UFC Vegas 35: Edson Barboza vs. Giga Chikadze Recap

UFC Vegas 35: Barboza vs. Chikadze was full of surprises for me, especially the two that I will write about in this article. Read below to get a fight and picks recap for Alessio Di Chirico vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan and Makhmud Muradov vs. Gerald Meerschaert. 

UFC Middleweight Bout: Alessio Di Chirico vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan - Prelim Card

Honestly, I was not surprised by the outcome of this bout. In my UFC Prediction, I saw two outcomes: either Alessio Di Chirico would survive Alhassan and win at the scorecards OR Alhassan wins by T/KO. I chose Alessio Di Chirico at the scorecards, and unshockingly, Alhassan won by T/KO 17 seconds in the first round with a wicked head kick. There were no follow up strikes needed, that’s how perfectly timed and powerful his single kick was. 

The UFC Odds entering this bout were: Alessio Di Chirico -230 and Abdul Razak Alhassan +185. Alhassan was coming off of three losses; Mounir Lazzez by unanimous decision, Kalinn Williams by KO, and Jacob Malkoun by unanimous decision. It’s really nice to see Judo Thunder back in the win column and adding more knockouts to his record. I’m eager to see his growth within the promotion. 

https://twitter.com/xdliamm/status/1431794829890105345

UFC Middleweight Bout: Makhmud Muradov vs. Gerald Meerschaert - Main Card

If you want to talk about a shocking upset, then this is the fight - at least in my opinion. When I was looking into this bout, the UFC Odds were Muradov -700 and Meeschaert +450. Entering the octagon, the line moved more in Meerschaert’s favor but even then, not that much (Muradov -575, Meerschaert +390).

For my UFC Pick, since Muradov was incredibly juiced, I took the BetOnline MMA Prop Makhmud Muradov inside the distance -160. Overall, I believed Muradov had the skills to stuff takedowns and keep the fight standing in his favor since he is incredibly skilled on the feet. However, Meerschart did meet up to his skills and pulled off a nicely executed rear-naked choke. 

At first, Muradov gave us the fight we were expecting by unleashing the heat with his punches; he even wobbled Meershaert and could have finished the fight. Yet, Meerschart was able to withhold the heat and put on a tough fight in the fight. 

You could tell in the second round Muradov was already tiring. He gave it all he could with his punches, but GM3 had crisp counters and was able to gain ground control. Meerschaert was in his zone on the ground and oh so swiftly pulled off the RNC to tap Muradov, 1 minute and 40 seconds in the second round. 

Mach broke his 14-fight win streak this past weekend against the veteran in GM3. Although Meerschaert did have a past few fights (now 4-5 in his last 9), he still has the skills to work the ground. Never underestimate GM3 once he is in his zone. 

https://twitter.com/MMAjunkie/status/1432450571957678085

Closing Remarks and What’s Next?

The dog winners from over the weekend were: Pat Sabatini (+125), Abdul Razak Alhassan (+185), Gerald Meerschaert (+390),  and Daniel Rodriguez (+125).

Up next in the UFC, we have a beautifully stacked card in UFC Vegas 36: Derek Brunson vs. Darren Till on Saturday, September 4th at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. With a stacked card from top to bottom, you’ll be able to see inside the octagon Julian Erosa vs. Charles Jourdain, Molly McCann vs. Ji Yeon Kim, Paddy Pimblett vs. Luigi Vendramini, Tom Aspinall vs. Sergey Spivak, and many more!

To help you make your best bets, be sure to tune in to our weekly UFC Picks and Predictions show on SBR's YouTube Page with David Manyun and our special guests. Best of luck on all of your wagers!