Magomed Mustafaev is slightly favored against Brad Riddell at UFC Fight Night 168 on Sunday, February 23 in Auckland, New Zealand, but note because of the time difference it will start on Saturday, February 22 Eastern Time. This event is one of six fights on the main card on ESPN+. Mustafaev is 15-2 in his career, while Riddell is 7-1 in his career. There are a total of six fights on the main card on ESPN+ at UFC Fight Night 168 with the headliner a bout between Paul Felder and Dan Hooker. There are also a total of seven fights on the preliminary card, all on ESPN+. Let’s look at the bout between Mustafaev and Riddell and UFC picks.
Magomed Mustafaev (15-2, 3-1 UFC)
Mustafaev came into the UFC with a record of 12-1 and he has three wins and one loss in the UFC. He defeated Piotr Hallmann by TKO, Joe Proctor by TKO, and Rafael Fiziev by TKO; while losing to Kevin Lee by technical submission. Mustafaev has been a pro since 2011 and he has 11 wins by TKO/KO and four by submission. He has 10 first round finishes.
Brad Riddell (7-1, 1-0 UFC)
Riddell came into the UFC with a record of 6-1 and he has one win and no losses in the UFC. He defeated Jamie Mullarkey by unanimous decision. Riddell’s only loss in his career was against Abel Brites by armbar submission on July 21, 2018. Riddell has been a pro since 2013 and he has five wins by TKO/KO. He has three first round finishes.
Riddell said this to newshub.co.nz about his upcoming fight against Mustafaev, “I have a few friends that have fought him, so that always helps. He's not highly ranked, but he's very, very high level and in a short amount of time, he could be. So I'm planning on capping that, stopping that early and taking his place. He likes to strike and I'm sure he can wrestle, but I can wrestle, so I don't really mind. I think if one of us proves we're better than the other in a certain area, we're going to have to change tack. It's going to be exciting.”
Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Mustafaev 3.11 / Riddell 6.07
Striking Accuracy: Mustafaev 57% / Riddell 59%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Mustafaev 2.78/ Riddell 2.40
Defense: Mustafaev 36% / Riddell 62%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Mustafaev 0.00/ Riddell 1.00
Takedown Accuracy: Mustafaev 0% / Riddell 100%
Takedowns defended: Mustafaev 25% / Riddell 80%
Submission average: Mustafaev 0.7 / Riddell 0.0
UFC Picks
Mustafaev has more experience, but he is just barely listed as the favorite in this fight. Do the oddsmakers know something? It seems they are looking for people to bet on Mustafaev at this short price. I think the price is a trap and in a fight that looks to be relatively even, I will take Riddell.
UFC Fight Night 168 takes place at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand on Sunday, February 23 but because of the time difference it will start on Saturday, February 22 Eastern Time, with six fights on the main card on ESPN+, headlined by Paul Felder vs. Dan Hooker and seven preliminary bouts, all on ESPN+.
Main Card (ESPN+)
Lightweight - Dan Hooker -145 vs. Paul Felder
Light Heavyweight - Michal Oleksiejczuk -135 vs. Jimmy Crute
Women's Strawweight - Yan Xiaonan -240 vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
Heavyweight - Marcos Rogério de Lima -150 vs. Ben Sosoli
Lightweight - Magomed Mustafaev -130 vs. Brad Riddell
Featherweight - Kevin Aguilar -115 vs. Zubaira Tukhugov
Preliminary card (ESPN+)
Welterweight - Jake Matthews -235 vs. Emil Weber Meek
Welterweight - Song Kenan -210 vs. Callan Potter
Flyweight - Kai Kara-France -265 vs. Tyson Nam
Women's Strawweight - Angela Hill -210 vs. Loma Lookboonmee
Welterweight - Takashi Sato -120 vs. Maki Pitolo
Women's Flyweight - Shana Dobson -200 vs. Priscila Cachoeira
Lightweight - Jalin Turner -210 vs. Joshua Culibao
How to Bet
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