Following a superb UFC pay-per-view event on the weekend, the promotion now travels to Moscow, Russia, for UFC Fight Night: Magomedsharipov vs. Kattar.
The main event was initially scheduled to be a hard-hitting heavyweight clash between Junior dos Santos and Alexander Volkov, but an infection forced dos Santos to remove himself from the event. In need of a replacement, the UFC turned to Greg Hardy to fill the void. Hardy is now slated to face the former Bellator heavyweight champion in the co-main event, while Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Calvin Kattar will feature as the headline bout of the evening.
As always, we here at WagerBop will bring you a detailed breakdown and all of the latest and best odds for the UFC Moscow event this Saturday, November 9.
Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Calvin Kattar
Many consider Zabit Madomedsharipov to be one of the best prospects on the UFC roster. With his unusually long frame for a featherweight, combined with a relatively well-rounded approach to mixed martial arts, Magomedsharipov has proven to be an extreme challenge for all of his opponents in the UFC so far.
Since joining the promotion as a highly-touted prospect in September 2017, Magomedsharipov has secured five consecutive victories. After his involvement in a back-and-forth war at UFC 223, Magomedsharipov then picked up wins over Brandon Davis and Jeremy Stephens to earn a fight with talented striker Calvin Kattar in Moscow.
Kattar, known as “The Boston Finisher,” was originally scheduled to fight Magomedsharipov in Boston last month. Magomedsharipov withdrew from the contest, and the UFC rescheduled it one month later in Russia.
Although Kattar doesn’t hold the perfect, undefeated record that Magomedsharipov has in the UFC, it’s easy to argue that Kattar has faced higher quality opposition. A third-round stoppage win over Shane Burgos is a highlight, as well as first-round wins over Ricardo Lamas and Chris Fishgold. Kattar’s only UFC defeat came against Renato Moicano, who is considered as one of the best strikers in the featherweight division.
Let’s see how these two fighters match up against each other.
Fight Breakdown
Zabit Magomedsharipov catches the eye of any mixed martial arts fan because of his flashy and exciting fighting style. But a look past his interesting techniques will show dynamic striking ability, as he showcases a tremendous ability to set up offensive movements at long range with effective feints and footwork.
When his striking isn’t working as desired, Magomedsharipov can rely on his high-level wrestling ability and take the fight to the mat. Even in cases where he is controlling the stand-up, he’ll look for the takedown, as well.
However, the takedowns might not be a valid course for Magomedsharipov against Calvin Kattar.
Kattar is mostly renowned for his striking, but that’s because we’re rarely seen him utilize his wrestling ability inside the octagon. This weekend, we won’t be surprised to see Kattar’s defensive wrestling techniques be an important factor in this fight.
And even on the feet, Kattar stands more of a chance than the odds currently reflect. Kattar has slick boxing technique and will be dangerous at close range in this fight.
However, he’s going to need to find a way to skip forward and enter the pocket with Magomedsharipov, which could prove quite a challenge. Magomedsharipov’s lanky frame will enable him to distance himself using long strikes. If Kattar can close the distance, though, he’ll have opportunities to exploit Magomedosharipov’s questionable boxing defense at close range, as Kyle Bochniak showed in a prior bout.
Prediction: Zabit Magomedsharipov to win via unanimous decision
Bet: Calvin Kattar to win: +240 at MyBookie
Bet explainer: In this three-round bout, Magomedsharipov by decision seems the most likely outcome, but the odds seem to be entirely wrong for this matchup. Kattar has all of the right tools to be able to shut Magomedsharipov down and hand him his first UFC defeat. We think the odds should be a lot closer than they are, and that’s why we’re betting on Kattar to win.
UFC Moscow – Best Odds
Main Card
- Zabit Magomedsharipov (-303) vs. Calvin Kattar (+240)
- Alexander Volkov (-250) vs. Greg Hardy (+210)
- Danny Roberts (+180) vs. Zelim Imadaev (-220)
- Ed Herman (+130) vs. Khadis Ibragimov (-150)
- Anthony Rocco Martin (+110) vs. Ramazan Emeev (-130)
- Klidson Abreu (+160) vs. Shamil Gamzatov (-185)
Prelims
- Dalcha Lungiambula (+325) vs. Magomed Ankalaev (-400)
- Rustam Khabilov (-190) vs. Sergey Khandozhko (+165)
- Karl Roberson (-110) vs. Roman Kopylov (-110)
- Abubakar Nurmagomedov (-320) vs. David Zawada (+260)
- Jessica-Rose Clark (-110) vs. Pannie Kianzad (-110)
- Davey Grant (+155) vs. Grigorii Popov (-175)
- Alexander Yakovlev (+135) vs. Roosevelt Roberts (-155)
Read More:
- Beginner’s Guide to UFC Betting
- What’s different between weight classes in the UFC?
- 5 MMA Betting Experts Talk UFC Gambling Strategies, Advice, and Best Tips
- The 5 Most Shocking Upsets in UFC Title Fight History
Jake is a mixed martial arts reporter from Australia. At WagerBop, he merges his appreciation of combat sports and a strong passion for analytics to uncover opportunities for readers.
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