Bantamweights
Muin Gafurov (18-6, 0-2 UFC) vs. Kyung Ho Kang (19-10, 8-4 UFC)It would be a disappointment if Gafurov never finds his first UFC victory. Gafurov was on the UFC’s radar as far back as 2019, when contractual issues scuttled a planned debut against Movsar Evloev, and it would take the Tajik fighter four years to officially sign with the promotion. That run also includes a 2021 Dana White’s Contender Series loss to Chad Anheliger, which highlighted one of the main issues in Gafurov’s game. He can be both a dynamic striker and a bulldozing wrestler, but in doing so, he tends to wear out his gas tank and fade badly down the stretch. Gafurov rebounded from the Anheliger loss successfully enough to get the call as a late replacement against John Castaneda in June 2023, when his cardio issues betrayed him once again. After somewhat surprisingly being used as cannon fodder in what wound up as a 73-second loss to Said Nurmagomedov, Gafurov looks to finally get in the win column against Kang. South Korea’s Kang is on the shortlist of fighters with the most success in the UFC with the least to show for it, but it’s a bit understandable that “Mr. Perfect” has never gained much momentum. He hasn’t fought in four of the 12 calendar years he has been under contract, and that inactivity has been combined with a knack for ill-timed losses just as Kang seems to be getting some notice. Kang can do a little bit of everything, but it’s usually unclear how he’ll look from fight to fight, both in terms of what skills he decides to focus on and how strong his decision making will be over the course of the contest. He should give Gafurov three tough rounds, but it’s unclear if he’ll do enough to actually score the victory. There’s a decent chance he’ll consent to a wrestling match and dig himself a hole on the scorecards that he can’t climb out of with a big third round. Gafurov will probably have to hang on by the skin of his teeth to get this win over the finish line, but the bet is that Kang is messy enough to give him that opening. The pick is Gafurov via decision.
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Magomedov vs. Lutterbach
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Gafurov vs. Kang
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