This weekend, one of the overlooked upcoming UFC fights will be this main card bout between middleweights Ikram Aliskerov and Warlley Alves at UFC 294.
Aliskerov vs. AlvesPicks
UFC 294: Under 1.5-round total
Nassourdine Imavov had VISA issues. So UFC veteran Alves stepped up on short notice to help save this highly anticipated PPV event.
Read more for the betting analysis and the official Aliskerov vs Alves prediction ahead of making your betting picks on this weekend’s card.
Ikram Aliskerov vs. Warlley Alves Information
Ikram Aliskerov vs Warlley Alves
Location of the fight: Etihad Arena, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Date and Time: Saturday, October 21. 2:00 PM ET main card start
How to Watch: ESPN+ PPV
Last Fight Record
- Aliskerov is coming off an incredible first-round KO over a tough Phil Hawes in his UFC debut last May at UFC 288.
- Alves is looking to get back into the winning column after suffering a tough split decision loss to Nicolas Dalby in his first fight since 2021 in January of this year.
Ikram Aliskerov vs. Warlley Alves Betting Analysis
Ikram Aliskerov
Aliskerov is a Russian mixed martial artist who was born in the famous Dagestan region, where many of the current best MMA athletes in the world are from.
He has a professional MMA record of 14-1, with 10 of his wins coming by finish. Aliskerov’s background stems from Combat Sambo, the sport in which he is a three-time World Champion.
Aliskerov is making only his second appearance in the UFC, and he’s already in a featured slot on one of the biggest PPV cards of the year.
His statistics are slightly diluted due to only having one fight, but he averages over six significant strikes landed and over seven absorbed per minute in the octagon, along with 3.47 takedowns landed per 15 minutes at a 33% rate.
Les deux combattants de la carte principale de l’#UFC294, Khamzat Chimaev et Ikram Aliskerov, se sont déjà affrontés au BRAVE !
C’est d’ailleurs la SEULE défaite du champion du monde de sambo Ikram Aliskerov dans sa carrière MMA.
— La Sueur (@LaSueur_off) October 17, 2023
Warlley Alves
Alves is a Brazilian mixed martial artist with a professional record of 15-6 with four TKO/KO wins and six submissions. He came onto the MMA scene by competing in Jungle Fights in Brazil and then going on to win The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3. Being coached by the legendary Chael Sonnen.
A career-long welterweight, Alves is arguably an undersized middleweight at 5’11” with a 72” reach while fighting out of the orthodox stance. In his long UFC career thus far, Alves averages 3.21 significant strikes landed and 4.09 significant strikes absorbed per minute. His impressive 80% takedown defense will be put to the test this weekend.
🚨| Nassourdine Imavov is OUT. Ikram Aliskerov will now take on Warlley Alves at #UFC294 on October 21.
[per @BigMarcel24]#UFC294 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/tzx59J3Y9r— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) October 7, 2023
Updates
No injuries have been reported to the UFC.
Ikram Aliskerov vs. Warlley Alves Betting Preview
Making UFC picks calls for a lot of work to prepare. The Aliskerov vs Alves prediction can’t just be a guess if you want to actually win money on the weekends. You will need to preview the betting lines and study the film on both athletes.
According to the UFC fights odds, Aliskerov is the massive -625 betting favorite over the +450 Alves as fight week carries on. The oddsmakers predict this fight will end early with a -400 line for this fight ending inside the distance. Those are numbers you usually see at the heavyweight level between two KO artists.
Contrasting Fight Histories
The tape on both guys is very interesting. You can go online and watch Aliskerov get knocked out clean by Khamzat Chimaev in a regional promotion, and then you can see Alves submitting Colby Covington.
Visually, this fight is closer than the odds might say. Alves seems to always be ready for a war. He’s durable and has the ability to take advantage of any mistakes his opponents make. Injuries and unfortunate circumstances have caused bumps in the road for Alves, but he’s still only 32 years old.
Aliskerov is a big, strong Dagestani fighter whose main goal is to hurt his opponent before getting them to the ground. Which is slightly unusual for fighters from his region who have elite wrestling abilities.
Ikram Aliskerov vs. Warlley Alves Betting Prediction
After breaking down this fight analytically, previewing the betting lines, and studying the film on both incredible fighters. The official Aliskerov vs Alves prediction is that Aliskerov will get his hand raised.
The moneyline is tough to bet on because he’s a big favorite. The under 1.5-round total is a good bet to make. Aliskerov is going to try to get Alves out of there early in front of that UAE crowd.
The offensive attack from the Russian is going to be hard for someone who doesn’t compete very often at this stage of their career.
- UFC 294: Under 1.5-round total
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