Off a stellar UFC 304 card, the UFC continues its summer run in Abu Dhabi this Saturday. The Fight Night card features a high-level main event between Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov.
We'll have stock in their potential number-one contender bout and a couple of fights leading up to it for this week's UFC best bets!
Best Prop: Viktoriia Dudakova by Points +100 (FanDuel)
The 8-0 Russian prospect continues her journey in the UFC when she faces 8-6 Sam Hughes. Hughes pushes a fast pace and will be in her opponent's face for all three rounds, but she's shown that she can be hittable if she can't get her grappling going.
Dudakova's striking is good enough to keep Hughes at a distance when needed. Additionally, the Russian has a grappling background to fall back on when Hughes looks to get in close.
I think this could be Dudakova's best performance yet, and she should deal with Hughes' pressure well to at least take 2 out of the 3 rounds needed for a decision win.
Top Moneyline: Elves Brenner +148
I like the underdog line we're getting for the scrappy Elves Brenner. He'll take on a tall, lanky Lightweight Joel Alvarez, who is a finishing machine, but Brenner has shown that his durability can weigh on fighters if they're unable to take him out early.
It's also worth noting that Alvarez has shown that he struggles to defend takedowns. He's been taken down in 5 of his 7 UFC appearances. Luckily, for him, he's been able to secure subs off his back to hide the fact that he's spent a lot of time there.
Brenner is somewhat of a submission ace himself. He trains at the famous Chute Boxing camp that houses top BJJ players, and he has 11 subs on his record to show for it.
Brenner won't shy away from grappling, and he has displayed power to knock guys out as well. I think he's in a great spot to pick up his 4th UFC win in 5 appearances.
Top Parlay: Shamil Gaziev ML AND Shara Magomedov ML -106 (DraftKings)
These two matchups look like showcase fights for what should be a home crowd feel in Abu Dhabi for both. Shamil Gaziev is coming off a tough loss to the experienced kickboxer Jairzinho Rozenstruik in his last showing, where he was unable to continue after the 4th round.
Since he's going back to three rounds this week, I don't see cardio being an issue, and if so, his opponent, Don'Tale Mayes, may have the same problem.
Mayes can throw with power, but his slow punch speed should show against a more technical striker like Gaziev. I also like Gaziev to compete in the grappling department if the fight goes there.
I see Gaziev landing more punches before both slow down late. From there, Gaziev should coast to a decision win.
Our second leg comes from the co-main matchup between Shara Magomedov and Michał Oleksiejczuk. This screams showcase fight as Oleksiejczuk has lost 3 of his last 5, and Magomedov is starting his UFC journey with much hype.
Magomedov is a powerful kickboxer that will have to answer for his grappling inexperince one day. However, Oleksiejczuk should give him the fight he wants, so I fully expect Magomedov to land the more powerful strikes to either finish Oleksiejczuk or take home a decisive win.
Main Event Play: Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov FGTD -120 (FanDuel)
We should be in for a treat with this week's main event. Umar Nurmagomedov looks to defend his undefeated record against fellow top Bantamweight Cory Sandhagen. I lean toward Nurmagomedov, but I can't discount a well-rounded Sandhagen who is currently on a 3 fight-win streak against top names in the division.
Nurmagomedov will certainly look to secure a win with his elite wrestling since most would agree that Sandhagen holds a slight edge in striking.
Regardless, both men come in with little to no holes in their game, so I see them competing for the full 5 rounds, where the judges will have to decide the next number one contender in the 135 division.
