Rinat Fakhretdinov vs Bryan Battle Prediction: the Fight of Gladiator and Winnie the Pooh

On the night of December 18, UFC Vegas 66 will take place in the United States.

Rinat Fakhretdinov, 31, nicknamed "Gladiator," had to wait a long time for his UFC debut, but when all expectations were behind him, he took his chance to the full. In June, Rinat confidently defeated Andreas Michailidis at UFC Fight Night 207, enlisting the support of the legendary Oleg Taktarov.

Now Fakhretdinov is going undefeated for 18 fights. The only loss Rinat suffered in his career was back in 2013. The Russian fighter often finishes the bouts early, with 11 wins by knockout and five by submission.

American Bryan Battle, 28, Winnie the Pooh, is an ambitious prospect. He has only nine bouts as a professional, but we should not underestimate him.

Bryan joined the UFC in 2021 and has three wins under his belt. His most recent triumph stands out. At UFC on ESPN 40 in August of this year, Battle knocked out Takashi Sato with a beautiful high kick in the 44th second of the fight. Bryan not only has good striking technique, but he's also a great fighter. Half of Battle's victories came via submission and choke holds.

We believe Rinat has the better chance in this bout, but we can't write Battle off just yet. The American is capable of surprise, and he showed it in his last fight.

We don't think it will come down to the judges' decision. Both fighters know how to end bouts early, brightly, and effectively. The winner may get the Performance of the Night bonus. We don't think the fight will go into the third round, but we'll secure our bet.

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