It’s a clash of middleweights when Sean Strickland enters the octagon against Abus Magomedov and with both fighters coming off impressive wins, our UFC expert believes there’s not much separating these two.
American Strickland, 32, is looking to make it back-to-back wins, having beaten Nassourdine Imavov on points in January, following two straight losses last year.
Meanwhile, German-Russian Magomedov, also 32, enters Las Vegas on the back of a three-fight win streak, with all of those wins having come via stoppage.
Benoit Saint-Denis fights Ismael Bonfim in a lightweight bout. Bonfim has gone from a -275 favorite to -300 while getting 25% of the tickets and 29% of the handle at BetMGM.
More questions in the middleweight division of the UFC will be answered on Saturday, as brash, outspoken veteran Sean Strickland welcomes dangerous striker Abus Magomedov in a main event at the UFC Apex on Saturday.
Ariane Lipski fights Melissa Gatto in the lone women’s fight on the main card. Gatto opened at -165 and has jumped up to -250. Gatto is getting 50% of the bets and 75% of the money at BetMGM.
Max Griffin fights the undefeated Michael Morales in a battle of welterweights. Morales’ odds have shifted from -210 to -250 at BetMGM. The 14-0 man is getting 31% of the tickets and 41% of the money.
This will be Strickland’s first Middleweight fight since losing by split decision to Jared Cannonier on Fight Night back in December of last year. Heading into his third-straight main event, Strickland defeated Nassourdine Imavov in a Light Heavyweight contest in January via decision, and has a career record of 26-5, with 10 wins coming by knockout.
Strickland (26-5) has emerged as one of the most unhinged personalities in the UFC between his in-cage trash talk and questionable quotes circulating online. A middleweight contender ready to fight at anytime, Strickland (No. 7) accommodated the UFC’s request to fight an opponent not recognized by the UFC’s official middleweight rankings. Strickland is many things, but he is not dismissive of the challenge his unheralded opponent presents.
The co-main event is Damir Ismagulov vs. Grant Dawson. Also on the card is the return of Kevin Lee, who fights Rinat Fakhretdinov, and a promising action fight between Ismail Bonfim and Benoit Saint-Denis.
