The UFC finished up on the East coast on Saturday and ships out for some West coast action this week. UFC Sacramento comes to us from the Golden 1 Center and features a high-level middleweight fight on top. This UFC Sacramento card is loaded up with incredible fights with some great spots to look for some high-value MMA bets, picks, and predictions.
In today’s column, we’re looking for the best play on the entire slate of prelim fights for you to exploit. Come check out our best bet for these UFC Sacramento prelims.
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Prelim Pick of the Week: UFC Sacramento
UFC Heavyweight Fight: Shamil Gaziev vs Kennedy Nzechukwu
Start Time: Saturday (8/22) 5:00pm EST (Paramount+)
This card has quite a few fresh faces on them. Four fighters in total will make their UFC debuts in Sacramento. However, it’s a pair of veterans on the prelims that we’re featuring for our favorite prelim pick.
Shamil Gaziev was a hot prospect once upon a time. However, he’s fallen in back-to-back fights to a pair of prospects in their own right. Brando Peričić and Waldo Cortes-Acosta both finished him inside of the distance. As a result, he’s getting a step back in Kennedy Nzechukwu – a light heavyweight transplant, who is 1-1-1 since moving to his new division.
The bottom line here is that Nzechukwu has struggled with the size at heavyweight. He’s struggled to land very much in the way of significant strikes, even against guys who aren’t very solid boxers. This is likely the toughest test on the feet he’s had since moving to heavyweight and he’ll still need to worry about the takedown. With those factors both on the table, the price on Gaziev seems like a steal here.
UFC Sacramento Prelim Pick: Shamil Gaziev ML (-130)
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