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Carlos Leal vs. Muslim Salikhov Pick: ⛔️ STAY AWAY! ⛔️ Leal should put on a pace that Salikhov will struggle to match at his age, but both these guys can crack and the favorite has already been screwed by judges in Abu Dhabi against a Russian once. UFC Abu Dhabi Stats Comp:

Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa Pick: Almabayev to Win, -104 Ochoa figures to have more success on the feet, but the difference in experience going the distance stands out massively. Almabayev owns the more well-rounded skill set and commensurate power. UFC Abu Dhabi Stats Comp:

Nikita Krylov vs. Bogdan Guskov Pick: Krylov to Win, -210 Guskov enters on 2x more ring rust against the most challenging opponent he's yet to face in his MMA career. Krylov probably finds a submission if he merely brings this fight to the floor once. UFC Abu Dhabi Stats Comp:

Sharabutdin Magomedov vs. Marc-Andre Barriault Pick: ⛔️ STAY AWAY! ⛔️ Unplayable ML for a favored pure striker but also impossible to trust Barriault's damage tolerance against someone such as Shara Bullet, which makes the over/under somewhat tricky. UFC Abu Dhabi Stats Comp:

Bryce Mitchell vs. Said Nurmagomedov Pick: ⛔️ STAY AWAY! ⛔️ Dead even grade. Trusting Mitchell's chin as he drops down a weight class carries enormous risk, but Nurmagomedov doesn't necessarily have the punching power to make him regret such a move. UFC Abu Dhabi Stats Comp:

Petr Yan vs. Marcus McGhee Pick: Yan to Win, -375 A huge step up in competition for McGhee relative to the rest of his UFC career and his opponent's experience going the distance. Yan's fast start against Figgy bodes well for him doing the same here. UFC Abu Dhabi Stats Comp:

Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder Pick: de Ridder to Win, +120 RDR enters on 3x less ring rust having cemented himself as a physical freak among UFC middleweights, giving him reasonable means to follow the same path to victory Chimaev just did. UFC Abu Dhabi Stats Comp:

❌ Just put Bisping in a damn cheerleader outfit every time he calls a Davey Grant fight. 😂 Why on earth did Blackshear gave Grant the exact fight he could have asked for after banking the first with grappling? Urgency just wasn’t there.

Sometimes, all the gym candy in the world doesn’t make a difference. 😜 Not quite as spectacular as his win over Song Kenan, but that result for Salikhov probably just extended his UFC career another year or two. Leal should refuse any fights offered in Abu Dhabi going forward.

This was one of the few matchups at bantamweight that was going to rival Mitchell’s size. He could honestly be a problem at 135 if he can consistently cut down without issue and avoid getting clipped. He says a lot of dumb shit, but is also the textbook definition of a savant.

❌ Guskov once again benefits from his opponents playing stupid games to win a stupid prize. No takedown attempts whatsoever from Krylov after how easily Spann handled him in the first round of their fight is just catastrophically stupid game-planning.

✅🐶 Asu Almabayev puts forth the more well-rounded effort for 15 minutes and earns a unanimous decision win over Jose Ochoa! Ochoa still has a bright future, but this was always going to be a tricky matchup on such short notice. Get Almabayev another main event soon!

Shara Bullet probably won’t ever become a serious contender at middleweight, but at least he’ll always be an entertaining main card-worthy gimmick for these cards in the Middle East. Better showing from Barriault than most expected, hope he gets a more reasonable matchup next.

✅ Petr Yan puts on a classic No Mercy performance and starts slow before building strong into a unanimous decision win over Marcus McGhee! Hate leaning on common MMA tropes, but “there are levels to this game.” Still enjoy McGhee a lot but give Yan his title shot. #UFCAbuDhabi

✅🐶 REINIER DE RIDDER PUTS ON THE PERFORMANCE OF HIS CAREER! RDR wins one of the best fights of the year by split decision over Robert Whittaker. That fight was everything you love about MMA. So rare to see two fighters trade all five rounds like that. #UFCAbuDhabi

Piera Rodriguez vs. Ketlen Souza Pick: Rodriguez to Win, -190 Souza figures to stay busier on the feet, but Rodriguez's relentless commitment to putting fights on the mat opposite her opponent's unspectacular takedown defense bodes well for La Fiera. UFC Vegas 108 Stats Comp:

Rafael Estevam vs. Felipe Bunes Pick: Estevam to Win, -460 Despite Estevam dropping the final round of his last fight, the difference in success going the distance looms large. Age and attrition gaps only further support Macapa as a strong favorite. UFC Vegas 108 Stats Comp:

Rodolfo Vieira vs. Tresean Gore Pick: Under 1½ Rounds, +115 Pair fought < 7½ minutes in eight of 14 combined career UFC events, including all wins for Gore and three of five for Vieira. Rodolfo sub or Tresean KO outcome seems pretty straightforward. UFC Vegas 108 Stats Comp: