Dan Ige vs. Damon Jackson Prediction: Ige returns to the win column here

The featherweight division of the UFC throws up an intriguing matchup in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 217 when American Dan Ige seeks to reverse an embarrassing run of defeats by taking down compatriot Damon Jackson. Intriguing because Ige is on a three match losing skid while Jackson has won the last four. The odds opened with Jackson as the favourite but since then the lines have moved to see Dan Ige now the slight favorite to win the bout. The fight takes place at the UFC Apex, Las Vegas USA on 14th January, 2023 and streams on ESPN+

Dan Ige

Born in Hawaii, the American fighter turned professional in 2014. After stints at Legacy Fighting Championships and Titan FC, he debuted in the UFC in 2018. After losing his debut fight to Julio Arce, Dan Ige went on a run of six consecutive wins. His run ended when he lost to Calvin Kattar in Abu Dhabi in a headline bout. That loss in 2020 ushered in a terrible 1-4 run with the solo victory being a Performance of the Night and win over Gavin Tucker in March 2021. His last fight was against Movsar Evloev last June. The number 13 ranked Featherweight, it must be said, had mostly taken on individuals above him in the rankings during the losing streak.

Damon Jackson

A professional since 2012, American Damon Jackson has competed in the Lightweight and Featherweight divisions. He first joined the UFC in 2014 when he competed in the Lightweight division getting one loss, one draw and one no contest in three fights. He returned to the promotion in 2020 with more success, notching up a fascinating 5-1 record. The 31-year-old comes into this fight on a four-fight winning streak stretching from October 2021. His last fight, a win over Pat Sabatini last September, earned him a Performance of the Night because of his first round TKO of Sabatini. A win here will take him into the Featherweight rankings.

Expert Betting Tips

A tough fight to call because of the stark difference in form of the opponents. Dan Ige can’t seem to buy a win from anywhere while Damon Jackson can’t seem to stop winning. A closer look at their recent foes however shows that Ige had fought mostly people in the higher echelon of the featherweight hierarchy unlike Jackson’s lesser known opponents. Against top ten candidates - Josh Emmett (#5) Movsar Evloev (#10) and Chan Sung Jung (#6) - Ige went the distance in all of the fights. The number thirteen will be too strong on his feet and on the ground for Jackson. He has the experience and the fighting skills added to the motivation for ending a losing skid for us to back him to win. 

• Dan Ige to win at 1.80 odds on Bet 365
• W1 at 1.8 odds on 1xbet
• Dan Ige to win at 1.76 odds on Betking