MMA Preview – Omari Akhmedov vs Brad Tavares at UFC 264
OMARI AKHMEDOV VS BRAD TAVARES FACTS
When is UFC 264? Sunday 11th July, 2021 - 01:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC 264? T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC 264? Click here to buy tickets for UFC 264
What channel is UFC 264 on? BT Sport Box Office (£19.99) BT Sport 2 (prelims)
Where can I stream UFC 264? 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!
OMARI AKHMEDOV VS BRAD TAVARES LOWDOWN
Omari Akhmedov (21-5-1) continues to steadily add studs to his record. He has quietly gone about his business in the middleweight division and the only fighter he has lost to since 2016 is Chris Weidman who out wrestled him to a unanimous decision last August. After he got knocked out by Sergio Moraes (2015) and the Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (2016) he notched up decisions over Kyle Noke, Abdul Razak Alhassan, Tim Boetsch, Zak Cummings and Ian Heinisch including fighting to a draw with Marvin Vettori in 2017. He has fought once since his loss to Weidman, and it was a wild one for his standards and he came out victorious against Tom Breese submitting him in the second round.
Brad Tavares (18-6) has also added some studs to his win column over the years but has not quite been as consistent as Akhmedov. He made his UFC debut all the way back in 2010 and has a healthy record of 13-5. He has not been terribly active suffering injuries but between 2016-2018 he picked up four good dubs in a row over Caio Mahalhaes, Elias Theodorou, Thales Leites and Krzysztof Jotko. However, that forced him into Israel Adesanya’s path to the title losing a unanimous decision and then got knocked out by Edmen Shahbazyan. That was in 2019 and he returned in January this year to pick up a quality unanimous decision over Antonio Carlos Junior.
OMARI AKHMEDOV VS BRAD TAVARES PREDICTION
This is low down on the card, but it will be high-level mixed martial arts. We expect the first round to play out on the feet and depending on how the exchanges go, Akhmedov will call upon his wrestling.
He has a clear advantage in the grappling department and Tavares is a slick and seasoned striker. Akhmedov is a quality striker himself and will test his skills but we expect Tavares to get the better of the exchanges, landing more significant strikes which will force Akhmedov to shoot in.
Tavares will make Akhmedov work very hard for the takedown as he has excellent defence, but we believe the Russian will manage to secure one at some point and maintain control on the mat. The longer he waits, the more openings Tavares will have but we are backing him to subdue him long enough to sway the judges for another decision.
Prediction: Akhmedov via Decision
