Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Mando Gutierrez: Best Bet for Dana White's Contender Series Week 9

Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Mando Gutierrez: Best Bet for Dana White's Contender Series Week 9

Dana White's Tuesday night contender series is coming to a close as we are in week nine of ten. There is loaded talent and touted prospects on this card, including a bantamweight bout between Raul Rosas jr. and Mando Gutierrez. Rosas jr. is the favorite in this fight with a line of -170, while the comeback on Gutierrez is set at +145. Who has the best chance of winning?

Dana White's Contender Series: Season 6, Week 9 Start Time and Where to Watch

• Date: Tuesday, September 20, 2022
• Time: 8:00 p.m. EDT/5:00 p.m. PDT
• Where: UFC Apex, Las Vegas, NV
• Where to Watch: ESPN+

All Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Dana White Contender Series Prediction

This write-up will be short and sweet. Often with these contender series fighters, you do not have much information to base picks on, and there is less tape available to watch. However, sometimes you don't need much information to make a wise pick on a line that is off. I believe the line on Gutierrez is too wide tonight.

Rosas jr. is the favorite in this fight because of the hype surrounding him. He is only seventeen years old and is 5-0 with five finishes. This will be his fifth fight in 2022, and he has finished four of his fight wins in the first round. If he is signed tonight, he will be the youngest UFC fighter ever, even younger than Chase Hooper. All that is very impressive, but I believe he is getting a step up in competition too early.

Only one of Raul's opponents had a winning record, and that winning record was 2-0. Most of his opponents were 0-1 or 0-0 entering the fight. Gutierrez is 7-1 and has been beating up legitimate fighters in the LFA. The LFA has a much higher level of competition as a regional promotion than the UWC, where Raul was fighting. Gutierrez's opponents had a combined 20-12 record at the time of their fights. They were more experienced and fighting for a bigger promotion. So yes, Gutierrez is 7-1, and Raul is undefeated at 5-0, but Gutierrez has a significantly better resume at this time.

Both fighters' fight styles are similar. Both are predominant grapplers and have most of their wins by submission. I'm sure this fight will hit the mat early, and I expect Gutierrez to be the stronger grappler. After all, Raul is only 17. His muscles aren't even fully developed yet. I know grappling isn't based solely on strength, but when you have two high-level grapplers against one another, being the stronger of the two helps. I expect Gutierrez to find the sub early, but if it somehow stays standing, he also has the striking advantage, as Raul has minimal striking experience. I am fading the hype train and backing the more experienced dog in this fight.

Dana White Contender Series Pick

Pick: Mando Gutierrez ML (+145) (Bet $100 to win $145)