UFC on ABC 6 Betting Preview

June 19, 2024

2 weeks

UFC-Saudi-Arabia-Whittaker-Aliskerov - Boxing News

Robert Whittaker may be under the most pressure in his UFC career. When the UFC initially announced its first card in Saudi Arabia, the Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, Turki Al Alshaikh, asked them to move the event back because the GEA wanted a higher-quality fighter on the card. There are a handful of former title challengers who provide action for fight fans at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

People looking at MMAfighting latest news will see Whittaker was initially supposed to take on one of the hottest up-and-coming fighters in the promotion. Whittaker was supposed to fight undefeated phenom Khamzat Chimaev. However, Chimaev had to pull out due to illness.

Stepping in will be Ikram Aliskerov, who doesn’t have a lot of experience at the top level of the sport. Aliskerov debuted in the UFC in 2023 and won his first two fights by first-round KO. Now, Aliskerov will have to step up and fight a former champion.

Aliskerov is 15-1 in his career, but there are levels to becoming a top MMA fighter. He needs to prove that he can handle the consistent striking and wrestling of a former champion. There was some thought that Whittaker may be washed up after he lost to now-UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis by KO. However, Whittaker showed that wasn’t the case when he came out and beat Paolo Costa during his last fight.

Bets to consider: Whittaker -142, Over 2.5 rounds

Pavlovich Readies for Well-Rounded Volkov

Sergei Pavlovich isn’t one of those heavyweights who wants to dance around and see a fight go the distance. During the eight fights Pavlovich has participated in during his time in the UFC, none of them have gone past the first round. Pavlovich is about to find out what he is made of when he takes on Alexander Volkov.

Pavlovich is coming off one of the most disappointing performances of his career. He fought Tom Aspinall for the interim heavyweight title in his last fight. Pavlovich stuck to his guns. He exchanged fire in a wild firefight and was knocked out in less than 70 seconds.

Volkov, 35, seems to be improving as he ages. He has now picked up three consecutive wins. During that stretch, he has finished all three fights. This will be an intriguing stylistic matchup.

Volkov is a competent striker, but Pavlovich hits much harder. While the heavyweight division is being held up again by Jon Jones’ injury, the winner of this fight would put themselves on a short list of contenders in the championship picture.

Bets to consider: Under 1.5 rounds, Pavlovich KO/TKO/DQ

What Does Gastelum Have Left?

Kelvin Gastelum’s birth certificate will tell you that he is 32 years old. But in terms of experience, MMA news sites will show that Gastelum’s battle wounds likely leave him feeling like a much older man. Gastelum debuted in the UFC back in 2013 and has seen injuries, issues with weight and bad luck limit his potential.

Gastelum, who will fight Daniel Rodriguez this weekend, is trying to prove that he still has what it takes to make a push for a championship. Since Gastelum lost to Israel Adesanya for the interim UFC middleweight championship in 2019, Gastelum has piled up a 2-5 record in his last seven fights. Gastelum lost his last fight via third-round submission to Sean Brady last December.

Rodriguez has lost two straight fights by finish. Rodriguez had appeared to be on the rise before he was submitted by veteran gatekeeper Neil Magny in November 2022. Since then, Rodriguez has only fought one time, a TKO loss to Ian Machado Garry last May.

Bets to consider: Gastelum by decision, Over 2.5 rounds

Johnny Walker Ready to Deliver Another Highlight Reel Finish

MMA news websites have always promoted light heavyweight Johnny Walker as the exciting fighter he is. Walker likes to engage in firefights and often someone ends up getting knocked out. That penchant for engaging in dangerous striking also gets Walker in a lot of trouble.

Walker has been knocked out five times in his career, including a second-round KO loss to Magomed Ankalaev back in January. He will have to be prepared for another dangerous striker in Volkan Oezdemir.

Oezdemir has won 12 of his 19 professional victories by knockout. He has gone 2-3 over his past five fights, including a decision loss to Ankalaev. Walker still has designs on being a champion. But he has to figure out a way to be safer in his fights. That won’t happen in this matchup. Someone will go out.

Bets to consider: Under 1.5 rounds, Walker by KO/TKO/DQ

Undefeated Russian Fighter Ready for Next Challenge

Sharabutdin Magomedov carries with him the weight of having his last name. With a long family legacy of success, Magomedov will be wanting to extend his record to 13-0 with a win over Joilton Lutterbach. Lutterbach is making his UFC debut after 48 professional fights.

While Lutterbach has 38 victories to his name, not many have come in organizations people would recognize. During his time in the PFL, Lutterbach lost both of his fights. Lutterbach is well-rounded as he has most recently competed in karate and boxing in a cage.

Magomedov doesn’t have the background that many of his Russian contemporaries do. Instead, Magomedov prefers to strike and has collected 10 of his victories by KO.

Bets to consider: Magomedov ML, Magomedov by KO/TKO/DQ

Here are some quick picks for the other fights on the card: