- Trent Miller (+295) vs. Ryan Gandra (-375)
- Cristian Perez (+230) vs. Manoel Sousa (-285)
- Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev (-950) vs. Alik Lorenz (+625)
- Damon Wilson (+300) vs. Marcio Barbosa (-380)
- Donte Johnson (-258) vs. Darion Abbey (+210)
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Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev vs. Alik Lorenz
Yakhyaev is the light heavyweight champion in ARES Fighting Championship, a major MMA promotion based in France. Yakhyaev has a lot of strengths in his game that immediately jump out. Yakhyaev is a strong grappler and has displayed an excellent clinch and body lock, where he is able to control opponents and drag them to the ground from the clinch. Having strong upper-body takedowns is appealing for MMA because there is less risk of being countered with an uppercut or a knee, which can be an issue when fighters change levels and shoot for takedowns on the legs. This becomes even more notable at the heavier weight classes, where fighters have more mass and power behind their strikes. Yakhyaev is also good at changing levels, attacking the legs and finishing lower-body takedowns, and he is able to gain clean entries on lower-body takedowns by transitioning from the clinch to the legs to reduce the risk of being countered on the entry.
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Given his strong clinch game, Yakhyaev is good at fighting in a close-range fight, which allows him to blend close-range striking directly into takedown attempts, keeping opponents off balance and guessing. Having a strong clinch also gives him a different option if he isn’t finding success with distance striking. Yakhyaev’s distance striking is still developing and he has been hit cleanly in fights, but his chin has been excellent and he’s absorbed many of these strikes without being significantly impacted. Yakhyaev has finishing skills when the fight gets to the ground and has finished five of his six pro MMA fights, including winning his most recent two fights by choke.
Yakhyaev enters this bout as a massive -950 favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook against Lorenz and is widely expected to win this fight. Look for Yakhyaev to drag this fight to the ground and finish Lorenz on the mat with a submission to secure a UFC contract, where he will instantly become an exciting prospect in the UFC’s light heavyweight division.
Prediction: Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev to win by submission
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.
