MMA Preview – Shamil Abdurakhimov vs Chris Daukaus at UFC 266
SHAMIL ABDURAKHIMOV VS CHRIS DAUKAUS FACTS
When is UFC 266? Sunday 26th September, 2021 - 01:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC 266? T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC 266? Click here to buy tickets for UFC 266
What channel is UFC 266 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC 266? 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!
SHAMIL ABDURAKHIMOV VS CHRIS DAUKAUS LOWDOWN
Shamil Abdurakhimov (20-5) last fought in 2019 when he got mauled and finished by Curtis Blaydes. Since then, he has had about six fights fall through. He couldn’t get a fight with Ciryl Gane for toffee with it falling through three times, but he should be grateful now seeing the Frenchman storm his way to an interim title. A bout with Augusto Sakai also fell through and this fight is third time lucky. He has become the forgotten man in the heavyweight division even though he has been slugging it out since 2015. His only losses in his last seven were to Derrick Lewis back in 2016 and that TKO to Blaydes which snapped a streak including impressive wins over Chase Sherman (KO), Andrei Arlovski (unanimous decision) and Marcin Tybura (TKO).
Chris Daukaus (10-3) is part of a new crop of young heavyweights the division has needed for some time, and he could not have started his UFC career any better. He has only lost once in his last 10 which was a TKO courtesy of Azunna Anyanwu in 2019. One head kick knockout later, he was in the UFC and up against Parker Porter. He dispatched him in the first round and followed suit knocking out Rodrigo Nascimento and Alexey Oleynik.
SHAMIL ABDURAKHIMOV VS CHRIS DAUKAUS PREDICTION
Daukaus has only gone to a decision once which was also the only time he has gone past the second round. So, it remains to be seen whether he can float past 10 minutes and Abdurakhimov could test that.
Daukaus is deceptively quick with rapid hands and is also dangerous at close range with an aggressive clinch. This has overwhelmed the majority of Daukaus’ opponents so far and it can easily happen to Abdurakhimov, so the Russian has to get out of the first round.
The best way to do this is to call upon his wrestling so he can wind down the clock, tire Daukuas out and put him in waters he has not been in before. If this goes into the third round, Daukaus will fade and Abdurakhimov will capitalise. If he wrestles, he could make this look easy, but his ring rust will not help him and if he starts slow, Daukaus will blitz him.
An early Daukaus win is the popular pick, but Abdurakhimov needs a couple takedowns to change the course of the fight. This is a hard one to pick, but we are backing the underdog.
Prediction: Abdurakhimov via Decision - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
Value Bet: Abdurakhimov to win
