Umar Nurmagomedov is fighting Cory Sandhagen in the main event on Saturday. The winner likely gets a title shot against the winner of Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili. Nurmagomedov is a -340 favorite and has a clear path to victory. He lands 4.51 takedowns per 15 minutes, and Sandhagen only defends 64% of takedowns. Sandhagen is primarily a striker and has not fought a wrestler the level of Nurmagomedov.
COLUMN: FIGHTER'S BLOCK
All of your mixed martial arts and full-contact combat sports news on the world's best fighters and the most intriguing matchups from your favorite MMA experts.
What a turn of events it’s been for Ferguson over the last ten years. From being considered the best lightweight on the planet by accruing a 12-fight winning streak, to now people begging you to hang the gloves up after dropping 7-straight fights leading into this weekend. Ferguson often drags his opponents into chaos and beats them there, unfortunately the blueprint is out on how to beat him, and opponents have used it to good effect.
UFC Abu Dhabi Main Event Best Bets Instead of crossing back over the pond after a successful UFC 304 in Manchester, the UFC will be…
It’s been a long 8 years since the UFC gave England a PPV card. Last time they had one of their own defending as Michael Bisping exacted revenge on Dan Henderson and beat him on the scorecards. This time around, the UFC has both British champions defending against former foes.
One of the most promising prospects we’ve gotten in the UFC in a long time, is Muhammad Mokaev. He has finally positioned himself in a number one contender spot. His relentless wrestling, grappling, and pace has gotten him this undefeated run. As he started facing ranked competition, that’s where we start to face adversity but still manage to pass each test.
I expect this fight to play out the same, except for the injury. Aspinall is the cleaner striker, but Blaydes has improved immensely in his recent fights. Whoever wins this fight likely does it quickly and earns many fantasy points. Aspinall is a -380 favorite and +110 to win by knockout in the first round. He should get the job done in front of his home crowd.
There are several fun fights on the card as the UFC travels to Denver, but this is a one-sided matchup. Luana Santos is an up-and-coming fighter already making a name for herself. She is fighting Mariya Agapova, who has been with the promotion since 2020. Santos is a skilled fighter with several paths to victory in this matchup.
Now holding a 2-1 UFC record, Radzhabov is trying to get some momentum going and get closer to gold before his time runs out. Radzhabov is a fighter that made it to the PFL finals in two different seasons but came up short due to the flaws in his game. He is strong, packs a punch, and has a great wrestling game, but his cardio and inability to manage his gas tank has cost him in the past.
After a successful night in Denver for the UFC, they return to the much-hated UFC Apex for one of the weakest servings of the year. With 10 of the 12 scheduled fights taking place in the lightweight division or lower, it seems there is a trend that the UFC is leaning towards with these Apex cards. At the top of the bill, a fight between top ranked strawweights looking to get closer to title contention.