UFC Atlantic City: Erin Blanchfield vs. Manon Fiorot continues on the prelims with a fight in the featherweight division between Dennis Buzukja and promotional newcomer Connor Matthews. Buzukja is still searching for his first win inside the Octagon after dropping both of his fights meanwhile, Matthews is riding a two-fight winning streak while securing his contract on the Contender Series as he comes into his UFC debut this weekend. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Buzukja-Matthews prediction and pick.
Dennis Buzukja (11-4) has had a rough start to his UFC career dropping both of his fights inside the octagon. He stepped in on very short notice to take on the very dangerous and tough Sean Woodson and then in his next fight he had to take on UFC veteran Jamall Emmers who knocked him out in just 49 seconds. Buzukja will be looking to right the ship and finally get himself in the win column in the UFC with his back against the wall when he takes on promotional newcomer Dennis Buzukja at UFC Atlantic City.
Connor Matthews (7-1) didn't secure his contract in his first appearance on the Contender Series after dropping a hard-fought decision against Francis Marshall. He was then able to win a dominant win in his next fight, leading to his second appearance in the Contender Series, where he was impressed with a unanimous decision victory. Now, he makes his long-awaited UFC debut in Atlantic City, New Jersey when he takes on Dennis Buzukja.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of BetOnline.
UFC Atlantic City Odds: Dennis Buzukja-Connor Matthews Odds
Dennis Buzukja: -127
Connor Matthews: +107
Over 2.5 rounds: -160
Under 2.5 rounds: +130
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Why Dennis Buzukja Will Win
Dennis Buzukja got his first chance to secure a contract on the Contender Series back in 2020 when he took on now-current featherweight Melsik Baghdasaryan who he lost to via unanimous decision. It took seven straight wins and another win on the Contender Series for him to finally get the short-notice call-up to face off against Sean Woodson who he dropped a decision against. He subsequently was knocked out in less than a minute in his second appearance in the octagon and now will be fighting with his back against the wall when he takes on Connor Matthews this weekend at UFC Atlantic City.
Buzukja is a LAW MMA product training with the likes of Aljamain Sterling, Matt Frevola, and Merab Dvalishvili just to name a few, giving him a good foundation of training partners around him to succeed. He was thrown into the deep end right from the start of his UFC career but he is getting a much more forgiving matchup when he takes on Connor Matthews. While Matthews is still a threat, he certainly isn't a striker that is on the level of Jamall Emmers, Sean Woodson, and Melsik Baghdasaryan. Matthews is at his best when he's able to dictate the grappling but Buzukja has shown great takedown defense and if he can keep this fight upright he has the chance of finally getting his first UFC victory.
Why Connor Matthews Will Win
Connor Matthews made his first appearance on the Contender Series back in 2022 but lost via unanimous decision to Francis Marshall. He was then able to get back into the win column with a first-round submission at Combat Zone 79 which impressed Dana White giving him one more shot on the Contender Series which he didn't disappoint with a unanimous decision victory over then-unbeaten Jair Farias.
Now, Matthews will be making his UFC debut against another Northeast native Dennis Buzukja at UFC Atlantic City. This is the type of matchup that Matthews could excel in because Buzukja doesn't excel in one area but is decent just about everywhere. He is not going to overwhelm Matthews on the feet nor is he going to dominate him on the mat, that should give Matthews a ton of confidence coming into his debut fight. If he can fight similar to the way he did against Farias where he mixed it up and just brought the fight to him, he should wear on Buzukja and get the hard-fought victory.
Final Dennis Buzukja-Connor Matthews Prediction & Pick
These two featherweights are coming to make a statement as they look to climb the featherweight rankings. Both Buzukja and Matthews are well-rounded fighters which should make this a very closely-contested fight throughout. However, the experience of Buzukja coming into his third UFC fight can't be overlooked. If Buzukja can avoid being taken down he should have the bigger moments on the feet and take this win on the judge's scorecards to finally get his first UFC victory.
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Final Dennis Buzukja-Connor Matthews Prediction & Pick: Dennis Buzukja (-127), Over 2.5 Rounds (-160)
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