Two future stalwarts of the UFC heavyweight division collide in the early prelims of UFC: Edwards vs. Covington. Slovakia's Martin Buday and Dagestan-born Shamil Gaziev are unbeaten in twenty-two fights combined, dominating their opponents with many first-round finishes. Both fighters are graduates of the Dana White Contender Series, with Shamil Gaziev making his promotional debut after scaling through this season's series. Martin Buday is a slight favorite in the early odds.
MMA: UFC Heavyweight
Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
Where to watch: ESPN+
Date: 17.12.2023. 02.20
Martin Buday
The 32-year-old Slovak is 4-0 in the UFC, debuting early last year. In his short UFC career, "Badys" has collected the scalps of Josh Parisian, Jake Collier, and Lukas Brzeski, stopping Parisian in the first round in his last visit to the octagon. Martin Buday's first-round defeat of Lorenzo Wood in the DWCS was impressive, as he made the American carry his massive weight on the cage wall while decimating the explosive striker with knee strikes. A huge heavyweight who needs to drop weight to make the heavyweight limit, the Slovak is currently on a 12-fight win streak, with his sole loss being a 2017 setback in Spain's regional promotion.
Tale of the Tape
- Age: 32
- Height: 6' 4"
- Reach: 77"
- Weight: 266 Ibs
- Record: 13-1-0
Shamil Gaziev
The man from Dagestan turned pro in 2020, earning his stripes in various regional promotions before being called up to this season's Dana White Contender Series. Shamil Gaziev punched his ticket to the big league with a first-round submission (rear-naked choke) of Greg Velasco last September. Highly thought of and expected to do great things in the heavyweight division, the 33-year-old is unbeaten with ten finishes and one decision in eleven professional fights. Shamil Gaziev has a 64% knockout rate and can punch and grapple. Fighting out of Bahrain, the Russian is a slight underdog in his promotional debut.
Tale of the Tape
- Age: 33
- Height: 6' 4"
- Reach: 78"
- Weight: 259.5 Ibs
- Record: 11-0
Betting Odds
Martin Buday is the slight favorite at 1.72 odds on Bet365. The sportsbook has Shamil Gaziev as a 2.10 underdog. Betwinner prices over 2.5 rounds at 2 odds, with the under at 1.714. 1XBET lists yes for the start of round three at 1.78 and No at 1.88.