MMA Preview – Movsar Evloev vs Hakeem Dawodu at UFC 263
MOVSAR EVLOEV VS HAKEEM DAWODU FACTS
When is UFC 263? Sunday 13th June, 2021 - 01:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC 263? Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC 263? Click here to buy tickets for UFC 263
What channel is UFC 263 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC 263? 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!
MOVSAR EVLOEV VS HAKEEM DAWODU LOWDOWN
Movsar Evloev (14-0) is quietly climbing up the stacked featherweight ranks. After cleaning up the M-1 Challenge bantamweight division, he entered the UFC at 145 lbs on a new mission and so far, he has completed every task. He earned unanimous decisions over Seung Woo Choi, Enrique Barzola and Mike Grundy which finally got people talking as the Englishman is an accomplished freestyle wrestler. Evloev then followed that up with a split decision over Nik Lentz back in January.
Hakeem Dawodu (12-1-1) is also a highly touted featherweight prospect. The only loss on his record came on his debut getting submitted by Danny Henry back in 2018 but since then he has gone on an impressive five-fight streak edging some very tough battles. He scraped past Kyle Bochniak with a split decision before knocking out Yoshinori Horie and then went on to earn two more hard-fought split decisions over Julio Arce and Zubaira Tukhugov.
MOVSAR EVLOEV VS HAKEEM DAWODU PREDICTION
This is a fantastic match-up as they are both soaring towards the top 10 rankings and have a clash of styles. Dawodu is an electric striker with knockout power and Evloev is an elite wrestler. That said, they are not one-dimensional.
Dawodu will look to keep the fight on the feet and counter with venom, whether that be hooks when Evloev throws the jab or straight punches when he throws leg kicks. Evloev is expected to still exchange on the feet, but it will be to set up a takedown.
Dawodu has an 85% takedown defence in the UFC, but he has not fought an out-an-out wrestler like Evloev before. We expect it to be a matter of time before the Russian lands a takedown so Dawodu needs to be aggressive and hunt the chin as Evleov will keep up a suffocating pace for 15 minutes chaining together takedown after takedown.
The Canadian has knockout power but we have not seen enough recently to suggest he can put Evloev away early, so we are backing the Russian to seal a decision with his grappling.
Prediction: Evloev via Decision - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
