Zuffa Boxing 08 -- Edwin de los Santos vs. Jose Valenzuela: Start time and predictions for lightweight fight
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- Edwin De Los Santos knocked out Jose Valenzuela in the third round of their 2022 meeting, though both fighters hit the canvas during an early exchange of heavy punches.
- De Los Santos followed that win with a decision over Joseph Adorno to earn a November 2023 title shot against Shakur Stevenson, where he landed just 14 power shots in a narrow loss.
- De Los Santos sat out roughly two years before returning in November with a first-round knockout of Eliot Chavez, setting up his Zuffa Boxing debut.
- Valenzuela rebounded from the 2022 loss to beat Chris Colbert (controversial decision, then KO in the immediate rematch) and edge Isaac "Pitbull" Cruz via split decision before a near-shutout loss to Gary Antuanne Russell.
- DraftKings lists the main event as a near pick'em, with De Los Santos at -115 and Valenzuela at -110.
- The pick leans Valenzuela via unanimous decision, citing De Los Santos's ring rust — less than one round of action since November 2023 — and Valenzuela's proven durability.
Why it matters: For a card built on a near pick'em (-115 vs. -110), the deciding factor could be ring rust: De Los Santos has logged less than one round since his November 2023 loss to Shakur Stevenson, while Valenzuela has stayed active through a Colbert rematch, a Cruz split decision, and a Russell loss. That activity gap is the concrete edge the pick is betting on.
