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Next Saturday, Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates will host what is arguably the biggest UFC show of 2020. At UFC 254, undefeated lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will return to face interim champion Justin Gagey in one one of the most anticipated fights in recent times.
Pre-match designs
The UFC 254 Main Event is likely to be the organization’s most lucrative fight in the calendar year, despite previous UFC big fights like Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone, Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier 3, and Israel Adesanya vs. Paulo Costa. .
Nurmagomedov, arguably the biggest star in the MMA world since Conor McGregor, has not fought since September 2019. At UFC 242, he completely dominated interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier, ending with a naked rear choke on the third round. And this was the only way to get into Khabib’s cage last year.
His previous appearance came 11 months earlier at UFC 229, where he also defeated McGregor in a dominant fashion.
Gagee had the opportunity to fight Nurmagomedov thanks to COVID-19. The pandemic prevented the Dagestan from fighting Tony Ferguson on April 18 at UFC 249, which was the fifth cancellation of their fight. Because due to the pandemic, UFC 249 was postponed to May 9, the event had to take place without Nurmagomedov, as the Russian simply could not reach the United States, while Ferguson made the mistake of agreeing to fight Gagee for the interim title.
twitter.com/ufc. Justin Gage (left) vs. Tony Ferguson
What followed was by far the most important victory of Gage’s career. Ferguson had an impressive 12-win streak when he entered the Octagon, but Highlight took it and destroyed it in less than five rounds. With much more patience than before, Gagee timed his punches perfectly and broke El Cucuy with his brutal knockout power.
Parimatch Ambassador Marina Moroz’s forecast:
“Two basic fighters in the octagon. Gage looks better in a stance, has more knockouts, but can also confidently work on the ground and lift himself into a stance. I think Khabib will drag the American to the ground and finish the fight in the later rounds. Overall, we will see a replay of the Nurmagomedov – Porye fight. Khabib’s victory ahead of schedule. “
Strengths
Can Gagee do the same with Nurmagomedov? At least on paper, Justin seems like a very tough opponent for the reigning champion. First of all, “Highlight” is an incredibly tough UFC lightweight drummer. His low kicks are excruciatingly heavy and the force of the blow is unmatched in the division, as we’ve seen in his knockout victories against Cerrone and Edson Barboza.
Second, Gagee is also a great fighter. Do we expect him to take down his rivals, passing in two stages? Of course, no. In fact, he rarely attempted a takedown throughout his MMA career. However, as a fighter in the NCAA First Division All-American, he is well versed in this area and rarely misses takedowns in the UFC. Even when he was thrown to the ground, he always stood up.
True, the same was said of Nurmagomedov’s previous rivals such as Abel Trujillo, Michael Johnson and Poirier. And so far no one has managed to stop the takedowns of Dagestani.
Forecast of brand ambassador Parimatch Yaroslav Amosov:
“This is probably the most anticipated fight this year. Khabib always breathes well, and we all know what he does – he knocks down and starts to keep the opponent on the ground, hits and wins the fight with this.
Gage always works to the end, a very characteristic fighter, has good fighting skills, hits a lot and advances. But in this battle, I think Khabib will win. All his rivals said before the fight that they knew how to stop him, but Khabib is still undefeated. “
Just a good fighter and that’s it, it’s not about Khabib. He improved his hitting skills so much that he managed to comfortably outmaneuver Al Iaquinta with a jab in his first title fight in 2018. And, unforgettably, he also dropped McGregor with a forehand in their infamous clash at UFC 229.
Where to watch the Khabib Nurmagomedov – Justin Gage fight online
In fact, what makes Nurmagomedov such a tough opponent is not so much his fighting and punching skills, but the fact that he is deceptively fast, even at a light weight. He can close the distance seemingly faster than any other fighter, and once he grabs his opponent, then, as a rule, they will both be on the surface.
twitter.com/ufc. Habib Nurmagomedov
Of course, Nurmagomedov seemed vulnerable to blows at times, especially in the 2016 fight against Johnson, but then his chin did not fail, as in all other cases, and Johnson was eventually knocked to the ground and smashed to pieces.
Forecast for the fight
Gagee certainly has a chance of winning. He has the power in his hands that can knock out anyone, even Nurmagomedov. But can it really stop the Eagle from closing the distance and grabbing it? If you can’t do this, you will be thrown into the net and thrown to the ground, and you are probably done by now.
We assume that Gage is not fast enough to stop the takedown. Nurmagomedov will once again delight everyone with how quickly he can get close to an opponent. Once Gage’s back is turned, he’s doomed. Khabib will likely retain his title again, winning by bare butt choke.
Nurmagomedov win by submission in the 1st round
UFC 254 Tournament
Principal card
Habib Nurmagomedov – Justin Gage
Robert Whittaker as Jared Cannonier
Alexander Volkov by Walt Harris
Cynthia Calvillo as Lauren Murphy
Magomed Ankalaev – Ion Ketsubala
Preliminary card
Da Un Yung – Sev Elvi
Liana Giorgio – Miranda Maverick
Phil Fawkes by Jacob Malkun
Stefan Struve by Tai Tuivasa
Casey Kenny by Nathaniel Wood
Alex Oliveira – Shavkat Rakhmonov
Joel – Álvarez – Alexander Yakovlev
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