Lightweights
Magomed Mustafaev (14-2) vs. Brad Riddell (7-1)ODDS: Mustafaev (-120), Riddell (+100)
New Zealand’s Riddell made his UFC debut with a solid bit of hype in October, mostly on the back of a successful kickboxing career, and his debut certainly lived up to that hype. Riddell and Jamie Mullarkey threw down for 15 minutes of a non-stop war that eventually saw “Quake” get the nod on the scorecards.
Mustafaev might be a tougher ask, however. The Russian is a powerhouse athlete with knockout capabilities of his own. Mustafaev may have sadly missed his prime due to injury—he was out for all of 2017 and 2018—but he picked up where left off in 2019, using some thudding violence to quickly dispatch Rafael Fiziev.
Riddell is easily the more technical kickboxer, but if he is going to throw down once again, it is difficult not to see him losing a war of attrition. The Kiwi is there to be hit, and Mustafaev can certainly hit. The pick is Mustafaev via second-round knockout.
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