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The Fight Analyst came up with a lackluster performance at UFC 275. That puts his overall record at 26-13 and will be looking to get back this weekend at UFC Fight Night Austin.
We are coming off of a weekend of spectacular fights over in Singapore.
Up next is a fight night event in the great state of Texas with two featherweight title contenders headlining the main event in Calvin Kattar vs. Josh Emmett. The rest of the card is expected to bring a ton of excitement throughout. With that said, let’s take a look at the Best Bets for UFC Fight Night Austin.
Damir Ismagulov vs. Guram Kutateladze
In the lightweight division, we have a great scrap between two prospects, Damir Ismagulov and Guram Kutateladze.
Ismagulov has looked every ounce of the top prospect that he was coming into his UFC debut. He is now on a 4-fight winning streak in the biggest MMA promotion. He has shown that he can beat his opponents anywhere the fight occurs, whether on the feet or on the mat. He will need to utilize his well-rounded skillset against the skilled striker he’s about to face in Kutateladze.
Kutateladze had one of the tougher debuts in quite some time as he had to take on the now title contender Mateusz Gamrot, whom he beat by a razor-close split decision. He was able to out-scramble and out-strike Gamrot in a wildly entertaining contest.
This is arguably one of the best fights on the entire fight card next to the main event. Kutateladze hasn’t fought since his debut against Gamrot back in 2020 due to injury. Meanwhile, Ismagulov had his toughest fight to date and showed a chink in his armor against Rafael Alves. Ismagulov looks to be the better fight on paper with the higher potential ceiling and as long as he is defensively sound he will get the job done with another unanimous decision victory.
The Fight Analyst’s Pick |
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Damir Ismagulov -160 to win |
Jeremiah Wells vs. Court McGee
In the welterweight division, we have a fight between old school and new school fighters when Jeremiah Wells takes on Court McGee.
Wells has already made his mark in the UFC winning his first two fights in the promotion in devastating fashion. He has a blend of powerful strikes and elite grappling which makes him a deadly force in the welterweight division.
McGee looks like he has turned back time with back-to-back wins for the first time since 2013. He has taken out two elite grapplers in his last two fights and will be looking to make it three in a row this weekend against Wells.
All good things must come to an end and this late-career resurgence of McGee is just that. McGee is on the wrong side of athleticism, power, and speed at the hands of Wells. As long as Wells can deal with the relentless forward pressure of McGee and doesn’t fade like his previous two opponents he will get the job done here.
The Fight Analyst’s Pick |
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Jeremiah Wells +105 to win |
Kevin Holland vs. Tim Means
We have a fun fight in the featured bout of the main card between welterweights Kevin Holland and Tim Means.
Holland made a successful trip back down to his rightful weight class at 170 lbs as he finished Alex Oliveira in the second round. He gets another crack at a longtime mainstay of the division as he takes on Tim Means.
Means is on a nice little run winning three-straight fights with quality wins against Leaureano Staropoli, Mike Perry, and Nicolas Dalby. The significant height and reach advantages that he’s enjoyed in his last three fights won’t be there against Holland, which doesn’t bode well for him.
This looks to be a stand-and-bang type of fight which is something that Holland excels in. Also, Means’ lacking his usual height and reach advantages favors Holland too. Expect Holland to be able to stay on the outside utilizing his speed and size advantages to out-strike Means to a wide decision victory.
The Fight Analyst’s Pick |
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Kevin Holland -250 to win |