Tomorrow in the co-main event of UFC Abu Dhabi, we are going to see a battle between two middleweight contenders who are looking to break into the top fifteen. One of the more hyped prospects in the promotion Shara Magomedov (13-0) will look to remain undefeated as he takes on Michal Oleksiejczuk (19-8).
Starting with Oleksiejczuk, he’s looking to bounce back after his last fight. In June at UFC 302, he took on Kevin Holland. In that fight, he looked like he hurt Holland on the feet before they ended up grappling. Holland locked in an armbar on the ground and appeared to dislocate Oleksiejczuk’s arm ending the fight. That loss dropped Oleksiejczuk to 1-3 in his last four fights.
Magomedov made his UFC debut last October in Abu Dhabi against Bruno Silva. He showed how dynamic he is in that matchup winning by decision. He followed that up by taking on Antonio Trocoli in Saudi Arabia back in June. Magomedov ultimately pulled off a third round TKO in that matchup.
UFC Abu Dhabi Prediction
I think we are going to see a very entertaining striking matchup tomorrow. Both Oleksiejczuk and Magomedov are very good strikers and I’m interested to see how things shake out on the feet. That said, I really like Magomedov in this matchup.
I just believe he’s the much sharper and faster striker between the two. I think that Oleksiejczuk can take advantage of a few holes that Antonio Trocoli revealed in Magomedov, but ultimately, I see Magomedov finding his groove and lighting up Oleksiejczuk. UFC Abu Dhabi will end up being a showcase fight with Magomedov getting a stoppage in the second round.
Prediction: Shara Magomedov by TKO