Middleweights headline at the UFC Apex for Fight Night to kick off July, one week before International Fight Week and UFC 290.
No. 7-ranked Sean Strickland will take on unranked Abus Magomedov in the main event on Saturday night.
Check out our Strickland vs. Magomedov odds, props, and predictions below.
UFC Fight Night Main Event Odds: Strickland vs. Magomedov
The sportsbooks have labeled Strickland as the current favorite at around -150, making Magomedov the slight underdog at around +130.
UFC · Sat (7/1) @ 7:00 pm ET
| Abus Magomedov | at | Sean Strickland |
| UFC Apex, Las Vegas, NV | ||
UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Magomedov Betting Preview
Strickland Looks to Build Another Winning Streak
Things were going pretty well for Sean Strickland (26-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) until he ran into Alex Pereira’s left hand.
The high-ranking middleweight had thrown together a six-fight win streak that included the likes of Jack Hermansson, Uriah Hall, Krzysztof Jotko, and Brendan Allen. Sure, most of those were sleepy decision wins, but hey, a win is a win. And more wins equals a higher ranking most of the time.
On top of wins, Strickland is pretty well known at this point in the MMA world for saying completely outlandish and offensive things in interviews and at press conferences. But in the MMA world, that also kind of helps sometimes (sigh).
So he was winning and he was gaining exposure. He was getting close to a title fight chance.
In steps Mr. Pereira at UFC 276. The main event was Champion Israel Adesanya taking on challenger Jared Cannonier (who just had a hell of a win recently by the way).
It was a perfect event for two potential Izzy challengers to be on as well. Strickland had the win streak and Pereira had the history with the champ in kickboxing. Winner faces Adesanya.
It only took two and a half minutes for Pereira to put Strickland to sleep, landing a left hook right through Strickland’s uptight boxing stance. Strickland’s title run was over and the UFC could continue the storied combat sports rivalry.
After the Pereira fight, Strickland lost a split decision to Cannonier and turned it around with a decision win over Nassourdine Imavov at light heavyweight.
Magomedov Wants to Make a Statement to the Division
Abus Magomedov (25-4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is a scary UFC prospect.
Before coming to the UFC, the Dagistani-born and German-based fighter already had 29 fights.
Of his 25 wins, 14 have been by way of KO and six have been by submission. That’s an 80 percent finish rate in his victories so far.
He also has at least 12 recorded first-rounded finishes, with nine of them coming within the first two minutes of the bout.
His experience includes fairly successful short stints in PFL and KSW as well. He was 3-1-1 in the PFL with a win over Sadibou Sy, who is currently the defending champion in the organization’s welterweight division. Magomedov was also 1-0 in KSW.
But what is cause for concern for Strickland is Magomedov’s UFC debut last year.
In his debut bout, Magmondeov came out and landed a front kick to Dustin Stoltzfus’ chin less than 15 seconds in and followed up with a flurry of punches to end the fight in an official time of 19 seconds.
If this fight stays standing, which it will, Strickland will have to play cautious and keep the distance to pepper away a decision win. It will be a bad idea to try to outstrike Magomedov in close proximity. That will be a danger zone, especially given Strickland’s typical uptight and upright stand-up posture.
The implications of this fight shouldn’t be too drastic right now, but could and should shake up the division a little bit with a Magomedov victory. He would most likely take Strickland’s No. 7 ranking as it seems the UFC is somewhat fast-tracking him up the rankings for his experience and brutality in the cage.
Adesanya needs new challengers in the middleweight division. He has already beaten everyone in the division besides Dricus Du Plessis. And the only other top-15 guy with real momentum right now is Brendan Allen, who just had a great weekend with a first-round finish over Bruno Silva at UFC Jacksonville.
With everything laid out like this, it seems the promotion is hopping on the Abus bus and is giving the fighter a platform so other MMA fans do the same.
We will see if Strickland has anything to say about it on Saturday.
UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Magomedov Props
Method of Victory (DraftKings)
- Strickland by KO/TKO: +275
- Strickland by submission: +1400
- Strickland by decision: +165
- Magomedov by KO/TKO: +300
- Magomedov by submission: +650
- Magomedov by decision: +550
Total Rounds
- 3.5 (Over -145, Under +115 at DraftKings)
Alternate Total Rounds (DraftKings)
- Over 0.5 (-6000), Under 0.5 (+1000)
- Over 1.5 (-450), Under 1.5 (+300)
- Over 2.5 (-225), Under 2.5 (+165)
- Over 4.5 (-110), Under 4.5 (-120)
Will Fight Go The Distance? (DraftKings)
- Yes: +100
- No: -135
How Fight Will End
- Submission: +450
- KO/TKO: +120
- Decision: +100
UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Magomedov Main Card Odds
Middleweight Bout: Sean Strickland (-150) vs. Abus Magomedov (+130)
Lightweight Bout: Damir Ismagulov (-110) vs. Grant Dawson (-110)
Welterweight Bout: Max Griffin (+210) vs. Michael Morales (-250)
Women’s Flyweight Bout: Ariane Lipski (+185) vs. Melissa Gatto (-215)
Lightweight Bout: Ismael Bonfim (-305) vs. Benoit Saint-Denis (+255)
Middleweight Bout: Brunno Ferreira (-200) vs. Nursulton Ruziboev (+170)
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UFC Fight Night Event Info
Location: UFC Apex, Las Vegas, NV
Date: July 1, 2023
Time: Main Card at 7 p.m. ET, Prelims at 4 p.m. ET
Where to Watch: ESPN+
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