MMA Preview – Askar Askarov vs Kai Kara-France at UFC Fight Night 205
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ASKAR ASKAROV VS KAI KARA-FRANCE FACTS
When is UFC Fight Night 205? Saturday 26th March, 2022 - 21:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Night 205? Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 205? Click here for the tickets at the O2 Arena
What channel is UFC Fight Night 205 on? BT Sport 2
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 205? 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!
ASKAR ASKAROV VS KAI KARA-FRANCE LOWDOWN
Askar Askarov (14-0-1) is the dark horse in the flyweight division and has snuck up the rankings to #2. He is yet to taste to defeat with the only blemish on his record being Brandon Moreno (2019) on his UFC debut battling the former champion to a draw. Since then, he has fought more top competition racking up three very impressive unanimous decisions against Tim Elliott (2020), Alexandre Pantoja (2020) and Joseph Benavidez (2021).
Moreno caused another blemish on a record snapping Kai Kara-France’s (23-9(1)) eight-fight win streak. It was his third UFC fight and lost a unanimous decision. He responded with a unanimous decision of his own against Tyson Nam (2020) but then got submitted in that crazy scrap with Brandon Royval (2020). However, he is now coming off the two most impressive wins of his career knocking out Rogerio Bontorin (2021) and Cody Garbrandt (2021) in the first round.
ASKAR ASKAROV VS KAI KARA-FRANCE PREDICTION
This is a huge fight in the division and should earth the next contender to the title. They match up similarly physically but have somewhat contrasting skill sets. We all know about Kara-France’s striking by now and Askarov is a grappler by trade and in fact a gold medallist in the Deaflympics (2017).
That said, Askarov is good everywhere and this is a tough match up for Kara-France. He can stand with the Kiwi, but his clear path to victory is taking him down. Kara-France has an impressive 87% takedown defence, but we expect the Russian to control him with relative ease.
We expect a few tasty striking exchanges before Askarov seals a take down, maintaining top position while working on a submission. Kara-France will put up a fight, but one mistake will give Askarov the opportunity to pounce on his neck where he will be merciless.
Prediction: Askarov via Submission - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
