Jan Blachowicz vs. Magomed Ankalaev Prediction, Tips and Odds – Dec. 11, 2022 06:00 CET
The main fight of the evening awaits us in the light heavyweight category, where former champion Jan Blachowicz from Poland and Magomed Ankalaev from Russia are fighting for the position of interim champion in the light heavyweight category.
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Jan Blachowicz Team News
Blachowicz won the last match against Rakić, but his victory was significantly reduced by Rakić’s injury in the third round. In the first two rounds, we saw two totally different rounds. In the first round, Jan outboxed Rakić, while in the second he spent most of the time on his back and could not take Rakić off him.
In the match before, we saw a totally different Jan, who didn’t look like himself. He was defeated by Glover Teixeira, by choke in the second round. That loss aside, Blachowicz looked nowhere near the fighter who dominated Adesanya and knocked out Reyes, especially in terms of speed and movement. Jan is a complete fighter, but like Ankalaev, he looks for his advantage in stand-up. What adorns him the most is his physical strength, he can comfortably fight in the heavyweight division with his strength and dimensions. This is best shown by how he strangled Devin Clark who is a very tough guy, from a standing position, as if he was a 70 kg guy against him. Blachowicz also has a black loss in BJJ, and 9 SUB wins, but most of those wins were in KSW. What all fighters need to watch out for against Blachowicz is his straights, which are devastating, and he has an extremely strong K.O. power. Dangerous elbows and clinch, when in the clinch he uses all his luxurious Muay Thai connected with his size and strength. Finishes against Corey Anderson and Rockhold are a real example of how dangerous he is in that segment of the fight. But, still, his biggest problem is when he finds himself on his back, and when he has a strong enough and skilled fighter against him to keep him down and deal damage. This was best seen in the phase of his career only when he signed for the UFC and did not improve his takedown defense well, he has 4 defeats out of 6 fights, and if he had lost in Zagreb to Igor Pokrajec, he probably would not be where he is now.
Magomed Ankalaev Team News
Ankalaev is currently the fighter with the longest winning streak in the light heavyweight division. There are as many as 9 of them, and the UFC did not pamper him with the choice of opponents. Sambo, as a forerunner of MMA with a strong wrestling base, sets Russian fighters apart from the rest. And so Ankalaev is one of the more complete fighters in this category. Although he has excellent wrestling, Greco-Roman style, and has the power to control the opponent on the ground, to knock him down easily with his strength, he uses the stand and clinch more. He only used that ground game against Krylov. Let’s go back to his stand-up. One of the best fighters who use the counter, and waits for the opponent to swing and hit him. Very calm and concentrated, he never loses his head even when he is in a crisis. He throws very precisely directs and crochets. As well as a front kick. He will probably try in the clinch to tire and acidify Jan and take away his freshness, and then do his job more easily.
If we look at all things realistically, Jan is 39 years old, he is slowly coming down from his peak, he is no longer the old fighter, he is slower and less explosive, while Ankalaev is on an upward trajectory, who has not shown even 60% of his qualities so far. In the last two matches, Ankalaev first dominated Santos, who had no chance against the Russian, and in the last match he knocked out Smith in the second round.
H2H
Blachowicz: 39 years, 29W-9L, height 188cm, reach 198cm.
Ankalaev: 29 years, 18W-1L, UFC 9-1, height 191cm, reach 191cm, 10 K.O.
Blachowicz vs. Ankalaev Prediction
In this match, we expect Ankalaev to win, but we expect him not to go all or nothing right away, but to gradually wear down and tire Blachowicz.
Tip-off Time: Sunday, 11.12.2022, 06:00 CET
Prediction: Ankalaev WIN and over 2.5 rounds.
Odds: 1,95
Sportsbook: Bet365
Bryce Mitchell vs. Ilia Topuria Prediction, Tips and Odds – Dec. 11, 2022 03:00 CET
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Bryce Mitchell Team News
One of the most interesting matches in the featherweight category takes place at the very opening of the main card, and two young and undefeated fighters meet. Fighters who have different fighting styles, but also fighters who are diametrically opposed in their entire mental approach to fighting.
Mitchell is a top wrestler, his fighting style is very similar to Dagestani fighters. He has an excellent takedown and superbly controls fighters on the ground. He is on a streak of 5 victories in the UFC, and in the last one, he defeated the experienced Edson Barboza, who he did not give even a single chance. In addition to being a real mastermind in the backcourt, Mitchell is also quite decent in the stand. He throws excellent front straight and controls the distance.
Tough Nastya’s greatest strength is his mental strength. He is maximally focused and hardly anything can disturb him from his fight mode. In this match, we expect him to use his reach from the first minute and to knock down and tire the dangerous Topuria. If the fight goes down, Mitchell has a good chance of winning, although the bookies don’t give him much of a chance.
Ilia Topuria Team News
Ilia Topuria is a very dangerous guy. In addition to being an excellent fighter, Topuria is a guy who leaves no one indifferent. At the last press conference, he had a very heated discussion with Paddy Pimblet, but he didn’t owe Mitchell either.
It is about a guy who is originally from Georgia, but who lives and grew up in Spain. A fighter whose primary discipline is boxing, and he achieved great results in amateur boxing. Although he has a black belt in BJJ, we don’t think he has much of a chance on the ground against the dangerous Mitchell. However, his chances are in the stand-up, where he can freeze any lightweight fighter with his strong and explosive punches.
He showed that he has big problems in defensive boxing, but his pressure and takedown defense, as well as the power of the punch, actually give him hope for a big win against the dangerous Mitchell. Great strength and the strongest weapons of Topuria are dangerous blows to the body, with which they kill opponents.
H2H
Mitchell: 28 years, 15W-0L, height 175cm, reach 178cm.
Topuria: 25 years, 12W-0L, height 170cm , reach 175cm.
Mitchell vs Topuria Prediction
This match is quite even, but we think that Mitchell will first of all survive the first round, then knock Topuria down, dominate him and win.
Tip-off Time: Sunday, 11.12.2022, 03:00 CET
Prediction: Mitchell WIN
Odds: 2,235
Sportsbook: Bet365
