Cub Swanson vs Hakeem Dawodu at UFC on ESPN 51

CUB SWANSON VS HAKEEM DAWODU FACTS

When is UFC on ESPN 51? Sunday 6August, 2023 - 00:00 start (UK)

Where is UFC on ESPN 51? UFC APEX, Enterprise, Nevada (US)

Where can I get tickets for UFC on ESPN 51?

What channel is UFC on ESPN 51 on? TNT Sports 1

Where can I stream UFC on ESPN 51? TNT Sports subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website

CUB SWANSON VS HAKEEM DAWODU LOWDOWN

Cub Swanson (26-13) moves back up to featherweight after getting his leg kicked off by Jonathan Martinez down at 135 lbs. He was coming off a phenomenal win at his stage of his career by turning back the clock with a spinning wheel kick to spark off the beginning of the end for the durable Darren Elkins (2021). That took his UFC tally to 13-9 which include wins over Charles Oliveira (2012), Dustin Poirier (2013), Jeremy Stephens (2014) and Artem Lobov (2017).

After getting submitted by Danny Henry (2018) on his UFC debut, Hakeem Dawodu (13-3-1) proved his worth with a five-fight win streak. It was snapped by the unbeaten Movsar Evloev (2021) but he bounced back with a solid unanimous decision over Mike Trizano (2021). He then met Julian Erosa (2022) as the favourite but lost a disappointing unanimous decision.

CUB SWANSON VS HAKEEM DAWODU PREDICTION

Dawodu has only fought once a year since 2019 which is simply not enough if he wants to reach the top. Swanson on the other hand has been there and done it. He is touching 40 years old now and way past his prime, but he can still finish a fight from anywhere.

Dawodu has hours of tape to study Swanson’s beautiful destruction on the feet. However, it is still difficult to prepare for as his eight limbs come from all angles. He is extremely unpredictable, but he has lost a lot of speed.

Dawodu on the other hand still has all of his pop and has the leg kicks to disable Swanson again. He has the speed and power to overwhelm the legend and as long as he respects Swanson’s power, he should win the stand-up battle.

The safer route to victory for Swanson is to mix in his wrestling like Erosa did and he certainly has the ability to secure a couple takedowns. However, Swanson is not going to decide to play it safe now after 20 years of flair.

Prediction: Dawodu via Decision