UFC 254: Lauren Murphy vs. Liliya Shakirova Picks and Predictions

Liliya Shakirova vs. Lauren Murphy

Saturday, October 24, 2020 at 2:00 PM (UFC Fight Island)

The Line: -- Liliya Shakirova +180 Lauren Murphy -195 Click Here for the Latest Odds

Where to Watch: PPV Stream unmatched UFC coverage on ESPN+. Sign up now!

Lauren Murphy and Liliya Shakirova face off in a middle flyweight bout at UFC 254 at UFC Fight Island at Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

Lauren “Lucky” Murphy comes into this fight with a 13-4 record overall and coming into this fight she has won three fights in a row. Murphy’s last fight came back in June of 2020 against Roxanne Modafferi. In that fight Murphy had two takedowns and outstruck Modafferi 72-44 which was enough to come away with the victory. Murphy is averaging 3.88 significant strikes per minute while absorbing 3.90 significant strikes per minute. Murphy is averaging 1.14 successful takedowns every 15 minutes but she is only successful on 35 percent of her takedown attempts. Murphy is a grinder but two of her fights inside the UFC have finished by knockout.

Liliya Shakirova will be making her UFC debut when she steps into the octagon on Saturday. Shakirova comes from Uzbekistan and it would be quite the statement if she was able to win her UFC fight against Murphy. Shakirova comes into this fight with an 8-1 record and she has won three fights in a row. Two of those wins came by knockout and the other fight was a win by split decision. In her last fight in October of 2019, she won late in the second round by knockout. One concern about backing Shakirova has to be with the layoff. Her last fight came over a year ago and it isn’t going to be an easy task having to face Murphy.

Get Our Experts BEST BETS For All Of The Games CLICK HERE

Shakirova could very well become a good fighter in the UFC but the long layoff is very concerning to me. Murphy is the more experienced fighter and she is going to be smart about this one. Look for Murphy to win the fight by decision.

See Who Our Experts Picked To Win

Shane’s Pick Lauren Murphy by decision

Get Premium Picks Start Winning Now »

The pick in this article is the opinion of the writer, not a PickDawgz site consensus.

AUTHOR: Shane Mickle

To Be Continued...

Guaranteed Packages

Guaranteed packages automatically give you a credit if the package does not turn a profit—the sum of betting all individual picks. THESE ARE NOT PARLAYS UNLESS OTHERWISE CLEARLY STATED. If a guaranteed package does not profit, a credit for its full purchase price is automatically issued after picks are graded and verified.

For example, if you purchase a $39.95 package that doesn’t profit, you’ll get a $39.95 credit towards any future purchase(s) on our site. Credits are usually issued within hours of a game’s conclusion, so please allow a few hours for final verification.

To use your credits, log in to your account and add another package or pass to your cart. Credits will automatically reduce what you owe. Any remaining balance will be settled through our payment system, with any leftover credits available future purchases. Credits do not expire.