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The UFC 244 fight card is stacked even if it doesn’t have a title fight main event. But not only will this weekend’s festivities have an outstanding main card, but the prelims are also just as exciting with several ranked fighters slated to appear in the Prelims undercard which will be shown on ESPN 2.
Let’s take a look at undercard bouts which are going to give us not just exciting fights but the best betting value as well. Read on:
Corey Anderson vs Johnny Walker
Corey Anderson is the #7 ranked UFC light heavyweight today. The 30-year old from Rockton, Illinois was the winner of the light heavyweight tournament on TUF: Team Edgar vs Team Penn. Anderson has a record of 12-4 with four knockouts. After losing three of four bouts from 2016-17, Anderson has picked up three big wins over Patrick Cummins, Glover Teixeira, and Ilir Latifi. Overtime stands 6-3 with a reach of 79 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance.
Johnny Walker is the #11 ranked light heavyweight in the UFC. The 27-year old from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil is one of the more interesting prospects today. After winning the Contender Series: Brazil 2, Walker has recorded three straight “Performance of the Night” victories over Khalil Rountree, Justin Ledet, and Misha Cirkunov. Walker has a record of 17-3 with 14 knockouts and 2 submissions. The orthodox Brazilian stands 6-5 with a reach of 82 inches.
A couple of years back, this would be a type of fight that Corey Anderson loses. Three out of his four losses have been by knockout. But we’ve seen Anderson become more defensive-minded in his recent fights. Remember that he picked up wins over heavy hitters like Glover Teixeira and Ilir Latifi and did so in back to back fights. The fear that Walker is going to spark him here will always be there because I think Walker is a terrific knockout artist. But Anderson completes nearly five takedowns per 15 minutes and Walker hasn’t seen a takedown artist like him before. I think Anderson spoils the party here and derails the Johnny Walker train.
Prediction: Anderson (+125)
Shane Burgos vs Makwan Amirkhani
Shane Burgos is the UFC’s #13 ranked featherweight contender. The 28-year old Hurricane has a record of 12-1 with four knockouts and five submissions. He stands 5-11 tall and has a reach of 75 inches while fighting as an orthodox fighter. Burgos is 5-1 in the UFC with his only loss coming at the hands of Calvin Kattar at UFC 220. In his last bout, Burgos scored a split decision win over Cub Swanson.
Makwan Amirkhani is known for his 8-second knockout of Andy Ogle, which is one of the fastest knockouts in UFC history. The 30-year old Finnish fighter has a record of 15-3 with one knockout and 10 wins by submission. He is coming off an anaconda choke submission of Chris Fishgold last June and will be fighting his second fight of the year for the first time since 2015.
Burgos
-250
Amirkhani
+195
Odds were taken from TitanBet as of 11/01/19
Amirkhani has never been forced to use his striking in the UFC. He’s never landed more than 18 total strikes in a UFC bout. That’s because his takedown and ground games have been impressive. However, Burgos has a 94% takedown defense and if Amirkhani can’t take him down, Burgos has the cardio to outstrike the Finn in a three-round affair. I think this will be a frustrating fight for Amirkhani. And he will lose steam after chasing Burgos on his feet. Shane Burgos gets this by decision.
Prediction: Burgos (-250)
Brad Tavares vs Edmen Shahbazyan
Brad Tavares is the #11 ranked middleweight in the UFC. He competed in the TUF 11 tournament and is one of two remaining alumni who are still in the UFC. Tavares started his UFC career with a 7-1 record but lost three of his next four fights. After getting knocked out by Robert Whitaker, Tavares won four bouts in a row and then ran into Israel Adesanya in his last bout. Tavares is 17-5 with 5 knockouts and 2 submissions. He stands 6-1 with a reach of 74 inches and is an orthodox fighter.
Edmen Shahbazyan is ranked 13th in the UFC rankings. The 21-year old is a product of Dana White’s Contender Series 13 and made his UFC debut at the TUF 28 Finale. He has a record of 10-0 with 8 knockouts. Shahbazyan stands 6-2 with a reach of 74 inches and is also an orthodox fighter. In his last bout, Shahbazyan submitted Jack Marshman via rear-naked choke last July. The Golden Boy is the UFC betting favorite against the veteran Tavares.
Tavares
+130
Shahbazyan
-167
Odds were taken from TitanBet as of 11/01/19
Five of Shahbazyan’s 10 wins have come in under a minute. And while his resume isn’t that impressive, he’s passed every test that has been put in front of him No question, Tavares will be the biggest test for him so far and it should give us answers on whether Shahbazyan is for real or not. Tavares is durable, has decent wrestling and throws good kicks. I think he will give Shahbazyan trouble is he gets pas one round. The question though is whether he will. Forget the fact that Shahbazyan is trained by Edmond Tarverdyan. I think he clips Tavares early.
Prediction: Shahbazyan (-167)
Andrei Arlovski vs Jair Rozenstruik
Andrei Arlovski is the former UFC heavyweight champion. The Belarusan Pitbull has been fighting for 19 years inside the octagon and after he was written off at the start of this decade, he has dragged his fighting career into his 40s by continuing to evolve as a fighter. He stands 6-3 with a reach of 77 inches while fighting as an orthodox fighter. Arlovski has a record of 28-18-0-2 with 17 knockouts and 3 submission victories. He snapped a four-bout losing streak be defeating Ben Rothwell last July.
Jair Rozenstruik is 8-0 with seven knockouts, including seven in round one. In his UFC debut, Rozenstruik knocked out Junior Albini with a head kick in round two. Four months later, he scored a nine-second knockout of Allen Crowder. The Suriname native is 6-4 tall with a reach of 78 inches. Bigi Boi is nine years younger than his opponent and has a clear edge in speed and power at this stage of their careers. But while he is fearsome on his feet, Rozenstruik’s ground game is suspect although he has a 66% takedown defense.
Arlovski
+125
Rozenstruik
-163
Odds were taken from TitanBet as of 11/01/19
Arlovski is past his prime and is no longer the Belarusan Pitbull opponents once feared. Despite that, he has continued to evolve and has shown the ability to mix some wrestling in his game. This is the fifth time in his last six fights where the UFC has matched up Arlovski with a knockout artist. He has gone the distance in his last five fights. If Rozenstruik keeps this fight on the feet, Arlovski is likely getting knocked out. But Arlovski is too smart and he is going to take advantage of his opponent’s lack of grappling and wrestling ability. It’s going to get ugly but it will go the full route and Arlovski gets upset.
Prediction: Arlovski (+125)
