Azamat Murzakanov (Russia) vs Tafon Nchukwi (Cameroon)
UFC APEX, Las Vegas. USA
13.03.2022. 02:00
On March 13, the next UFC Fight Night 203 tournament will take place in Las Vegas (USA). In one of the preliminary rounds Russian fighter, Azamat Murzakanov will take on Tafon Nchukwi from Cameroon.
The fight will take place in the featherweight category. None of the fighters is in the top 15 of the official UFC contenders rankings. The favourite in bookmaker's betting odds is the Russian fighter.
Get Your Sign-Up Bonus!Azamat Murzakanov: Unnoticeable hero
Azamat Murzakanov has been in the shadows for a long time, fought in various leagues, but in the UFC, he is making his fourth (!) attempt to debut - his previous possible fights were derailed for various reasons.
His last two fights were over in the first round. The most recent was in the finals of Dana White's Contender Series 2021, and the penultimate in the Brave CF promotion, where he knocked out the league's elite fighter Mohammad Fakhreddine.
Indeed, of his ten victories, eight of them ended early and all eight in the first round.
I think this guy can go down to middleweight. If he gets the weight down, he'll be an absolute beast in that weight class. Even at bantamweight he's quick as lightning and hits like a truck. Now the UFC has either middleweight or a welterweight with a 10-0 record.
Dana White
Tafon Nchukwi: Winner of Dana White's Contender Series 2020
The Cameroonian also won Dana White's Contender Series, but a year earlier. He has now had three fights in the world's strongest league and won twice. All his fights here have ended in judged decisions. In his last fight, he defeated Mike Rodriguez (10-7), his third straight defeat.
Nchukwi came to Dana White's attention after it became impossible to ignore the way he was knocking people out.
Nchukwi's record is four wins in four fights and all of them ended in knockouts. I didn't see the first three, but the fourth is one of the most brutal I've seen in my practice.
Dana White
Expert Betting Tips
Both Murzakanov and Nchukwi are standout knockouts, but the Russian fighter can also fight. He has more experience (including amateur), so he is a deserved favourite. The odds on Murzakanov's victory are 1.58, while the odds on Nchukwi's victory are already 2.40. That said, the bookmakers don't really believe that the fight will be over very quickly.