Kamaru Usman vs Khamzat Chimaev Pick, 10/21/2023 Predictions UFC 294 Odds

Kamaru Usman vs Khamzat Chimaev

UFC 294

Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE

Saturday, October 21, 2023

Kamaru Usman will face off against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 on Saturday, October 21, 2023. The line has Usman coming in at +235 while Chimaev is priced at -290.

Kamaru "The Nigerian Nightmare" Usman has a career mark of 20-3-0. The 36-year-old will fight at 170 lbs and stands 6'0". The switch fighter extends his reach 76". Khamzat "Borz" Chimaev stands in at 6'2" and steps on the scale at 185 lbs. The orthodox fighter comes into this fight with a mark of 12-0-0. The 29-year-old has an arm span of 75". Concerning significant strikes, Kamaru Usman is connecting on 4.46 per minute and Khamzat Chimaev is landing 7.30 significant strikes per minute. Usman connects on 52% of the significant strikes he tries while Chimaev is connecting on 59%. In terms of defending in the cage, "The Nigerian Nightmare" takes 2.75 significant strikes per minute while "Borz" takes 3.98. Usman also defends 54% of the significant strikes his opponents attempt while Chimaev is able to stop 41% of the strikes thrown his way.

Regarding grappling, Kamaru Usman is not as effective of a grappler as he takes his opponents to the mat 2.96 times per 3 rounds. Usman is scoring a takedown on 45% of the times he tries and is defending 97% of takedowns his opponents have attempted. Chimaev is finishing his takedowns on 57% of his takedown attempts and is defending 85% of all takedowns attempted on him. Regarding going for the sub, Usman is the lesser skilled fighter by attempting 0.1 subs per 3 rounds while Chimaev tries 3.5 subs per 15 minutes.

In his last appearance in the Octagon, Kamaru Usman squared up with Leon Edwards and ended up walking away in defeat by majority decision in round 5. Edwards ended up landing 123 of 164 total strikes attempted in that contest. Usman walked away from this fight having landed 113 of 232 total strikes. In the category of significant strikes, Edwards ended up landing 120 of 161, which gave him a rate of 74%. He landed 34 of 69 significant strikes aimed at the head. On the other side of the cage, Usman ended up landing 42% of the significant strikes he threw by landing 87 of 205. In terms of accuracy for the significant strikes, he connected on 57 of 163 to the head. 92% of the significant strikes landed by Edwards and 74% of them connected on by Usman were tallied at distance.

In the last bout for Khamzat Chimaev, he went up against Kevin Holland and ended up winning this fight by way of d'arce choke in round 1. Holland landed 0% of the significant strikes he tried at a distance while Chimaev ended up connecting on 33% of the significant strikes he tried at a distance. Chimaev ended up connecting on 0% of his significant strikes attempted by landing 0 of 1. He ended up landing 0 of 1 significant strikes to the head. Holland landed 0 of 1 significant strikes in that contest. In regard to the placement of these significant strikes, he ended up landing 1 of 2 aimed at the head. When discussing total strikes attempted in that contest, Holland landed 1 of 2 and Chimaev connected on 1 of 2 of all the strikes he threw.

Other bouts to watch out for

Another fight that you're going to want to watch is when Magomed Ankalaev opposes Johnny Walker. Ankalaev walks into the cage holding a record of 18-1-1. The 31-year-old records a weight of 205 lbs and measures 6'3". The orthodox fighter stretches 75". Walker measures 6'6" and will fight at 205 lbs. The orthodox fighter steps into the Octagon holding a record of 21-7-0. The 31-year-old has an arm span of 82". When it comes to grappling, Magomed Ankalaev takes his opponents to the canvas 0.99 times per 3 rounds while Johnny Walker is averaging a takedown 0.51 times per 3 rounds. In the striking category, Ankalaev lands 3.55 strikes/minute and connects on 52% of the strikes that he throws. The other fighter in this bout is Johnny Walker, who is connecting on 56% of the strikes he has thrown and connects for an average of 3.85 per min.

Another must see fight on the night is when Warlley Alves is set to encounter Ikram Aliskerov. Aliskerov steps into the cage with a mark of 14-1-0. The 30-year-old is fighting at 185 lbs and measures 6'0". The southpaw fighter extends his reach 76". Alves comes in at 5'11" and is weighing in at 185 lbs. The orthodox fighter walks into the cage holding a mark of 15-6-0. The 32-year-old has a reach of 72". In terms of wrestling, Ikram Aliskerov curbs 15% of the takedowns his opponents attempt and is finishing his takedown tries on 33% of his attempts. Alves is finishing his takedown tries on 50% of the tries he takes and curbs 80% of all takedown attempts. With regard to striking, Aliskerov is taking 7.88 strikes per minute and he is connecting on 6.25 per min. Alves, in contrast, is absorbing 4.09 strikes/min and connects on 3.21 per min.

Who will win tonight's UFC match against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Khamzat Chimaev (-290)

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