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UFC 294: Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski 2 continues on the prelims with a fight in the middleweight division between Abu Azaitar and Sedriques Dumas. Azaitar is back in action after being on the shelf for over two years and is coming off a loss his last time out meanwhile, Dumas was able to get his first UFC victory when he defeated Cody Brundage who took the fight on short notice. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Azaitar-Dumas prediction and pick.
Abu Azatair (14-3) is coming off a very long layoff after being beatdown by Marc-Andre Barriault in his last fight at UFC 260 back in March 2021. He also has fought only twice since joining the UFC back in 2018 and has a 1-1 record with the promotion. He now gets to take on Sedriques Dumas as he attempts to get back into the win column and kickstart his UFC career this weekend at UFC 294.
Sedriques Dumas (8-1) got a contract after making quick work of his opponent on the Contender Series only to drop his UFC debut against Josh Fremd who was too big of a step up for Dumas at that point of his career. He has since been able to get his first win inside the octagon against Cody Brundage and is looking to get on the first winning streak of his UFC career when he takes on Abu Azaitar in Abu Dhabi this weekend.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC 294 Odds: Abu Azaitar-Sedriques Dumas Odds
Abu Azaitar: +200
Sedriques Dumas: -245
Over 1.5 Rounds: -160
Under 1.5 Rounds: +124
How to Watch Abu Azaitar vs. Sedriques Dumas
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 10:00 a.m. ET/ 7:00 a.m. PT (Prelims)
Article Continues Below
Why Abu Azaitar Will Win
Abu Azaitar returns to the octagon after being out of commission for over two years and only fighting twice in the last five years. He does his best work on the feet where he is able to land heavy strikes to potentially knock out the opposition. Of his 14 wins, seven of them have come by knockout. Luckily for him, he has a willing dance partner to duke it out in the center of the octagon until one of them eventually falls.
In Azaitar ‘s last fight, Barriault's pressure and volume were deemed too much for him as he ultimately was finished due to strikes in the third round. Dumas is a powerful striker but doesn't possess the volume that Barriault has and is also prone to takedowns which is something that Azaitar has in his back pocket if he needs it. If Azaitar can even resemble a glimpse of what he did when he had his UFC debut against Vitor Miranda he can upset Dumas and get back into the win column over 2.5 years later.
Why Sedriques Dumas Will Win
Sedriques Dumas looked like a promising prospect when he defeated Matej Penaz with a guillotine choke just 47 seconds into the first round. He made his UFC debut seven months but was defeated by Josh Fremd who took the fight on short notice after his original fight against Abu Azatair was canceled as Azatair withdrew from the contest. He now finally gets to face off against Azaitar for his third fight in 2023 and on the biggest stage of his career.
Dumas has the intangibles to win this fight as he has the height and reach advantages against Azaitar and has some sneaky submissions if he needs them. If Dumas can keep this fight at kicking range he will be able to do his best work there utilizing his long-range attacks like his kicks that have knocked out multiple fighters in his career. It's up to him to keep this fight on the feet and to maintain his distance to pick up win number two inside the octagon.
Final Abu Azaitar-Sedriques Dumas Prediction & Pick
This middleweight fight has fireworks written all over it between these two heavy-handed strikers. Azatair is looking to make up for time lost when he fights in front of his home crowd in Abu Dhabi. Azaitar has shown glimpses of being a good fighter during his time in the octagon but only fighting twice in five years and now coming off over a two-year layoff at age 37 are all massive red flags. Dumas on the other hand is still quite green with only nine professional fights and could fail here if he is not firing on all cylinders but he has the intangibles to make this a tough fight for Azaitar to come back to. Ultimately, his size, power, and youth of Dumas should overcome the experience edge that Aztair possesses as he gets on the first winning streak of his UFC career by knocking out Azaitar at UFC 294.
Final Abu Azaitar-Sedriques Dumas Prediction & Pick: Sedriques Dumas (-245), Over 1.5 Rounds (-160)
