UFC 308 Preview and Picks

We are back in Abu Dhabi with UFC 308 this weekend, and we’ve got a pretty good card ahead, so here are the picks and preview of the event.

PRELIMS:

Rinat Fakhretdinov(23-2-1) V Carlos Leal(21-5)

Great fight to start the card. Rinat is on a ten-fight win streak and is a good fighter but has recently shown some flaws. His main issue seems to be wasting his gas tank in the first round and then doing alright till the end. He does have the ability to finish a fight in the first, but he needs to work on being ready to go three rounds. His opponent, Carlos Leal, is stepping up on short notice. Leal is a good fighter who has been around most of the other big MMA organisations. He hits hard and is coming in on two first-round finishes. I would favour Rinat, but Leal is definitely the type to be able to catch Rinat.

Prediction: Rinat by DEC

Bruno Silva(23-11) V Ismail Naurdiev(23-7)

Another fun fight on the card. Bruno Silva isn’t in the best of form with three losses in a row, but on his day, he is still a very capable fighter. Of his 23 wins, 20 are by KO. He faces Ismail Naurdiev, who returns to the UFC after 4 years away. During his time away, he went to Brave CF and became a contender. I remember him being a solid fighter who is only 28 now, so he’s going into his prime, so you could see an upset here. I still favour Silva here as I think he will come in extra motivated after his last one against Chris Weidman.

Prediction: Silva by KO R2

Farid Basharat(12-0) v Victor Hugo(25-4)

Great Bantamweight action here. One-half of the Basharat brothers is back in action. Farid Basharat, just like his brother, has been a great addition to the UFC. Basharat is on a 3-fight win streak in the UFC going into the fight, with his last win against Taylor Lapilus being a very solid victory. Victor Hugo is on a 14-fight win streak, with one win in the UFC and one on the Contender Series. He’s a fun and creative fighter who likes to throw wild strikes but is solid on the ground as well. I expect this to be a calculated battle between them, but Basharat, I think, is going far in the division, so I expect him to win.

Prediction: Basharat by DEC

Kennedy Nzechukwu(12-5) V Chris Barnett(23-8)

Chris Barnett Is back in action, which is always a bonus for a fight card. He faces Kennedy Nzechukwu, who is moving to heavyweight for the first time in the UFC. Nzechukwu is a solid fighter who seemed to have found his form a few fights ago but has since lost his last two and doesn’t look the same as he did. The move to heavyweight is interesting for me as maybe he will be too quick and technical for them, but the damage he might take may slow him down, which would be my issue. Chris Barnett is back after two years, and I can’t wait. He’s not the best of all time, but he brings action and is always interesting. I do wonder what the two years off will make him look like, but he’s always fun, so I expect some flying switch-kick KO from him. In all seriousness I think Nzechukwu will use his size and reach to take the victory.

Prediction: Nzechukwu by DEC

Abus Magomedov(26-6-1) V Brunno Ferreira(12-1)

Really funny fight here. The one-round man Abus Magomedov is back. Abus for the first round is alright and goes for it, but if a fight even touches a second round, he is useless. He’s like a heavier Makwan Amirkhani. Brunno Ferreira is a finisher who does mainly finish in the first, which will make this fight interesting because I think they will both go for it in the first, but I think Ferreira will still be dangerous in the second. This should be interesting for the first round, but I think it goes to the second, and Ferreira finishes him early in that round.

Prediction: Ferreira by KO R2

Myktybek Orolbai(13-1-1) V Mateusz Rębecki(19-2)

Great lightweight action here. Orolbai has been a fun addition to the division, with two good performances against two good guys. He gets a step up in competition here with Rębecki. Rębecki is a good fighter who lost his last one but is still very solid. I’m favouring Orolbai in this as I think his style is hard to beat, and he seems more ready to be challenging for the rankings soon, so I think he will win this and then get someone good.

Prediction: Orolbai by DEC

Geoff Neal(15-6) V Rafael Dos Anjos(32-16)

Two well-known guys are looking to get back to winning in this one. Geoff Neal has lost his last two, but they’ve been against good fighters who are at the top of the division. He faces Dos Anjos who has been changing from 155 to 170 every other fight and is still somehow ranked 15 at lightweight. I think Neal is more suited to 170 and will win this one, as Dos Anjos just isn’t what he used to be.

Prediction: Neal by DEC

Ibo Aslan(13-1) V Raffael Cerqueira(11-0)

Light Heavyweight action to end the prelims here. Ibo Aslan likes to finish with all 13 wins being by KO and only 2 of them being outside the first round. He won his debut by KO and is facing someone who is new to the UFC and also likes to finish. I don’t know much about Cerqueira, but I’ve seen some highlights, and he seems kick-heavy, which is interesting for a heavyweight, but I would worry with his hands low, he will get caught by Aslan.

Prediction: Aslan by KO R1

MAIN CARD:

Shara Magomedov(14-0) V Armen Petrosyan(8-3)

Shara Bullet is back, and he faces a solid striker in Petrosyan. Magomedov is clearly a solid striker who the UFC likes because he is promotable. He gets a very strike-heavy opponent in Armen Petrosyan. Petrosyan is a solid kickboxer and has had a solid time in the UFC so far. It feels like another winnable fight for Shara, but it should be a fairly decent striking matchup.

Prediction: Magomedov by DEC

Lerone Murphy(14-0-1) V Dan Ige(18-8)

Real banger here at featherweight. Lerone Murphy is back after a great main event performance against a good opponent in Edson Barboza. He faces Dan Ige who is always a game fighter and after stepping in on the day to fight Diego Lopes will be wanting to get back to winning and getting a good win against a good name. I feel this will be good and technical but I think Murphy takes it.

Prediction: Murphy by DEC

Magomed Ankalaev(19-1-1) V Aleksandar Rakić(14-4)

Number one contender fight here with Ankalaev and Rakic. Ankalaev has been deserving of a title shot for a while but somehow hasn’t fought for title yet. He defends what you would imagine is his title shot against Rakic. Rakic has not been on the best of form but he is still capable of beating Ankaleav. Still I think Ankalaev wins fairly convincingly.

Prediction: Ankalaev by DEC

Robert Whittaker(26-7) V Khamzat Chimaev(13-0)

Big time fight at 185. Whittaker is one of the best middleweights we have ever seen and is still at such a high level. Khamzat seems like he will actually fight which is always interesting. He did beat Kamaru Usman which at any level is impressive. His consistency and health issues is what worries me but He is such a danger that he can easily win. Whoever win should fight for the title next I feel.

Prediction: Whittaker by DEC

Ilia Topuria(15-0) V Max Holloway(26-7)

Main event time, and it’s probably the best fight you could make currently. Ilia Topuria has been such a revelation since joining the UFC. He is such a nice boxer and strong all around, which makes him such a hard opponent to face. Max Holloway is one of the best of all time and, outside of losing to Volkanovski, has cleared out the rest of the division. This could be the best fight we ever see if it lives up to its potential. I think Topuria is performing at such a high level that I think he will finish Holloway. I could easily be wrong, and I’d never write off Holloway, but I got Topuria here.

Prediction: Topuria by KO R4