MMA Preview – John Makdessi vs Nasrat Haqparast at UFC Fight Night 209
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JOHN MAKDESSI VS NASRAT HAQPARAST FACTS
When is UFC Paris? Saturday 3rd September, 2022 - 18:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Paris? Accor Arena, Paris (France)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Paris? Click here to buy tickets for UFC Paris
What channel is UFC Paris on? BT Sport 3
Where can I stream UFC Paris? 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!
JOHN MAKDESSI VS NASRAT HAQPARAST LOWDOWN
In the last five years, John Makdessi (18-7) has only lost to Francisco Trinaldo (2020). However, he has only been fighting once a year and did not have the toughest schedule leading up to that loss. He earnt unanimous decisions over Abel Trujillo (2017), Ross Pearson (2018) and Jesus Pinedo (2019) before dropping one to the Brazilian. He returned in April last year to fight Ignacio Bahamondes and earnt a hard-fought and impressive split decision.
Nasrat Haqparast (14-3) is struggling to stay relevant in the lightweight division. A lot was expected from him, but he is 5-4 in the UFC now after losing his last two. He was coming off unanimous decisions over Alexander Munoz (2020) and Rafa Garcia (2021) leading him into two very tough matchups. He took on Dan Hooker (2021) and Bobby Green (2022) and was simply outclassed for three rounds.
JOHN MAKDESSI VS NASRAT HAQPARAST PREDICTION
Makdessi was also the underdog in his last fight against a young gun. He looked great and we predicted a decision win against Bahamondes due to the matchup but this is a much harder oner for him.
Haqparast is coming off two losses but Hooker and Green would smoke Makdessi. This will be another stand-up battle but the difference will be Haqparast’s power. There is also going to be a time where Makdessi’s technique and experience will not be able to make up for youth and rawness.
The Canadian will make this competitive, especially if Haqparast is hesitant fearing a three-fight skid. Expect Makdessi to pile on the volume with a variety on kicks with Haqparast waiting to counter from his southpaw stance.
He has a monstrous left hand which he likes to hide behind a left high kick and he will only need to land it once. This should be a very fun fight and we are backing Haqparast to bounce back showing off his power for the Paris crowd.
Prediction: Haqparast via Decision - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
