Zhalgas Zhamagulov vs. Raulian Paiva
Saturday, July 11, 2020 at 7:45 PM (UFC Fight Island)
The Line: Raulian Paiva -175 /Zhalgas Zhamagulov +150 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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Raulian Paiva and Zhalgas Zhamagulov face off in a flyweight bout at UFC 251 which will take place at UFC’s Fight Island in Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates. Like the last few events, there will be no fans in attendance for this event. Paiva is currently the 14th ranked fighter in the division while Zhamagulov is currently unranked.
Raulian Paiva comes into this fight with a 19-3 record overall but since coming into the UFC he has a 1-2 record. After losing his first two fights in the UFC, he did get back on the right track in his last fight against Mark De La Rosa. In that fight, Paiva outstruck De La Rosa 54-45 and late in the second round he finished him with a knockout. In the fight before that against Rogerio Bontorin he was taken down two times and midway through the first round he was knocked out.
Paiva is averaging 4.81 significant strikes per minute while absorbing 5.07 significant strikes per minute. Paiva would rather keep the fight on the feet but he is averaging 0.35 successful takedowns every 15 minutes. Paiva is also averaging 0.3 submission attempts every 15 minutes.
Zhalgas Zhamagulov will be making his UFC debut when he steps into the octagon during this fight. Overall Zhamagulov has a 13-3 record and coming into this fight he has won four fights in a row. His last fight was against Ali Bagautinov during Fight Nights Global 95. In that fight, it wasn’t a very dominate decision but he did come away with the split decision win. Each of his four fights have come by a decision. When he does finish a fight, it’s usually with a knockout. Six of Zhamagulov’s wins have come by knockout and one other win has come by submission.
Paiva is a big favorite in this game, but there is no reason he shouldn’t be able to come away with the big victory. This is a big step up in competition for Zhamagulov and he is going to struggle in it. He might be able to make it all three rounds, but Paiva is going to come away with the decision.