UFC Baku comes to us from the capital of Azerbaijan. In the main event, we have a pair of light heavyweights looking to make it back into the title picture. Jamahal Hill looks to reclaim the belt that was once his, but he’ll first have to get through former title challenger Khalil Rountree.
There’s plenty of other fights to like on this card, so we’ll hit that fight and dig through the rest of the card to give you our UFC Baku best bets. Come check out these UFC Baku picks for Saturday.
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UFC Baku: Hill vs Rountree – Predictions & Best Bets
Khalil Rountree ML (-130) vs. Jamahal Hill
The main event is one of the spots that I like very best on this card. These two have seen wildly different durability in their last couple of fights. Hill was violently knocked out in both of his last two fights. And while Rountree also took a TKO loss in his last fight, it wasn’t before he took rounds off the then-champ Alex Pereira.
Additionally, Hill has always had issues with fighters who are more techincal than he is, which is very much what we should see from Rountree in this one.
Jun Yong Park ML (-180) vs. Ismail Naurdiev
Naudiev is a tough customer. He returned to the UFC to a big win against Bruno Silva. He wrestled his way to a unanimous decision victory at UFC 308. The problem is that he won’t be facing a kickboxer with little takedown skills in this one. Instead, he’s going to be facing what he’s historically had issues with – a guy in the Iron Turtle with excellent cardio and solid grappling skills.
Nazim Sadykov – Wins via T(KO) (+125)
Nikolas Motta has historically had issues with his chin. Five of his career six losses have come by (T)KO. That’s bad news when you step into the cage with Nazim Sadykov. Sadykov has finished seven of his 10 wins with his strikes. What’s even more important for Sadykov in this one is that he should be the better wrestler, which means he’ll dictate where the fight takes place. Add in that he’s fighting back home in Azerbaijan and we should expect a big moment from him.
Curtis Blaydes – Wins via (T)KO (+125)
Another fighter I like to get it done with the hands is Curtis Blaydes. I don’t really care that he’s fighting a Russian with some decent wrestling. Blaydes has shown time and time again that he can outgrapple anyone not named Jailton Almeida. On top of that, we’ve seen a real physique change in Rizvan Kuniev since he tested positive for four different anabolic steroids. I think we see Kuniev gas with Blaydes’ pace and a late finish from ground and pound.
Rafael Fiziev ML (+105) vs Ignacio Bahamondes
One of the few moneylines I like on this card is in the co-main event. The line has come down a bit, but I still like Fiziev’s chances to get the job done in this one. Bahamondes has lost to a pair of strikers with a similar compact build to Fiziev and has had trouble with the takedown before. I think the books are overplaying the reach of Bahamondes and we should see Fiziev remind us that there are levels to this.
Irena Alekseeva – Wins via (T)KO (+900)
If you’ve followed this column, you know I always love to take a big swing down the stretch. This one shocked me with just how high it was. Sure, Alekseeva only has one (T)KO win on her short record, but Klaudia Sygula is fresh off of a TKO loss. Sygula has particularly bad wrestling and doesn’t seem to have answers for the ground game at all. Even on the feet, he lack of head movement and defensive fundementals puts her at risk.
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