Miranda Maverick and Azamat Murzakanov are both strongly fancied as profitable UFC expert Will Dean previews Saturday's Fight Night.
MMA betting tips: UFC Fight Night
3pts Miranda Maverick & Azamat Murzakanov both to win at 11/10 (General)
1pt Miranda Maverick to win by KO or Submission at 11/4 (bet365)
1.5pts JJ Aldrich to win by Decision at 12/5 (bet365)
The price is right
On a card filled top-to-bottom with competitive matchups and inconsistent fighters, sometimes the wisest choice is to have confidence in the shorter-priced favourites. Both MIRANDA MAVERICK and AZAMAT MURZAKANOV hold significant advantages over their opponents and should confidently justify their pricetags on Saturday night.
The latter appears in the first fight of the night against Tafon Nchukwi, a fighter with a 6-1 record that has failed to impress in the UFC so far. Both men are predominantly strikers, but Murzakanov will have a significant speed advantage in this bout, to go alongside his devastating power in both hands.
For as dominant as The Professional should be on the feet, he also has a decent wrestling ability in his back pocket. Nchukwi showed a huge weakness in his ground game against Jun Yong Park, and Murzakanov can certainly exploit that if he needs to change levels. Whichever path he chooses to take, the Russian should be in control of this fight from start to finish.
While Murzakanov will be looking to get his UFC career off to a flying start, Maverick will be eager to get hers back on track. The 24-year-old wrestler most recently suffered a one-sided loss to Erin Blanchfield, surrendering a vast amount of momentum in her ascent of the Flyweight rankings.
Despite that disappointing result, Fear the Maverick still has talent in abundance. She fights at a fast pace, has damaging ground striking, and will use her physicality to bully opponents across the entirety of the fight.
Maverick faces Sabina Mazo on Saturday night, who has struggled against grappling-based opponents throughout her UFC career. To make matters worse, the Colombian has a tendency to throw telegraphed body kicks, which are often caught and result in her getting taken down.
If Maverick spends enough time on top in this fight, she will undoubtedly be declared the winner. The 24-year-old prospect has secured a finish in six of her nine professional bouts, and the added pressure of re-announcing herself to the division will likely see her pursue a finish. Maverick is the perfect second-leg to push this bet past even money, but an added wager on MAVERICK TO WIN BY KO OR SUBMISSION at 11/4 is certainly worthwhile, too.
Payday for JJ
JJ ALDRICH has been quietly plying her trade in the UFC’s Flyweight division for over five years now, but a lack of stoppage victories has prevented her from acquiring the respect she deserves. Conversely, Gillian Robertson has become one of the most popular WMMA fighters on the roster, having recently broken the record for the most Submission wins across the four divisions.
Both women have been largely consistent when displaying their strengths and weaknesses in the Octagon, making this a classic striker-versus-grappler affair. Aldrich will undoubtedly win minutes on the feet, but it all depends on whether she can keep this fight standing against a dangerous submission threat in Robertson.
I’m inclined to think that Aldrich can stuff the takedowns, as she trains at Team Elevation in Colorado alongside some of the best female grapplers in the UFC – including none other than Miranda Maverick. As both women have prepared for Saturday night’s bouts, they will have relentlessly drilled various grappling scenarios, putting Aldrich in the best position possible against The Savage.
Furthermore, Aldrich has already proven difficult to take down in her UFC career, being forced to the mat on just six occasions across more than two hours fighting inside the Octagon. When she has kept things standing, she has decent boxing and always looks to be the aggressor, which will be useful in draining the cardio against a late-notice opponent.
Such an accumulation of fight time would only be possible with numerous bouts going to decision, and Aldrich’s inability to find a stoppage makes her a sure bet to back on the scorecards. Backing ALDRICH TO WIN BY DECISION at 23/10 is simply too good a price to ignore.
Posted at 1100 GMT on 11/03/22
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