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The UFC heads to Moscow this weekend for UFC Fight Night Moscow: Zabit vs Kattar. The main event was changed after Junior Dos Santos suffered a staph infection. Greg Hardy stepped in for Cigano and he will face hometown fighter, Alexander Volkov. That fight was demoted to the co-main event with the featherweight scrap between Zabit Magomedsharipov and Calvin Kattar now the event’s headliner. Despite that change, UFC Fight Night Moscow is the best that the UFC has staged in that part of the globe. And not only do we have a very good main card, but we also have a terrific undercard roster that has interesting MMA betting implications.
Let’s take a look at some of the best undercard bouts to bet on:
Magomed Ankalaev vs Dalcha Lungiambula
Magomed Ankalaev went on a 9-0 tear in the Russian circuit and earned his way to the UFC in 2018. He got submitted at the 4:59 mark of the third round of his UFC debut against Paul Craig but has bounced back with a TKO of Marcin Prachnio and a decision win over Brazilian Klidson Abreu. This 27-year old from Dagestan stands 6-3 with a reach of 75 inches while fighting from the orthodox stance. Ankalaev is 11-1 with six knockouts.
Dalcha Lungiambula is the former heavyweight and light heavyweight champion from the EFC. The 34-year old from South Africa is 10-1 with five knockouts and one submission win. He stands 5-8 tall with a reach of 76 inches and fights out of the orthodox stance. Lungiambula knocked out Dequan Townsend in his UFC debut last June 2019. He has knocked out four out of his last opponents.
Size alone gives Ankalaev a big advantage here. The Dagestani fighter is also an excellent ground and pound artist who has a good takedown game. Look, Lungiambala has power in both hands but stylistically, he’s in trouble here. Ankalaev drags and punishes him on the ground.
Prediction: Ankalaev -400
Rustam Khabilov vs Sergey Khandozhko
Rustam Khabilov has been in the UFC since 2012. After suffering back to back losses to Benson Henderson and Adriano Martins, Khabilov won six straight bouts before losing to Diego Ferrera last February. This 33-year old from Dagestan has a record of 24-3 with four knockouts and five wins by submission. He stands 5-8 with a reach of 73 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. He owns wins over Jorge Masvidal and Yancy Medeiros and Norman Parke.
Khabilov
-200
Khandozhko
+155
Odds were taken from TitanBet as of 10/07/19
Sergey Khandozhko won 21 out of his first 23 professional MMA bouts before alternating wins and losses in his next seven fights. Khandozhko won back to back fights by stoppage in 2018 before making his octagon debut at UFC on ESPN + 11 where he picked up a third straight win with a decision victory over Rostem Akman. He is 27-5-1 with 12 knockouts and seven wins by submission. Khandozhko is 6-1 tall and has a reach of 74 inches while fighting as an orthodox fighter.
Khandozhko isn’t considered a UFC elite but he has good kickboxing skills that let him stay in any fight. He struggles when he’s matched up against good wrestlers and Khabilov has a good takedown game. However, the key to this bout is Khabilov moving up to welterweight and Khandozhko having a huge size advantage over his opponent. If somehow, Khabilov gets to his wrestling game, it’s his fight. However, taking down a bigger man isn’t easy and when he shoots for that takedown, expect Khandozhko to be waiting for him. Khabilov is the safe pick here but the size difference makes the underdog enticing.
Prediction: Khandozhko +155
Roman Kopylov vs Karl Roberson
Roman Kopylov was considered one of the best signings in 2019. This multiple-time hand-to-hand combat world champion is a southpaw who stands 6-0 tall with a reach of 75 inches. He is a former Fight Night Global middleweight champion who made one successful title defense before joining the UFC. His debut bout was canceled after he suffered an injury and he will be fighting for the first time inside the octagon.
Kopylov
-112
Roberson
-112
Odds were taken from TitanBet as of 10/07/19
Karl Roberson earned his UFC contract after a smashing 15-second stoppage of Ryan Spann in the first-ever “Contender Series” main event. He won his first couple of UFC bouts before going 1-2 recently. In his last fight, Roberson defeated Wellington Turman via split decision. He stands 6-1 tall with a reach of 74 inches while fighting out of the southpaw stance. Roberson is 8-2 with two knockouts and three wins by submission.
The UFC may have a stud in Kopylov as he is considered one of their top prospects despite not having fought yet inside the Octagon. He has an elite combat sambo background but hasn’t had to use his grappling skills yet because he has been difficult to put down. If you want a stand-up, he will oblige with above-average skills. Roberson was too raw when he was signed by the UFC. Kopylov’s punching power and grappling skills are going to be the difference here.
Prediction: Kopylov -112
Abubakar Nurmagomedov vs David Zawada
Abubakar Nurmagomedov is the cousin of UFC lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov. He picked up five wins in the WSOF promotion but was submitted by Pavel Kusch in his maiden PFL tournament bout. He won his next PFL fight and then figured in a draw in his most recent outing against Bojan Velickovic. Nurmagomedov is 15-2-1 with six knockouts and four submission wins. He stands 5-11 with a reach of 72 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance.
Nurmagomedov
-334
Zawada
+240
Odds were taken from TitanBet as of 10/07/19
David Zawada fought for KSW, the biggest MMA promotion in Poland. He joined the UFC in 2018 but lost his first two bouts to Danny Roberts and Jinliang Li. The 29-year old Zawada has a record of 16-5 with 11 knockouts and three wins via submission. He stands 6-0 tall and has a reach of 75 inches and is an orthodox fighter.
Zawada is an exciting fighter because he always wants to make things happen during a fight, even if things haven’t turned his way all the time. He has superior power but doesn’t have the elite takedown defense to keep Nurmagomedov off him. Abubakar is no Khabib but he’s a terrific grappler. He’s going to grind out a decision win here.
Prediction: Nurmagomedov -334
