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A middleweight tussle between a top 10 contender and a UFC newbie headline the promotion’s return to the Las Vegas APEX at UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Magomedov. A fan favorite due to his relentless approach inside the Octagon and colorful personality outside of it, Sean Strickland is favored on the UFC betting line in the main event matchup with Abus Magomedov. Less than a month after losing a split decision to Jared Cannonier, Strickland was back in the Octagon breaking a two-fight skid with a unanimous decision over Nassourdine Imavov. Taking a short notice bout with little recovery time tells us a lot about ‘Tarzan’ as he looks to climb the ranks from his current No. 7 contender position. The headline bout is one of six fights on the main card that will air on ESPN. An additional six fights make up the preliminary round.
Bet on UFC online at BetRivers sportsbook with odds for every fight on the ticket. The action takes place on Saturday, July 1, 2023 from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nev. Prelim bouts start at 4 p.m. ET with the main card scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. The entire card will air on ESPN.
UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Magomedov Main Card Odds
Abus Magomedov +129 vs. Sean Strickland -155
Grant Dawson -122 vs. Damir Ismagulov -102
Max Griffin +200 vs. Michael Morales -245
Ariane Lipski +190 vs. Melissa Gatto -233
Benoit Saint-Denis +259 vs. Ismael Bonfim -326
Nursulton Ruziboev +170 vs. Brunno Ferreira -206
The UFC is considered the top rung of MMA so a fighter like Strickland ( 26-5, 10 KOs, 4 SUBs ) with a record of 13-5 inside the Octagon carries a lot more weight than what Magomedov ( 25-4-1, 14 KOs, 6 SUBs ) accomplished in various other MMA outfits. This will be just the second UFC bout for Abus and it would be difficult to top what he did in his promotional debut. Last September it took him all of 19 seconds to finish Dustin Stoltzfus. That was his first fight in 20 months and while he showed zero rust from the layoff he also didn’t get much work in. Training and sparring can only do so much.
Strickland is fairly predictable in his approach giving opponents a lot of the same stuff in every fight. He’s an aggressive high-volume striker and a skilled boxer with plenty of energy. More than half his fights have gone the distance, but he’s powerful enough to finish with a flurry landing nearly six significant strikes per minute. And he’s tough as nails. In 2018 he was hit by a car while riding his motorcycle and knocked unconscious. He returned to the Octagon two years later scoring a unanimous decision win over Jack Marshman.
Tilting me in favor of Strickland is the roster of opponents faced. ‘Tarzan’ has fought a number of UFC badasses during his day picking up wins against ranked middleweights Brendan Allen, Uriah Hall, Jack Hermansson and Imavov. His only two losses in the division came in consecutive fights by KO to hard-hitting Alex Pereira and a close split decision to No. 3 contender Cannonier.
While the resume is glossy and the UFC debut a success, there is a lot we still don’t know about Megomedov. He’s getting plenty of attention at UFC betting sites with his odds getting shorter since hitting the board. A deeper dive has me taking a wait-and-see approach, though. He is 12-1-1 in his last 14 fights with 10 finishes. His draw was in 2018 against Gasan Umalatov, who went 1-3 in the UFC before being released from his contract. He then got destroyed in the first round by 40-year-old Louis Taylor at PFL 11.
This is the type of underrated fight that should attract a lot of attention. And for Strickland it could be the fight that puts him closer to a title shot. He’s already on the short list of contenders since he’s one of the top 10 that has yet to face champ Israel Adesanya. For Megamedov it’s a glorious opportunity to establish himself as an up-and-comer in the weight class.
With a 2-inch reach advantage and powerful kicks that could do damage, Megomedov would seemingly have an advantage. However, Strickland plays defense as good as anyone and isn’t bothered by going the distance. The longer this one goes the better off Strickland is, and I think this one goes the distance making the favorite a good UFC bet.
UFC Prediction: Sean Strickland / Decision ( +165 )
Check out the latest UFC betting odds at BetRivers.a
