Usman Nurmagomedov vs Alexander Shablii Prediction: who will turn out to be stronger?

Prediction for the MMA match which will take place on September 8. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

Usman Nurmagomedov is an undefeated 26-year-old fighter from the Nurmagomedov clan, younger brother of Umar and close relative of Khabib. He is now the reigning Bellator champion and, although he got the title fight in a very strange way (the league favoured him over Alexander Shablia), he later proved that he is the rightful champion with two convincing victories over challengers.

Both of those fights took place last year. Usman first choked out Ben Henderson and then declassified Brent Primus (the result of the Primus fight was later cancelled because Nurmagomedov was found to have doping accidentally in his system).

There are absolutely no questions to Usman's skills, with him still progressing. Nevertheless, the main test awaits him on 8 September, when he will face Shabliy, and it will certainly be the most difficult fight of his career.

Alexander Shabliy is one of Russia's strongest lightweights and gets undeservedly little attention. Although in the last couple of years the situation is changing, he is finally being talked about in full, and the reason is clear - nine wins in a row (almost all of them early), appearance in the finals of the Grand Prix and the status of the main challenger for the Bellator belt.

In his last fight Alexander confidently dealt with Patricky Freire, but we are more interested in his previous fight. Yes, he beat Tofiq Musayev early, but experts have noticed some gaps in his game, which can be used by Usman Nurmagomedov.

Bookmakers see Usman Nurmagomedov as a huge favourite, but it's not at all obvious, the magic of the surname does its job. Both fighters are great representatives of the striking style, but they feel great in wrestling as well. Much, if not everything, will depend on the right tactics and strict adherence to it (they had plenty of time to prepare for each other). Any mistake can be fatal, which under the pressure is not excluded in either of them - so it's not a good idea to bet on the winner here.

We choose the bet on the total over 4.5, as we are almost sure that the match will be even and close. Nobody will want to take risks here, the price of a mistake is too high.