Preview: UFC on ABC 6 Prelims

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s debut in Saudi Araba on Saturday comes to Kingdom Arena in Riyadh with an interesting slate of prelims attached, led by the return of Sharabutdin Magomedov. “Shara Bullet” lived up to the billing as one of the middleweight division’s most exciting talents, and at UFC on ABC 6, he gets a willing dance partner in organizational newcomer Joilton Lutterbach. Meanwhile, Nasrat Haqparast looks to cash in on his talent once again in an entertaining pairing against Jared Gordon, and though a welterweight clash pitting Rinat Fakhretdinov against Nicolas Dalby might not be the most exciting pairing on paper, it is a well-matched fight that could set up some big things for the winner.

Now to the preview for the UFC on ABC 6 prelims:

Middleweights

Sharabutdin Magomedov (12-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Joilton Lutterbach (38-9, 0-0 PFL)

ODDS: Magomedov (-245), Lutterbach (+200)

It would be near-impossible for Magomedov to live up to the hype that came ahead of his UFC debut in 2023, but “Shara Bullet” should continue his reputation as an entertaining fighter to watch. Magomedov’s game might be a bit limited as a kick-heavy striker from range, but the Russian might still be able to make that work to an extremely high level at middleweight. Magomedov’s combination of creativity, power and speed makes him an offensive terror. Even though Bruno Silva was able to initiate a surprising amount of wrestling against Magomedov in October, the Russian’s sheer commitment to getting back to his feet and trying to make something happen was enough to score a clear decision victory. This sophomore effort against a UFC newcomer in Lutterbach should also thread that needle between being a clear Magomedov win on paper while still being tough enough to avoid being a clear showcase. Lutterbach’s UFC debut is over a decade in the making, as the Brazilian first got on the promotional radar with an unmemorable stint on Season 3 of “The Ultimate Fighter Brazil” back in 2014. From there, Lutterbach has gone on a nomadic fighting journey that has seen him fight in major mixed martial arts promotions while also dabbling in other combat sports. That has turned him into a fairly sturdy striker, and while he’s unlikely to get neutralized through wrestling here, this does look like an uphill battle where he will struggle to track Magomedov down thanks to being undersized and less athletic. The pick is Magomedov via decision.

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Magomedov vs. Lutterbach
Haqparast vs. Gordon
Fakhretdinov vs. Dalby
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