Preview: UFC on ESPN 30 ‘Barboza vs. Chikadze’

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

Middleweights

NR | Makhmud Muradov (25-6, 3-0 UFC) vs. NR | Gerald Meerschaert (32-14, 7-6 UFC)

ODDS: Muradov (-600), Meerschaert (+450)

It is good to see Muradov back in the cage, as he draws his toughest challenge yet. Representing Uzbekistan and fighting out of the Czech Republic, Muradov has lived up to his prospect hype thus far, mostly as a striker. At his best from range, Muradov is content to stay at a distance and pick at his opponent, which can be frustrating at times—both for opponents and for the audience. Over time, Muradov has been able to warm up and pick up the pace by the end of his fights, which has resulted in some impressive late finishes against Trevor Smith and Andrew Sanchez. Meerschaert is next up to try and hand Muradov his first loss inside the UFC. Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

Meerschaert got to the UFC on the back of a long regional career, and he has turned into a scrappy battle-tested veteran who can hold his own anywhere. Still, Meerschaert has had a clear ceiling against better athletes, which makes this fight a tough ask. Meerschaert is at his most dangerous on the mat, but he can rely more on his opponent going for an ill-advised takedown than forcing the action himself. While Meerschaert has put in the work to become a better striker, he is not a knockout artist, and KO losses against Ian Heinisch and Khamzat Chimaev in recent outings further suggest that is not the best approach for him to take. If Muradov gets overconfident, as is often his wont, there is a chance that Meerschaert could catch him off-guard and turn this into the type of messy fight that the American can win. However, Muradov’s significant speed advantage on the feet suggests this will be more of the same, as he takes his time early without being tested and then takes over the fight clearly as time goes on. The pick is Muradov via third-round stoppage.

Continue Reading » Di Chirico vs. Alhassan