From Atlanta, Georgia last weekend to Baku in Azerbaijan this week.
All six fights on the main card required the judges’ decision so let’s hope we see some fireworks on Sunday morning!
We have a Light Heavyweight Main Event to look forward to between two heavy hitting men so I’m confident that will provide some excitement.
After tipping Kamaru Usman last week as the underdog I have again found some value betting plays which can be found below.
Jamahal Hill vs Khalil Rountree
Jamahal Hill was on top of the world after winning the light heavyweight belt in January 2023 but injury and back to back losses have him searching for a pathway back to the top.
After beating Glover Teixeira and wrapping the belt around his waist he suffered an Achilles injury, sidelining him for quite some time.
He returned in a title fight against Alex Pereira but was knocked out in a unique way after a pause due to a low blow that was waved away by Pereira.
He was actually scheduled to face Khalil Rountree in June 2024, but he was forced out due to injury and returned with another knockout loss to Jiri Prochazka.
Khalil Rountree got his shot at the belt thanks to five straight wins from 2021 to 2023 which included wins over Dustin Jacoby, Chris Daukaus and Anthony Smith.
He was comfortably beaten by Alex Pereira in that title fight and was eventually stopped in the fourth round.
Both of these men possess knockout power and are capable of ending the fight with one punch but the fact that Hill comes in as the slight underdog means that is the betting play I am taking.
Jahamal Hill To Win @ $2.15
Rafael Fiziev vs Ignacio Bahamondes
Rafael Fiziev comes into this co main event as the 11th ranked UFC lightweight, but his record reads far better than that ranking in my opinion.
Up until March of 2023 he had just the one loss to his name from 13 career pro MMA fights and although he now has three losses in a row, a closer look reveals they all could have gone the other way.
Two of the losses were close decisions against one of the best in the world Justin Gaethje and he suffered a knee injury in the other.
He faces another tough challenge in the form of Bahamondes who has won six of eight since winning a UFC contract through Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020.
11 of his 17 career wins have been via KO/TKO and his last three wins have all been finishes.
Fiziev not only has an excellent Muay Thai fighting style but he throws strikes with bad intentions which is why he remains in any fight despite the trajectory of how it is going at any time.
The punters are struggling to separate these two in betting which usually means we are in for a hell of a contest but believe there is a gap in skill set between these two and therefore value on offer.
3 Units Rafael Fiziev To Win @ $1.98
1 Unit Rafael Fiziev To Win By KO/TKO
Curtis Blaydes vs Rizvan Kuniev
He’s never been a UFC champion but Curtis Blaydes, has had a remarkable career in the biggest promotion in the sport.
Highlight wins include Mark Hunt, Junior dos Santos and Alexander Volkov and 13 of his 18 career MMA wins have been by KO/TKO.
He got his chance at UFC gold when taking on Tom Aspinall for the interim Heavyweight championship in July 2024, a fight he lost via KO in the first round.
Blaydes welcomes Russian Rizvan Kuniev to the UFC and his pathway to the promotion has been unique to say the least.
He went 11-2 in his amateur career and is 13-2-a in his pro career with a no contest in the PFL in between Contender Series fights.
Curtis Blaydes has some of the best wrestling that the heavyweight division has ever seen but what separates him from the rest is his ability to land vicious ground and pound.
He faces a unique opponent but his base wrestling and experience at the top level should see him win this match up.
4 Units Curtis Blaydes To Win @ $1.35