The UFC heads to the Apex Center in Las Vegas, Nevada this weekend for a card headlined by Sean Strickland and Abus Magomedov. In the co-main Damir Ismagulov looks to bounce back into the win column against a surging Grant Dawson and Ariane Lipski goes toe to toe with Melissa Gatto in a clash of Flyweight finishers. We take a look at my best bets on this weekend’s card below.
UFC Fight Night Preview & Betting Tips
Sean Strickland vs. Abus Magomedov
Abus Magomedov has been thrust into a main event slot on the back of a single UFC win. The Dagestan native stopped Dustin Stoltzfus in just 19 seconds so it is fair to say he hasn’t been tested in the Octagon to date but he will have his hands full this weekend. That is also his only fight since 2020 and while he boasts a solid 25-4 record, he was knocked out by the likes of Louis Taylor back in 2018.
On the flip side, with his opponent Sean Strickland we know exactly what we are going to get. Strickland has big wins over the likes of Jack Hermansson, Uriah Hall and Nassourdine Imavov. He fights behind his volume striking and relies on his cardio to carry him through. His problem is he is incredibly hittable and therefore a Magomedov knockout is definitely on the cards.
However, the smart money should be on Strickland to outwork Magomedov over five rounds. As long as he isn’t caught in the opening minutes, he should rack up rounds and either get the win by decision or a late stoppage on a tired opponent.
Sean Strickland to win
$1.65 (2.5 Units)
Karol Rosa vs. Yana Santos
Yana Santos lost her Octagon debut to none other than Cris Cyborg before winning four of her next five. She has since fallen to Irene Aldana and Holly Holm. Her opponent, Karol Rosa started off strong in the UFC going 4-0 but has then gone 1-2 with losses to Sara McMann and Norma Dumont. Her fight against Dumont was incredibly poor, she did little work until the third round and looked genuinely lacklustre.
While that is concerning this is still too favourable of a match up to not pick her. She is largely more active than Santos on the feet and her foe is incredibly weak off her back. Rosa outworks Santos on the feet and mixes in takedowns for a dominant victory.
Karol Rosa to win
$1.60 (3 Units)
Alexandr Romanov vs. Blagoy Ivanov
Alexandr Romanov started his UFC career with five straight victories on the back of incredible wrestling and control. He then fell to Marcin Tybura by the way of gassing out and then last time out was stopped by Alexander Volkov where it is by far the worst he has ever looked physically and mentally.
Blagoy Ivanov lost to Marcin Tybura in his last fight and is 3-4 in the Octagon. He is an ageing Heavyweight and wins by doing only slightly more than his opponents in what are genuinely snooze fests. Simply put, if Romanov has anything left he dominates Ivanov. I will have a little eye on the weigh in to see if he looks ballooned and like he hasn’t trained again but if he is in decent shape, he just wins this. Romanov should be able to ragdoll Ivanov. Ivanov is also known for a slow dawdling pace which should suit the gas tank of Romanov so back him to return to the win column this weekend.
Alexandr Romanov to win
$1.74 (2 Units)
