Tagir Ulanbekov vs Cody Durden Prediction: Tagir Will Struggle But Defeat His Opponent

On the night of December 17th, the UFC 296 tournament will occur in the United States. In one of the preliminary card bouts, Russian fighter Tagir Ulanbekov will share the octagon with American Cody Darden. The bout will take place in the lightest weight division. Tagir is ranked twelfth in the UFC's divisional rankings, while Cody Darden is ranked fifteenth.

Former Russian AMC Fight Nights champion Tagir Ulanbekov debuted in the UFC three years ago, fighting four times and winning three times. His only loss in the division to Tim Elliott was a complete surprise to fans and pundits alike. But in his last bout, Tagir avenged that defeat by choking out Nathan Maness in the first round. Like any Dagestani, Ulanbekov is very good on the ground, but his standing is by no means his weakness. He is a very versatile fighter and one of the best in Russia and the world's lightest division. It is quite obvious that Tagir has a lot of room for improvement, and we do not doubt that we will see him even higher in the rankings soon.

Durden's strengths are wrestling and good striking. I've fought higher-level fighters before, so I don't see this as a problem.

Tagir Ulanbekov

Cody Durden is a typical average performer UFC fighter who doesn't ask for much. However, he's currently riding a four-fight win streak against similarly unremarkable opponents. The league tested him as a prospect last year, but Muhammad Mokaev choked Durden out in the first minute of the fight.

Tagir will most likely take the fight to the ground, to the parterre, where he is noticeably stronger. He won't chase a submission, but if Cody makes a mistake, he'll certainly take advantage of it. We have little doubt that the bout will not be spectacular. Ulanbekov will dominate and win confidently.