The lone heavyweight bout at UFC 296 kicks off the early preliminary card with Martin Buday vs. Shamil Gaziev.
The Contender Series vets bring some gaudy records to the cage in this weekend's curtain-jerker with Buday on a 12-0 run (4-0 in the UFC) and Gaziev 11-0 since turning pro and now gearing up for his official UFC debut.
Here's a look at the Buday vs. Gaziev odds and prediction for UFC 296.
Tale of the TapeBudayGazievRecord13-111-0Avg. Fight Time10:092:38Height6'4"6'4"Weight264.5 pounds259.9 poundsReach77 inches78 inchesStanceOrthodoxOrthodoxDate of birth11/11/19912/10/1990Sig Strikes Per Min5.61.5SS Accuracy520%SS Absorbed Per Min5.40.0SS Defense55%0%Take Down Avg0.300.00TD Acc50%0%TD Def100%0%Submission Avg0.35.7Would it really be a UFC event without two sloppy heavyweights slinging leather?
At UFC 296, we have our obligatory big-boy brawl on the prelims this time, with UFC debutant Shamil Gaziev taking on Martin Buday, who's undefeated in four UFC fights, in the event's curtain-jerker.
That sentence makes it sound like Buday should be a much heavier favorite than he is, but I'm not so sure. Buday's UFC opponents are a combined 9-18 for the promotion, so it's hard to say he's fought discernibly tougher competition than Gaziev has on the regional scene.
UFC 296: Our Best Bets for Edwards vs Covington, Ferguson vs Pimblett & MoreRead nowGaziev is the far more aggressive fighter, and he has an 11-0 pro record comprised of 10 finishes – all within the first six minutes of the bout. That obviously raises serious questions about his cardio, especially given his less-than-svelte physique.
On the other hand, Buday's style could be described as either "patient" or "plodding" depending on how generous you'd like to be. Three of his four UFC wins were decisions with a submission over Josh Parisian as the sole outlier.
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Buday vs. Gaziev PickThis is a fairly obvious fight in the sense that when it ends correlates heavily to who comes out on top.
If betting this one prefight, take Gaziev & Under 1.5 rounds in a same-game parlay, and pair that with Buday and Over 1.5 rounds.
I prefer to bet it live somewhere around that mark, though, while sticking with the Gaziev bet.
Hopefully, we'll get better odds on Buday after a strong first round from the newcomer.
The Picks: Shamil Gaziev & Under 1.5 Rounds SGP (+255 at DraftKings) | Martin Buday Live
