UFC 294 Betting Tips
18:30 Tim Elliot vs Muhammad Mokaev – Muhammad Mokaev to win
21:00 Khamzat Chimaev vs Kamaru Usman – Kamaru Usman to win by Decision
21:30 Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski – Islam Makhachev to win
**Times listed are all estimated GMT start time
*A Treble on these selections adds up to around 10/1 with Paddy Power. TAP HERE TO ADD TO YOUR BETSLIP INSTANTLY.
UFC 294 – Abu Dhabi
TV: TNT Sports
Tim Elliot vs Muhammad Mokaev – Muhammad Mokaev to win
Mokaev is a really strong prospect in the flyweight division. Russian-born but has lived in Manchester since the age of 12. He has a perfect 10-0-0 MMA record with national titles in the sports of wrestling & submission grappling. He has completed a ridiculous 22 takedowns in his last 3 fights and has 3 submission wins in his 4 fight in the UFC so far.
Mokaev is facing his first ranked opponent and UFC veteran in Tim Elliott but the next generation fighter should be too much for him.
Mokaev does a great job of using his grappling to stay safe in fights absorbing just 0.87 significant striker per minute. I can’t give Elliott a puncher’s chance if he won’t get a chance to land any punches.
Elliott has 12 losses in his professional career – 6 by decision and 5 by submission. With Mokaev imposing his grappling game on the fight, I’m confident it will be a Mokaev decision win or by submission. I’ll just take Mokaev to win.
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Khamzat Chimaev vs Kamaru Usman – Kamaru Usman to win by Decision
Firstly, what a fight this is.
Without doubt, this is an upgrade on the originally scheduled Costa v Khamzat which fell through due to Costa’s surgery needed on an infection on his elbow. The UFC must have offered Usman a sizeable bag to come to Abu Dhabi on 10 days’ notice to fight the wolf Khamzat Chimaev, a fighter no one wants to fight.
One of the iconic lines from Usman is his post-fight declaration shouting into the camera ‘I’m a problem!’. For Khamzat, Usman is a huge problem.
Chimaev ragdolls everyone. He gets the takedown and to use his catchphrase too, proceeds to ‘smesh’. On Saturday night, Khamzat will be facing the man with the best takedown defence in the UFC– defending 97% of attempted takedowns.
If Khamzat can’t take Usman down and implement his gameplan, then Kamaru can win rounds on the feet using his strategy which is proven against the best in the world. He has developed a technical, dangerous striking game under Trevor Whittman and he can win rounds by pinning his opponent against the cage while throwing short punches, knees to the thigh, stamps to the feet, anything that stops the ref from resetting the fighters to the middle of the octagon. This control against the cage scores rounds in his favour and eats up the clock.
Usman knows how to win rounds and for the first time in a long time, he’s in a 3 round fight – he only has to win 2 of them. Usman has the battle tested strategy and the decision win track record.
The price is too attractive. I’m doing Usman by Decision.
Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski – Islam Makhachev to win
The main event also improved with its late replacement Alexander Volkanovski stepping in for Charles Oliveira with less than 2 weeks’ notice.
It’s a highly anticipated rematch after the very competitive and slightly controversial decision win for Makhachev in February of this year.
In the first fight, Islam’s takedown was working bringing Volk to the ground in each of the first 4 rounds of the fight. Islam is an expert in both judo and wrestling takedowns and Volk does not have an answer for it. I expect Islam to find success here again and the main difference this time I think will be that he will actually convert dominant positions on the ground into devastating damage via ground and pound or by finding a finish with a submission.
Why do I think this? He’s done that to everyone else. He usually blows right through defences. It looked like he was managing his output in the first fight most evident when he had Volk’s back but didn’t threaten a choke or have any offense at all. He was happy to have found a position where he can rest, win the round and get to the bell.
I think Volkanovski will be a lot more uncomfortable on the ground this time.
I’m picking Islam Makhachev to win.
UFC 294 Betting Tips
18:30 Tim Elliot vs Muhammad Mokaev – Muhammad Mokaev to win
21:00 Khamzat Chimaev vs Kamaru Usman – Kamaru Usman to win by Decision
21:30 Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski – Islam Makhachev to win
*A Treble on these selections adds up to around 10/1 with Paddy Power. TAP HERE TO ADD TO YOUR BETSLIP INSTANTLY.
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
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