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Conor McGregor returns to the UFC on Sunday night at UFC 246 but the Irishman’s fight against Donald Cerrone is just one of the many exciting matchups that have been booked for this weekend.
The UFC 246 event is stacked from top to bottom and in this article, we will take a look and preview some of the prelims undercard bouts that have very good betting value. Check them out here.
Tim Elliott vs Askar Askarov
Tim Elliott is the 7th ranked flyweight in the UFC. The 33-year old from Wichita won the inaugural Titan FC flyweight title and defended the belt twice before signing with the UFC and challenging Mighty Mouse Johnson for the UFC flyweight belt in his promotional debut. Elliott is just 2-3 in the UFC and he has a record of 15-9-1 with three knockouts and six wins by submission. Elliott stands 5-7 tall with a reach of 66 inches while fighting as a southpaw.
Askar Askarov is the former Absolute Championship Berkut champion. The 27-year old from Russia stands 5-6 tall and has a reach of 67 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. Known as the Bullet, Askarov has a record of 10-0-1. He made his promotional debut with the UFC last September at UFC on ESPN +17 and he figured in a back and forth draw against Brandon Moreno.
I expect to see some wild scrambles between these two. Three out of Elliott’s last five losses have been by submission and we’ve seen him expose or give up his neck in transition many times throughout his career. That will be a problem against Askarov who has seven submissions in his 10 victories. Bullet is smooth when he is in offbeat positions and that should give him plenty of opportunities to get hold of Elliott’s neck. I think that Askarov is going to find that neck in a mad scramble early in the fight.
Prediction: Askar Askarov
Roxanne Modafferi vs Maycee Barber
Roxanne Modafferi is the 7th ranked female flyweight in the UFC. The 37-year old from Delaware has fought in multiple weight classes and she was the former FFL flyweight champion. Modafferi also fought for the inaugural UFC flyweight belt but lost to Nicco Montano. She has a record of 23-16 with four knockouts and five submissions. Modafferi stands 5-7 tall with a reach of 69 inches.
Maycee Barber is ranked 9th in the UFC women’s flyweight rankings. The 21-year old from Colorado fought for the LFA promotion before joining Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. Barber is 8-2 with five knockouts and two wins by submission. She stands 5-5 tall with a reach of 65 inches and is a switch hitter. In her last bout, Barber scored a first-round knockout win over Gillian Robertson.
Modafferi
+725
Barber
-1150
Odds were taken from BetOnline as of 01/15/20
Modafferi is far from the wrestler that Gillian Robertson is and we saw how Barber dominated Robertson, controlling and dominating her from top position. If she wants to win this fight, Modafferi will have to keep this fight on her feet and outstrike Barber because I think she has the edge if she fights outside Barber’s range or in the clinch. The problem here is that Barber is physically much stronger than her and I think this will be another brutal finish from Maycee Barber.
Prediction: Maycee Barber
Andre Fili vs Sodiq Yusuff
Andre Fili formerly fought for Rebel Fighter and Tachi Palace Fights before signing with the UFC in 2013. The 29-year old fighter of Hawaiian and Samoan descent stands 5-11 tall with a reach of 74 inches while fighting as an orthodox fighter. He has a record of 20-6 with nine knockouts and three submissions win. In his last bout, Fili scored a first-round knockout win over Sheymon Moraes last July.
Sodiq Yusuff fought for Shogun Fights, VFC, Titan FC before joining Dana White’s Contender Series 14 in 2018. His win over Mike Davis earned him a UFC contract and he defeated Suman Mokhtarian via TKO in his promotional debut. Yusuff stands 5-9 tall with a reach of 71 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. He has a record of 10-1 with six knockout victories.
Fili
+115
Yusuff
-135
Odds were taken from BetOnline as of 01/15/20
No question that Yusuff is impressive with his power and speed. But he will have to tighten up his boxing and stop just throwing haymakers with reckless abandon. When he is on the attack, he often leaves his chin open for the counter and given Fili’s length and kickboxing skills, he should be able to catch Yusuff in one of those moments. I’m not sure if Fili gets the stoppage here but he has more than enough skills to frustrate Yusuff and win by decision. Either way, I think Fili takes this fight.
Prediction: Andre Fili
Drew Dober vs Nasrat Haqparast
Drew Dober is a veteran of Bellator and Titan FC. The 31-year old has been fighting professionally since 2009 and has fought at welterweight and lightweight. Dober was a participant in the TUF 15 contest and he also lost to Sean Spencer at the TUF 18 Finale. Dober is 5-8 tall with a reach of 70 inches while fighting as a southpaw. He has a record of 21-9 with eight knockouts and six submission wins.
Nasrat Haqparast fought under the We Love MMA promotion and Superior FC. The 24-year old from Germany was signed by the UFC in 2017. After losing his UFC debut to Marcin Held, he has picked up three straight wins including a 2nd round KO win over Joaquim Silva. Haqparast is 11-2 with nine knockouts. He stands 5-10 tall with a reach of 72 inches and is an orthodox fighter.
Dober
+265
Haqparast
-315
Odds were taken from BetOnline as of 01/15/20
Haqparast is young and has plenty of potentials. He has the athleticism, speed and destructive power that make him such a polarizing talent. I think he has a good future but he will be tested against Dober. The Team Elevation product has been stopped only once in 30 bouts and he has the skills and durability to fight a full three-rounder. I don’t think there will be a stoppage here because Dober is a veteran who can hang in there. However, Haqparast’s edge in speed and power plus his size advantage is going to give him the win here.
Prediction: Nasrat Haqparast
