Light heavyweight prospect Khadis Ibragimov (8-1, 2 KO, 3 SUBs) will meet veteran Ed Herman (24-14, 7 KOs, 13 SUBs) will meet at UFC on ESPN+ 21 on Saturday, November 9, 2019 at the CSKA Arena in Moscow, Russia. The card streams live on ESPN+ starting 2pm ET.
Ed “Short Fuse” Herman is heading to Moscow. Fresh off inking a four-fight deal, the popular light heavyweight will meet Russia’s St. Petersburg in his home country of Russia. A former middleweight, Herman has had an up-and-down career with stints at both 185 and 205, but his 24-14 record has not held him back from getting solid fights.
After a rousing win over Tim Boetsch in 2016, Herman lost three straight to Nikita Krylov, CB Dolloway and Gian Villante. However, he bounced back with a first-round knockout win over the respected Patrick Cummins at UFC Fight Night 152 this past May. The 39-year old has a ways to go before he even gets a number next to his name, but his ability to put on exciting scraps at least gives him solid job security.
Ibragimov will make his second octagon appearance, coming off a loss in his UFC debut to Da Un Jung at UFC Fight Night 157 this past August. The native Russian bowed out to a guillotine choke in the final frame after a close two rounds. However, he’s not fighting under ideal circumstances - Ibragimov comes in on just weeks notice after Gadazhurimad Antigulov pulled out for undisclosed reasons. Prior to the UFC, the 24-year old racked up an 8-0 record in regional competition, including four wins in M-1 Challenge.
Let’s take a look at the UFC odds at BookMaker.eu and break down your best betting options. Live UFC betting at the online sportsbook is available should you want to bet on real-time line updates during the fight.
UFC Odds at BookMaker.eu
Ed Herman +165
Khadis Ibragimov -179
Fight goes/doesn’t go to decision: +205 / -285
Significant Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Ibragimov 7.34 / Herman 3.18
Striking accuracy: Ibragimov 52% / Herman 49%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Ibragimov 6.76 / Herman 3.1
Striking defense: Ibragimov 57% / Herman 44%
Grappling Stats
Takedowns per 15 minutes: Ibragimov 1.25 / Herman 2.45
Takedown accuracy: Ibragimov 16% / Herman 51%
Takedown defense: Ibragimov 100% / Herman 60%
Submission average: Ibragimov 0 / Herman 1.22
Bet this UFC fight at BookMaker.eu
Ibragimov had a puzzling UFC debut - for some reason, the sambo practitioner decided that he was a brawler against Da Ung Jung. The Russian charged forward with an unsustainable flurry of haymakers and was visibly exhausted by the end of the round. That was the last thing anyone expected from a fighter with a good array of throws and submissions. Perhaps he wanted to make a statement?
The fact that he opened as a clear favorite in the UFC online sportsbook speaks more to Ed Herman’s decline. While Herman has never been a top 15 fighter, he does have a penchant of putting on exciting fights. Still, he is extremely slow and doesn’t have the explosiveness to really surprise anyone when striking or wrestling. What he does have is a ton of experience and a lot of grit.
To be honest, Herman’s experience alone might just be enough to get by the Russian, especially if Ibragimov continues to display such poor fight IQ. Trying to truck Herman over will end poorly, but you have to think that he’ll fight smarter coming off his first career loss.
UFC Odds Pick: Ibragimov to win at -179
There’s one deciding factor here: Ibragimov is 24 years old, and Herman moves around like he’s 50. At this point, anybody with any sort of springiness can give Herman serious problems, and Ibragimov’s wrestling in particular should play a role against the American’s lackluster takedown defense. While Herman can still hit heavy, he doesn’t have the killshot power to put away a young fighter who’s never been knocked out.
Bet on UFC odds at the online sportsbook now!
