While sportsbooks list Dan Ige around a two-to-one favorite over Patricio "Pitbull" Freire, TheWeasle believes the line is still light. He already projected a first-round knockout earlier in the show and doubled down here, noting Ige’s disciplined jab-to-right-hand combinations, faster hands, and the fact that Pitbull’s stocky frame forces him to wade through power to land his own hooks. Ige’s cardio advantage, plus his underrated defensive wrestling, further shrink Pitbull’s paths to victory. Because of those stylistic edges, TheWeasle feels a true price should be closer to –300, making the current –190/–200 range a value buy for bettors who trust "50K" to get it done inside the smaller UFC cage.

Calling it an inevitable brawl, TheWeasle predicted Dan Ige starches Patricio “Pitbull” Freire in round one. Both featherweights march forward looking for power shots, yet he argued Ige is the superior boxer—working off a disciplined jab and pinpoint right-hand counters that iced Andre Fili and Gavin Tucker. Pitbull’s willingness to trade plus his smaller frame make him vulnerable when exchanges heat up. TheWeasle added that aside from Josh Emmett, few can beat Ige in a pure firefight. Expect explosive exchanges, but Ige’s sharper hands and better timing should land first and last, producing an early knockout.

Andy Lang backed Dan Ige on the money-line, arguing the matchup tilts toward Ige’s legendary durability and counter power. Lang noted that Patricio Pitbull has logged 44 pro fights—most of them wars where he exits bleeding—and pointed to the Brazilian spending fight week "on a yacht fishing" as anecdotal evidence of a dwindling grind-set. Pitbull publicly vowed to push a faster pace after being too patient in the Yair loss, and Lang thinks that is exactly what Ige wants: a smaller featherweight barreling straight into exchanges instead of staying long. Ige proved impossible to put away in three-round slugfests against Lerone Murphy and even the 6'2" Shawn Woodson, eventually finding Woodson’s chin late. Against a same-size opponent he won’t need to solve range first, Lang anticipates Ige’s counter right hand piling up damage while Pitbull’s mileage shows in rounds two and three. He forecasted either a late finish or a clear 29-28 decision and advised bettors to ride the plus-money Ige line rather than gamble on props.

Sniper named Patricio "Pitbull" Freire his official "kill-shot"—an under-the-radar GPP dart he believes will come in dramatically under-owned because MMA Twitter is busy burying ex-Bellator fighters. At $7,600, Pitbull offers solid leverage against a likely popular Dan Ige and still fits every roster construction that jams multiple 9K studs. Sniper reiterated that Ige’s low striking volume and sporadic wrestling leave rounds up for grabs, while Pitbull’s chopping calf-kicks and opportunistic takedowns can sway optics with judges and DraftKings scorers alike. He expects a competitive decision that Pitbull can edge out while piling enough peripheral stats—four or five leg-kick knockdowns were even floated—to flirt with an 85-point ceiling that would smash at sub-10 % ownership. Sniper’s advice: click Pitbull in MME, fade crowd-favored chalk, and pray the Bellator legend kick-starts the Freire brothers’ rebound tour.

Sniper prefers Patricio "Pitbull" Freire at 7,600 over Dan Ige in a match he expects to be a slow-paced decision (fight –250 to go the distance). Ige is –220 but lands under four significant strikes per minute and rarely wrestles, so an 8,600 salary feels steep for a potential 55-point win. Sniper believes the former Bellator champ can mix calf-kicks at range and sprinkle in a couple of takedowns—Ege’s defensive wrestling tends to wobble outside boxing range—to edge close rounds. Because neither man racks up fantasy-friendly peripherals, Sniper will keep exposure light overall, yet lists Pitbull as a solid cash-game punt to pair with the obligatory stack, adding that name recognition will inflate ownership on the Ige side and create leverage.

Dan Tom declared Dan Ige his biggest position on the card, plugging him into a two-leg parlay with Kevin Holland. Tom said Ige’s counter-heavy evolution under coach Eric Nicksick perfectly punishes the aggression Freire must show to regain stock. Since the Korean Zombie bout, Ige has blended Volkanovski-style outside footwork with sharp pull-counters, producing KO wins over Damon Jackson and Sean Woodson; eight of his last 12 knockdowns have come while moving backward. Tom highlighted Freire’s tendency to lunge on single shots (39% head-strike accuracy last three fights) and predicted those entries will run into Ige’s check left hook. He added that Freire is 0-2 against UFC featherweights younger than 32 since 2019 and has not fought a top-15 level wrestler-boxer in over five years, while Ige defends 56% of takedowns and hasn’t been finished in 19 pro bouts. With Ige hovering at –145 and Freire +125, Tom views the favorite as a safe parlay piece and even sprinkled Ige by KO/TKO at +400 given the stylistic collision.

Madlab Michael Lurato sided with Dan Ige on the moneyline, arguing the matchup is a nightmare for the aging Patricio “Pitbull” Freire. Lurato called Ige “a dog you have to be a certain kind of monster to beat,” praising his durability, underrated grappling safety net, sneaky one-shot power and willingness to wade through fire for 15 minutes. He noted Pitbull’s last outing against Chihiro Yajaira exposed difficulties dealing with unpredictable movement, but said the bigger issue Saturday is volume-for-volume output: Ige averages 4.0 significant strikes landed per minute while Pitbull’s rate has dipped below 3.0 in his last five fights. Lurato added that Freire is 36, has absorbed 454 career head strikes— 71 more than Ige despite six fewer UFC-level rounds— and now draws a relentless pressure boxer who rarely concedes cage space. With Ige sitting around –150 and Pitbull coming off a lackluster decision, Lurato advised betting the favorite straight before parlays inflate the price.

Kunath sees value on Patricio "Pitbull" Freire as an underdog against divisional gatekeeper Dan Ige. Ige’s career pattern—beating non-elite foes and losing whenever competition jumps a level—suggests trouble when facing Pitbull’s championship experience, timing and stopping power. Unlike his debut versus Yair Rodriguez, Pitbull won’t be surrendering a big reach or speed deficit, and with only three rounds he plans to fight with more urgency. Kunath believes those edges allow Pitbull to land the harder, cleaner shots and squeak out a decision, proving he is far from cooked.

Danny Brasco labeled Dan "50k" Ige his best bet, jumping on the line at -170 before it moved to -210. Brasco expects a counter-puncher chess match where volume wins rounds; he doubts Patricio "Pitbull" Freire’s historically low output will convince UFC judges against an opponent who routinely throws (and lands) more. Ige has never been knocked out, which neutralizes Pitbull’s biggest path to victory, and Brasco views Ige’s recent knockout of Sean Woodson as evidence he is peaking entering his 20th UFC appearance.

MMA Guru urged listeners to take Dan Ige to knock out Patricio “Pitbull” inside three rounds. He trashed Pitbull’s UFC debut against Yair Rodriguez as ‘straight up ass,’ saying the former Bellator champion showed zero offense besides a token takedown. Guru labeled Pitbull a jack-of-all-meh: middling pop, submissions and wrestling that rarely finish, and low-kick volume that doesn’t cripple foes. Meanwhile Ige is surging after starching Sean Woodson and pushing Lerone Murphy to a razor decision. Guru noted power pocket punchers like Michael Chandler have already floored Pitbull and expects Ige’s overhand-hook combos to replicate that blueprint. With Ige’s stout defensive wrestling neutralizing any grappling, he forecast a mid-fight right hand ending matters. Betting recommendations: Ige moneyline, Ige by KO/TKO, and fight doesn’t go the distance.

Bedtime MMA said Dan Ige is going to put Patricio Pitbull on the canvas with his trademark looping left overhand at some point during their UFC 318 matchup. He reminded listeners that Ige almost always finds that shot – pointing to the Lerone Murphy fight where Ige scored a knockdown despite losing – and stressed that Pitbull’s shorter reach makes him vulnerable to the exact counter Ige likes to set up. Because DraftKings awards a full knock-down bonus and live odds swing hard after a knockdown, the tout advised sprinkling Ige Knockdown/KO props and using Ige as a mid-tier DFS leverage play in case that single punch turns into a finish.