UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Aliskerov Fight Card Odds and Picks

Last Updated on June 20, 2024 2:41 pm by Erwin Noguera

We are going to take a trip to Saudi Arabia, as the UFC Fight Night goes to the Kingdom Arena to bring us an exciting event this Saturday afternoon.

The thing to take into consideration is that the main event fight was changed a week ago, as Khamzat Chimaev seemed to be violently ill and had to pull out. Now, we get a clash between Robert Whittaker and Ikram Aliskerov for the fans to enjoy as they try to make it to the top of the Middleweight Division.

The co-main event gets an exciting Heavyweight clash between Sergei Pavlovich and Alexander Volkov, which should give the winner a quick path to title contention if the performance appeals to the crowd here, as both have been doing their part in the division.

With other names like Kelvin Gastelum, Shara Magomedov, and Johnny Walker on the main card, you know this is going to be quite a fun event to watch unfold, and that should be the case as they have to entertain the crowd in Saudi Arabia.

Besides five excellent main card fights, the card will also have six prelims stacked to the brim with international talent, as the 12 fighters in the latter will be representing 10 different countries.

This is quite an event to watch if you want to see fighters from all over the globe go at it on the highest level of MMA you can find.

You can check all the UFC/MMA bets, the analysis of each fighter, and the final bet you can make in these fights.

UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Aliskerov Fight Card Odds and Picks – Info

When:

Saturday, June 22, noon ET, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Moneyline odds

Robert Whittaker 1.788 / Ikram Aliskerov 2.044

Sergei Pavlovich 1.44 / Alexander Volkov 2.83

Kelvin Gastelum 1.42 / Daniel Rodriguez 2.911

Shara Magomedov 1.33 / Antonio Trócoli 3.385

Johnny Walker 1.89 / Volkan Oezdemir 1.909

Nasrat Haqparast 1.41 / Jared Gordon 2.874

Muhammad Naimov 1.79 / Felipe Lima 2.02

Rinat Fakhretdinov 1.23/ Nicolas Dalby 4.155

Muin Gafurov 1.63 / Kyung Ho Kang 2.256

Magomed Gadzhiyasulov / Brendson Ribeiro

Long Xiao 1.971 / Chang Ho Lee 1.819

Where can I watch it?

UFC Fight Pass

UFC Fight Night: Robert Whittaker vs. Ikram Aliskerov

Why Bet on Robert Whittaker?

Whittaker is perhaps one of the most technical, well-rounded fighters in the division, and he was preparing to face a bit of a tough fighter in Chimaev. However, then the level of competition plummeted and now he’s facing Aliskerov and here we are.

Chimaev does not have a lot of advantages in this fight, aside from cardio and perhaps speed, because Whittaker has been preparing for a 5 round bout against a monster in Chimaev who pushes a nasty wrestling pace.

Whittaker’s striking is going to be a bit of a showcase here because it is a bit unique, he uses a bladed karate stance, using his boxing and footwork to blitz into range, land a quick boxing combination then accentuate the final strike with a head kick. It is iconic to him, he does it over and over again, and it is always beautiful to watch.

People have been concerned about his wrestling defense, but preparation for a monster wrestler like Chimaev has only upgraded that skill set.

Whittaker thrives in five-round fights. It is the perfect amount of rounds for him to fight because his pace allows him to fight both in bursts but with enough time to read and gauge his opponent, and since Aliskerov is a late replacement, it is going to give Whittaker and his team those two extra rounds to adapt and adjust to anything that they were not expecting.

Why Bet on Ikram Aliskerov?

Aliskerov is relatively new to the UFC still, with two wins over Hawes and Alves, we haven’t exactly learned a lot about him outside of his pretty awesome power and variation of attack.

One thing Aliskerov does exceptionally well is his teep kicks. They would be enough to slowly damage Whittaker and even shock the system if it lands on the solar plexus. We need Aliskerov to face someone who is going to push his limits because, the more we see a great fighter struggle, the more we look forward to seeing him the next time around to see if he has improved.

To go from Trocoli to Whittaker is sadistic though, but big props to him for taking this fight. It’s a dangerous fight for the latter to take too due to not enough tape being done by Whittaker’s team because he was preparing for a bulldozer in Chimaev but is now facing a fairly dangerous kickboxer in Aliskerov, a complete style change.

The only problem for Aliskerov here is that he looked a bit clumsy when he fought Hawes. He was kind of unbalanced and whilst he was throwing serious power to end the fight, it just looked like he was struggling to find and properly set up the angles. Too much movement without any prior footwork setup caused him to slip and he rushed those attacks. It would be dangerous to repeat that mistake when he fights Whittaker.

Final Betting Analysis: Robert Whittaker vs. Ikram Aliskerov

This is a fun fight, not exactly the fight we all wanted to see but we suppose as long as Whittaker remains on the card this card is salvageable.

Ikram’s counters could be problematic for Robert given his style of blitzing into range to land those sequences that we spoke so highly about (three-strike combination followed by a high head kick). It is during that attack from Whittaker that Aliskerov could look to land a counterpunch.

We think those first three rounds are going to be the most dangerous for Whittaker during the fight, with his incredible cardio kicking into gear during the fourth and fifth and allowing him to take a clear decision victory.

UFC Fight Night: Sergei Pavlovich vs. Alexander Volkov

Why Bet on Sergei Pavlovich?

Pavlovich is coming off a devastating KO loss against Aspinall, and we didn’t exactly get to see any major developments in his skillset because the fight ended quickly.

Sergei is a powerhouse on the feet, he is dangerous and a monster. There is nothing too technical about his boxing. He’s big, he’s long, he hits hard, and he just uses those physical traits to deal devastating damage in mere moments.

Pavlovich is coming up against someone who is known to use his grappling, and we are far from confident in saying that his takedown defense is going to hold up here. Frankly, the only person who tried to take Pavlovich down was Abdurakhimov, and that’s not exactly a great fighter to measure takedown success with.

Anyway, Pavlovich has wrestled in his life, but during his UFC career, almost all of his seconds in the Octagon were standing, apart from when Overeem was demolishing his face, and Aspinall knocked him out.

He needs to keep this fight standing, there is no way he can win unless it’s by a knockout punch. If there are any concerns regarding his cardio, he has gone 5 rounds before against an elite-level Sambo specialist in Mokhnatkin before joining the UFC, although there was very little wrestling done, so it’s hard to tell if Volkov is going to be able to tire him out through wrestling alone.

Why Bet on Alexander Volkov?

Volkov is a very well-rounded fighter who is coming off three strong wins against Chonkers in Tuivasa, Romanov, and Rozenstruik. Even if those are fairly strong wins under one’s belt, the avenue to victory was relatively simple for some of them, especially Rozenstruik and Tuivasa.

Alexander has excellent boxing, but being at a serious reach disadvantage somewhat negates a lot of the natural advantages he would have over his prior opponents. Volkov has a clear way to win here, and that’s to wrestle, and we think he is going to end up doing that.

Final Betting Analysis: Sergei Pavlovich vs. Alexander Volkov

Sergei’s Power is going to be the only danger for Volkov, which is great for him because that’s all he has been contending with during his UFC career. However, the latter has been susceptible to heavy shots before and we don’t think it’s going to take much for Pavlovich to find his chin.

Alexander is taking on a heavy hitter who is no stranger to starting strong and fast, and that first round is going to be the clearest indicator of who is going to win this fight. That’s because, either Pavlovich gets a KO in the first round, or Volkov wrestles and clinches against the cage or takes the fight to the ground and grinds out a decision.

We believe that Pavlovich will be the one to find the better results here.

UFC Fight Night: Kelvin Gastelum vs. Daniel Rodriguez

Why Bet on Kelvin Gastelum?

Gastelum is coming off a tough loss against Sean Brady in which he lost to a Kimura. Nevertheless, we don’t think there is going to be any worry from him and his corner about any submission threat from Rodriguez.

Kelvin is a fantastic, well-rounded fighter who has ridiculously solid boxing foundations, and relatively good cardio to keep up a solid pace of offensive attacks without reduction of volume. He has very tricky pocket boxing that is hard to defend against because he just targets everything available to him.

We love his ability to hop into space and throw that left hook to the head, he is here to deal damage and has impeccable timing with his punches. However, it’s not just his offensive output that is awesome, it’s his defense, he gets hit, sure, but most of the time he sees the punches coming and just moves out of the way with a tight shell. He has layers on his defense and that makes him generally difficult to hit in the head.

However, up-the-middle attacks have been a major vulnerability in the armor of Gastelum. That is the only problem with him, the body shot vulnerability which is going to fatigue him, which then turns a slower pace and leaves his hands lower and lower.

Why Bet on Daniel Rodriguez?

Rodriguez is on a tough losing skid at the moment, but this is going to be a massive chance for him to get a win against a very talented fighter, and we think he can succeed.

First, he is a powerful striker who doesn’t necessarily throw a lot of volume. He is more focused on bursts of power and single hits over volume combinations to set up the power shot, but he has been refining his weapons over time and there are a few things that we see him executing perfectly against Gastelum. Mainly, the body kick.

That left body kick that Rodriguez uses is going to be key in maintaining distance and knocking the wind and cardio out of the Gastelum. It might even tickle the liver since it’s a left-body kick against a fellow southpaw, that rib cage is at the right angle for the foot to connect against the floating ribs, and that’s going to be devastating to the long-lasting cardio that Gastelum is so known for.

Final Betting Analysis: Kelvin Gastelum vs. Daniel Rodriguez

If Rodriguez and his team have done their homework, they are going to notice that the body shot and the uppercut is going to land over and over without any chance of it missing massively. For a longer fighter like him, that’s a perfect scenario. However, for that to happen, Daniel needs to avoid the strong jab and left cross or hook follow-up, which is a simple two-strike sequence that Gastelum has mastered.

Rodriguez stands a little bit too square for our liking, and whilst he utilizes great footwork to avoid incoming attacks, Gastelum’s ability to jump or hop into range is a deceptive move that masks the very long overhand left that he uses. It is the same kind of attack that made Adesanya uncomfortable in the cage, and if Rodriguez is not defensively sound in this fight, we see him getting hit by that hop-overhand left sequence.

We expect Gastelum to win in what could be a Fight of the Night contender.

UFC Fight Night: Shara Magomedov vs. Antonio Trócoli

Why Bet on Shara Magomedov?

Magomedov is someone who we are so keen on seeing more of. His debut against Silva left quite a lot to the imagination since it took place with Silva on top control whilst eating a lot of attacks from Shara’s guard, so it certainly wasn’t the most impressive performance of their career.

He is more well known for his extreme moments on the feet, being ridiculously sharp standing with incredible power and speed. He has a muay Thai background, so expect some very fast kicks as well as some clinch attacks such as devastating knees to the body or head.

That is Magomedov’s best asset as a fighter, his output, and his insane offensive capabilities, and we honestly think he is going to have quite a lot of freedom when it comes to showcasing his stand-up abilities this weekend.

Why Bet on Antonio Trócoli?

Trocoli was slated to face Ikram Aliskerov at this past Saturday’s UFC Vegas 93 event, but the bout was scratched after the latter stepped in for Chimaev to face Whittaker in the main event. After nearly two years on the roster, and now four scheduled bookings, Trocoli makes his UFC debut riding a four-fight unbeaten streak.

Final Betting Analysis: Shara Magomedov vs. Antonio Trócoli

We are intrigued to see how Magomedov looks this weekend in front of a favorable crowd and in front of someone who is not likely to take him down.

Even if he does get taken down though, we did like the fact that he remained highly active off his back, dealing damage and just not making it fun for Silva.

Now, with things being changed on a three-day notice entree for Trocoli to the card, this seems to be Magomedov’s show, and we expect a clean victory here.

UFC Fight Night: Johnny Walker vs. Volkan Oezdemir

Why Bet on Johnny Walker?

Walker is coming off a tough KO loss against Ankalaev, but we suppose it was a nightmare matchup for him because Ankalaev is a dangerous opponent for anyone.

Johnny does not change his style a lot, what you see a couple of years ago is what you are most likely to see now. He is quick and snappy, but he can also be a bit of a goofball when he fights, with his unorthodox style often coming out.

Walker can land those unorthodox attacks because he has the reach and height to do that, as well as the explosive output.

Why Bet on Volkan Oezdemir?

Oezdemir is one hell of a vicious fighter, he is used to facing bigger opponents and his ability to deal a lot of damage in short bursts with his boxing combinations has become a hallmark of his performances.

However, that reach and height difference is a whole lot bigger than he is used to. We don’t think it’s particularly easy to train for someone like Walker, as it’s hard to find a partner who can mimic that style.

We know that Oezdemir is comfortable on the ground, despite his rise to this spot in his career full of fantastic knockouts and stand-up wars. However, he has shown those glimpses of improvement with his grappling when he fought Bogdan, and we think he is going to use the same tactic here against Walker, eliminating any threat of a stand-up knockout by taking him down and either looking for a submission or a TKO. Either way, the ground is where Oezdemir must go to get a win.

Final Betting Analysis: Johnny Walker vs. Volkan Oezdemir

We think Walker’s Style is going to be a major puzzle for Oezdemir to figure out because, whilst Walker might not be as clean of a striker as Oezdemir, his substantial height and reach advantage is going to accentuate the effectiveness of his wacky attacks.

Walker is by no means a technical fighter, any time Oezdemir is in the pocket or within his striking reach he is in danger of being knocked out. However, we don’t think Johnny is going to allow that to happen, and as soon as Oezdemir gets hit by something clean, regardless of whether it rocks him or not, it is going to act as a deterrent for trying to press the action.

Oezdemir could wrestle in this fight, as soon as he takes Walker down, his ground and pound is going to be fairly effective due to the somewhat strange chin durability that Walker has.

With that said though, we think Walker is going to be too much overall, he is too difficult to read, and it’ll be too tough of a test for Oezdemir to handle.

UFC Fight Night: Nasrat Haqparast vs. Jared Gordon

Why Bet on Nasrat Haqparast?

Haqparast is coming off a string of fantastic wins over Makdessi, Quiñones, and Mullarkey, with his over the latter being by far the most significant one due to the finish.

Nasrat has always had brilliant boxing. He is clean when it comes to the basic strikes that you see boxers use, and his ability to attack and circle away from a retaliatory angle only to repeat that same combination is remarkable.

We do believe for as long as this fight remains standing, Haqparast holds all the advantages. His striking defense is impeccable, his long left straight is a piston and very accurate, and his head movement and footwork make it very difficult for his opponents to track him down.

Why Bet on Jared Gordon?

Gordon is coming into this fight as an underdog, and whilst historically as an underdog he has lost, we do believe there are pathways to success for him as long as he doesn’t play around on the feet. The reason is simple, if he is complacent on the feet against a brilliant striker like Haqparast, it is going to be an unfortunate night for him.

Now, Gordon weaponizes cardio like how McDonald’s weaponizes obesity. He is a ferocious opponent for all three rounds, but we still think that, for as long as the fight remains standing, he is going to be on the receiving end of the nastier shots.

Gordon must stick to the high-pressure wrestling and use that outstanding cardio that he has to exhaust and slow down Haqparast. Once the fight goes to the ground, we expect him to be relatively quick in securing locks and keeping Haqparast there.

Final Betting Analysis: Nasrat Haqparast vs. Jared Gordon

Haqparast is very clean when it comes to his boxing, and I do think his slight edge in reach is going to be a problem for Gordon who is more of a wrestler/grappler than a striker. That, even though the latter has shown some great striking before.

Now, where Haqparast could fall behind though is in the grappling because Gordon is remarkable on the ground. Nasrat has excellent takedown defense, but we don’t think it’s been tested by that many great wrestlers and we think Gordon is the only one who has the credentials to make it interesting on the ground for him.

If Gordon does decide to box, we don’t see it going well for him, and we believe we are going to see a similar situation to what we saw when Blanchfield fought Fiorot.

UFC Fight Night: Muhammad Naimov vs. Felipe Lima

Why Bet on Muhammad Naimov?

Naimov was scheduled to face Melsik Baghdasaryan, a dangerous kickboxer known for his lightning-fast combinations and kicks. However, this whole opponent change may throw a minor wrench into the preparation or plans that his team has expertly worked on.

See, Naimov was going to be using his wrestling to completely shut down Melsik during that bout, and it’s most likely that his game plan will remain the same during this fight. However, it’s not going to be as “easy” as taking down Melsik since Lima is incredibly well-rounded.

This is a nightmare match-up for Naimov, but we do think that his preparation and style could slow down his foe.

Why Bet on Felipe Lima?

Lima is coming off an incredible win against Magard 10 months ago on the promotion Oktagon. From the footage, he is not only incredibly well-rounded but his takedown defense and offense are on point. His activity is relentless and he sets a frantic pace from the start until the end.

Now, the great thing about this fight is Lima’s takedown defense is incredible, and it’s fair to say that it’s many steps above Melsik. So, we think Naimov is going to get less success compared to what he would get against Melsik.

Felipe was in fight camp when he got the news, and he wouldn’t have been cutting weight already so we think he would look fairly filled out when he weighs in this week. He was also preparing for a five-round fight, as he was defending his belt against a challenger, so his cardio is going to be pretty damn good.

Final Betting Analysis: Muhammad Naimov vs. Felipe Lima

Naimov does have a size and weight advantage, and that’s a bit of a rare advantage because Lima is a Bantamweight going up to 145 to take on him.

Muhammad is going to have a fairly slight wrestling advantage if he uses his pace properly. He could tire out Lima, although even that is going to be a tall order since the latter fights at an outstanding pace.

We cannot wait to see this fight, we rarely see a talent like Lima step in on short notice. As we always say, a short notice bout is dangerous for both parties, but this makes predicting this fight very chaotic. We are impressed by Naimov, but skill-wise, we don’t think he holds a match to Lima and we are taking the newcomer here.

UFC Fight Night: Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Nicolas Dalby

Why Bet on Rinat Fakhretdinov?

Fakhretdinov is coming off a string of relatively strong performances. See, Rinat is a takedown artist, he requires takedowns to win. There’s no way he wins a fight without attempting a takedown, it is his baseline attack, similar to a boxer using a jab, or a kickboxer throwing teeps.

It is the main thing he does, and once he successfully achieves that takedown, he builds effortlessly off it. He is very strong on the ground and is awesome at landing ground and pound, or smothering his opponent with excellent pressure, opening them up to submissions.

His striking is what you typically see from fighters who are powerful. It’s always going forward, throwing heavy punches with not too much volume, and he isn’t someone who pitter-patters his way to victory. So, expect a lot of big attacks that are relatively clean, up until he hits clinch or takedown range, and then he shoots for that takedown over and over.

Why Bet on Nicolas Dalby?

Dalby is no stranger to fighting against rivals with a ridiculous pace, but we do think this time it’s a little bit different. He is a tenacious fighter, he doesn’t stop fighting, he is incredibly diverse with his attacks, and he is going to be the far quicker and cleaner kickboxer.

However, the obvious disadvantage for Dalby is his takedown defense. In all but three of his UFC fights he has been taken down, and whilst he isn’t that easy to control, it’s the volume coming his way this weekend that is concerning to us.

Final Betting Analysis: Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Nicolas Dalby

The pressure Fakhretdinov utilizes is going to be the biggest danger for Dalby. Sure, Rinat will have to deal with the punching power and all that, but it’s the constant pressure that he uses that is going to be most dangerous for his rival. It is going to most likely shut Nicolas down a little bit and make him react instead of being proactive.

Dalby’s leg kicks and his quick blitzes are going to be fairly problematic for Fakhretdinov. We also suspect that his cardio is going to hold up well enough to fight at that pace.

We think that this is a bit of a nightmare scenario for Dalby. The reason is that Fakhretdinov is going to attempt takedowns in the double digits, he is relentless and that amount of volume, let alone “visual” for the judges is only going to help with the scorecards.

UFC Fight Night: Muin Gafurov vs. Kyung Ho Kang

Why Bet on Muin Gafurov?

Gafurov has yet to get a win in the UFC, although the level of competition he has faced since joining the promotion has been relatively high. His most recent loss came by submission at the hands of Said Nurmagomedov.

Muin hasn’t been that impressive in the UFC. He did alright against Castañeda but it was clear that, if he couldn’t get the takedowns, he was going to fall behind. That seemingly is the key to winning against him, stuff the takedowns, and piece him up on the feet.

Gafurov has a very high finish rate. He is not exactly a clean striker, especially defensively where he absorbs quite a lot of damage to deal damage, but when he lands his strikes he is very good at digging to the body with kicks. His power side attacks are all he ends up using. It’s either right-side kicks or punches, perhaps with intermittent spinning attacks, or a punch to a level change sequence that typically works in his favor.

Why Bet on Kyung Ho Kang?

Kang is a very interesting one to talk about. Whilst he is hitting the upper age of prime athleticism, he also seems to be doing fairly well against the younger fighters working their way through the division.

His boxing is very clean and it’s probably going to be the highlight of this fight, that if he can block and counter the wild powerside attacks of Gafurov. He should have a relatively successful night in Riyadh, but there’s also his takedown defense, and this is probably where he might fall apart.

Kang has to contend with a very high-paced fighter in front of him. We know that if the pace is a little too high, Kang tends to gas out, so this is going to be an interesting fight if it hits the third round, as we might see who has the worst cardio.

Final Betting Analysis: Muin Gafurov vs. Kyung Ho Kang

This is going to be a genuinely tough challenge for Gafurov. That is, even though Kang is fairly up there in age and certainly is not in his prime.

Gafurov is very dangerous. He is so good at ramping up his attacks if he sees his opponent wilting or slowing down, but we are not comfortable saying he can keep that up for three rounds. We think he is going to struggle in the second and third periods if he is unable to land a fight-ending shot or utilize his wrestling.

Kang has a pretty great ground game which could allow him to make it trickier for Gafurov to control due to avoiding submissions. With that said, Kang’s boxing is not as volume-based as Gafurov’s, so we could see him waiting for the right time to strike back, whilst dealing with a lot of powerful attacks coming his way. We believe that will be the case in this fight.

UFC Fight Night: Magomed Gadzhiyasulov vs. Brendon Ribeiro

Why Bet on Magomed Gadzhiyasulov?

Gadzhiyasulov made one hell of a first impression on DWCS when he slowly picked apart Medina systematically. It was a gorgeous display of range management and shot selection, as well as some tight grappling which allowed him to somewhat ragdoll and just frustrate Medina.

His defensive attacks are quite varied but mostly are based around that slick check left hook when a fighter approaches him. If there is a scenario or a position in which a long-ranged attack is stifled by the close range of his opponent, he often switches straight into wrestling with a tight body hold followed by a drag down or a trip.

Why Bet on Brendson Ribeiro?

Ribeiro is an interesting one. Before joining the UFC, he managed to land a devastating KO punch on his opponent, but he also showed some sloppy flaws.

He didn’t look that great defensively and at times his striking just seemed to be a bit lazy, but we suppose that if you have phenomenal power in your hands, it doesn’t matter if your punches are sloppier than your favorite breakfast sloppy joe. If it hits there’s a high chance of his opponent falling flat.

Now, Ribeiro is coming off a tough KO loss against Zhang, and we think that kind of loss is to be expected when your entire style is swinging until someone gets knocked out. Whilst that’s a very crowd-pleasing style, we don’t think it’s the right style when fighting someone like Gadzhiyasulov.

Final Betting Analysis: Magomed Gadzhiyasulov vs. Brendson Ribeiro

Gadzhiyasulov is very kick-heavy, and whilst he won’t be able to use that kicking reach of his to great effect due to Ribeiro being a lot taller, we think he is going to be a bit quicker and technical.

The other possible advantage that Gadzhiyasulov has over Ribeiro would be his gas tank. We are only saying that because a lot of Brendson’s fights have ended in the first or second round, whereas Gadzhiyasulov is a bit used to long, drawn-out but high-paced bouts.

There is going to be a bit of a speed difference between these two fighters, with Gadzhiyasulov being the faster and more fluid fighter on the feet. However, that difference is going to be balanced out perfectly with the knockout threat from Ribeiro. Prediction-wise, we think the speed and style of Gadzhiyasulov is going to prove problematic for the power puncher in his rival.

UFC Fight Night: Long Xiao vs. Chang Ho Lee

Why Bet on Long Xiao?

Long struggled to a degree during the Road to UFC tournament, and now, he will take his shot to win in the first prelim. His takedown defense looked reasonably good, being able to stuff a good amount of takedowns, and most of his fights involved him defending an insanely wide assortment of grappling takedowns and submissions. He remained very calm in the most precarious of positions and we think that’s a testament to his experience at his age.

His performances in the tournament leading up to this finale were high pace and he was excellent at defending takedowns for all three rounds, with educated hips and a good gas tank.

Our main concern for Long in this fight would be his striking defense. He loves to strike, don’t get me wrong, but we are not fans of how wide his guard is and how often he relies on head movement without any shell.

Why Bet on Chang Ho Lee?

Lee has bulldozed his way through to this final position, and his two fights leading up to this moment were full of brutality and savagery. His ground and pound was something nasty and his wrestling was outstanding, allowing him to just glide into a strong ground and pound position and unleash all nine circles of hell.

We think Lee is going to have a lot of success when it comes to controlling time, but Long is so scrappy and always moving to avoid damage and submissions.

Final Betting Analysis: Long Xiao vs. Chang Ho Lee

Long’s style of brawling is regularly fine and exciting but his dance partner for this fight is a very dangerous knockout artist, and we can’t help but see him getting caught in an exchange.

Lee’s bulldozer style somewhat leads to the relatively strong takedown defense of Long. though. It makes us wonder if he can take down his rival and keep him down long enough to get into Mount to land ground and pound.

Lee’s finishes helped sell his skillset a lot while Long is coming off a split decision where he got visibly damaged. So, not very clean wins, but wins regardless. We expect Lee to get the nod here, but it will be a banger of a fight.