Preview: UFC 296 Prelims

Heavyweights

Martin Buday (13-1, 4-0 UFC) vs. Shamil Gaziev (11-0, 0-0 UFC)

ODDS: Buday (-148), Gaziev (+124)

Gaziev is an interesting entrant to the UFC’s heavyweight division, and the promotion is wasting no time in seeing how quickly he can move up the ladder. Born in Dagestan and representing Bahrain, Gaziev has not wasted time in his fights when given the opportunity. He gets out to some blistering starts, usually behind his wrestling, and quickly finds his way to a finish. That has been the story of most of his professional career—including a first-round submission win on Dana White’s Contender Series in September to earn his UFC contract—though there is evidence to suggest Gaziev might have to depend on those early finishes going forward. The lone decision win of his career thus far saw him tire horribly while gutting out the victory—a luxury he probably will not be afforded against better competition.

To that end, Buday figures to be the litmus test for how much Gaziev can succeed in the short-term, as the Slovakian’s main strengths are his size and durability. Buday’s fights are not typically that pretty—he did look more dynamic than usual in a quick win over Josh Parisian in August—but “Badys” has proven to be quite successful behind a straight-ahead approach, plugging away for three rounds and consistently neutralizing and overwhelming his opponents. Gaziev’s opening salvo might work as the much faster fighter, but he has gotten himself in trouble even in some of his quick victories. Given that Buday is the stoutest opponent of his career by far, it seems much likelier that the UFC vet can survive and take this fight over in one-sided fashion. The pick is Buday via second-round stoppage.

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