Chris was already on this card and was supposed to fight Jean Matsumoto, but as we know Jean was moved and Castanada's fight last week was cancelled.
This is a great addition to the card and a fun fight. Both of these guys have weird circumstances and I'm not sure how that will affect their cardio. Sexi Mexi cut weight last week but the fight was cancelled. I assume he stayed in Vegas, hopefully keep the weight low and won't be to affected by 2 cuts in 2 weeks. Chris lost his UFC 313 matchup 2 weeks ago, I also assume he stayed focused and was planning on fighting. If the assumptions are correct and both guys will fight to their abilities, I think Castaneda wins here. The wrestling of Gutierrez is worse than we thought and if John comes in with bog pressure and avoids the leg kicks, he can grind his way to a win. Castaneda is the pick here and I threw a half a unit on him at -114
Chris Gutierrez
Chris Gutierrez is a good kickboxer with great low kicks and cage control. He has good volume at more than 5 significant strikes landed per minute and solid cardio to keep the pace. There are no secrets as to what his gameplan is. He wants to plot forward with leg kicks to slow you down and then straight punches to try and put you out. He has good takedown defense at 69% which allows him to be loose on his feet. He is coming off the decision win over Quang Le where the striking was on pint but the wrestling was lacking
John Castaneda
John “Sexy Mexi” Castenda is a really fun come forward fighter. He's very well rounded and sets an incredible pace. He's a former D2 wrestler who loves coming forward with fast hands and then shooting takedowns when he has the opening. He does not have a ton of power but he makes up for that with forward pressure and a wide variety of strikes. He is coming off the cancelled fight against Douglas Silva de Andrade last week where the dr called the fight because of Douglas' weight cut.
