WV/PA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (NH/CO) or 1-800-BETS OFF (IA). 21+ (18+ NH). NJ/PA/WV/IN/NH/IA/CO/IL only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions.