MMA Preview – Nate Maness vs Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC on ESPN 38
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NATE MANESS VS UMAR NURMAGOMEDOV FACTS
When is UFC on ESPN 38? Sunday 26th June, 2022 - 01:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC on ESPN 38? UFC APEX, Enterprise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC on ESPN 38? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC events
What channel is UFC on ESPN 38 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC on ESPN 38? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
NATE MANESS VS UMAR NURMAGOMEDOV LOWDOWN
Nate Maness (14-1) announced himself onto the UFC bantamweight scene in spectacular fashion back in September last year. After the bell saved him from getting knocked out by Tony Gravely, he proceeded to dish out his own damage hammering him away with his right hand. That made it four wins on the bounce after his sole defeat and knockout courtesy of Taylor Lapilus (2019) losing the TKO bantamweight title. He made his UFC debut in 2020 outpointing Johnny Munoz Jr and submitted Luke Sanders four months later to set up the three-fight win streak.
Umar Nurmagomedov (14-0) returns for his second fight of the year and is gunning to extend his unbeaten record. He has barely been troubled in his career so far implementing the infamous Nurmagomedov grappling to maul his opponents collecting seven submissions and a knockout in his 14 wins. He made his debut in January last year submitting Sergey Morozov and followed that up with the biggest win of his career – submitting Brian Kelleher in the first-round back in March.
NATE MANESS VS UMAR NURMAGOMEDOV PREDICTION
Despite Maness only having one loss on the record, Nurmagomedov is a colossal favourite. So, the consensus is that the Russian will face little resistance in taking him down and mauling him.
Maness stuffed 14 of Munoz Jr’s takedown attempts and five of Gravely’s six attempts. He clearly has solid defence, but Nurmagomedov is a different beast. We fully expect the Russian to get the fight to the ground, it is just a question of whether Maness can catch his chin before.
However, what makes Nurmagomedov such a heavy favourite, it the fact he can also strike. He has dangerous kicks and his hands continue to improve which makes his takedown harder to defend.
We expect these two to exchange on the feet before Nurmagomedov perfectly times a level change to throw Maness to the canvas to begin dominating. Maness has a punchers chance and may be worth a small punt for a knockout considering the odds, but Nurmagomedov should take this all day.
Prediction: Nurmagomedov via Submission - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
