ODDS: Nurmagomedov (-255), Silva de Andrade
(+215)
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This should be an entertaining scrap and a solid test for a rising
prospect in Nurmagomedov. Of no relation to Khabib
Nurmagomedov and his kin, he is a rangy and creative striker
who is at his best behind a variety of kicks; and while he does
have the requisite wrestling and grappling chops, those are mostly
in the name of keeping his fights standing or attempting a quick
submission before returning things to the feet. Nurmagomedov’s rise
through the bantamweight ranks has had some setbacks—he fought with
a frustratingly low-output in his 2018 debut against Justin
Scoggins, and Raoni
Barcelos found some headway with constant pressure to hand
Nurmagomedov his lone UFC loss—but the Russian does seem to have
hit a new gear in his most recent efforts. They have been short
affairs, but Nurmagomedov has shown improved pace and potency in
quick wins over Mark
Striegl and Cody
Stamann, the latter via an impressively slick guillotine choke
as Stamann attempted a takedown out of the gates. For a follow-up,
Nurmagomedov draws Brazil’s Silva de Andrade, one of the more
underrated perennially tough outs in a deep bantamweight division.
“D Silva” is not a particularly technical fighter, but he makes
things work through a combination of persistence, durability and
elite-level athleticism, including the knockout power to end an
opponent’s night if he catches him off-guard. Petr Yan has
been the only fighter to outright break Silva de Andrade.
Otherwise, even a win over the Brazilian has required some manner
of fighting through constant discomfort. Silva de Andrade should
have his moments, but Nurmagomedov’s ability to set a range should
see him through vast swaths of this fight, as he should be able to
pick the Brazilian off with some flurries of offense as Silva de
Andrade attempts to charge forward. This should be a good test of
Nurmagomedov’s cardio, but the pick is 15 minutes of excitement on
route to a Nurmagomedov decision.
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