Contender Series Week 1: Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Wes Schultz continues with a fight in the light heavyweight division between Mikheil Sazhiniani and Bruno Lopes. Sazhiniani is riding a six-fight unbeaten streak with five of those six wins coming by KO/TKO meanwhile, Lopes will be looking to make a great second impression when he makes his return to the Contender Series after a second-round submission victory in his last fight. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Sazhiniani-Lopes prediction and pick.
Mikheil Sazhiniani (13-2) makes the walk to the Octagon on this season of the Contender Series with wins in each of his last six fights dating back to 2022. He has finished five of those six wins by KO/TKO making him a dangerous threat and will be looking to get yet another finish this time against Bruno Lopes to secure his contract on Tuesday night.
Bruno Lopes (12-1) didn’t have a great showing in his appearance on the Contender Series last season as he was knocked out by current UFC light heavyweight Brendson Ribeiro. Since that loss, Lopes got back into the win column with a rear-naked choke in the second round to defend his Legacy Fighting Alliance Light Heavyweight Championship. Now, Lopes will look to finally get the job done get his coveted UFC contract when he takes on the dangerous fighter from Georgia Mikhail Sazhiniani.
Here are the Contender Series UFC Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC Contender Series Odds: Mikheil Sazhiniani-Bruno Lopes Odds
Mikheil Sazhinian: +164
Bruno Lopes: -198
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Why Mikheil Sazhiniani Will Win
Mikheil Sazhiniani makes his Contender Series debut on the heels of six consecutive victories with five of those six victories coming by KO/TKO. Sazhiniani is another Georgian fighter that’s looking to get signed by the UFC and really show the fight fans that Georgia is one of the up-and-coming countries in terms of MMA talent. He puts his six-fight winning streak on the line when he takes on Brazil’s Bruno Lopes this Tuesday night.
Sazhiniani is a heavy-handed striker who likes to throw wild punches with the intent of getting a knockout with every strike he throws. Sometimes he will throw himself into the fire just so that he can land his heavy strikes which has worked out for him numerous times in the past. Going against a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt in Lopes it will be best to utilize his grappling to keep this fight on the feet and land those knockout blows. Seeing as Lopes was knocked out in his last appearance on the Contender Series that will be his avenue to victory in this matchup.
Why Bruno Lopes Will Win
Bruno Lopes attempted to secure his UFC contract in the last season of the Contender Series but was knocked out by current UFC light heavyweight competitor Brendson Ribeiro. However, Lopes was able to bounce back in his return to the LFA cage where he successfully defended his LFA Light Heavyweight Championship with a second-round rear-naked choke. Lopes hopes the second time is the charm when he takes on Georgia’s Mikheil Sazhiniani to open the new season of the Contender Series.
Lopes saw his UFC hopes slip away with a brutal first-round knockout in his first appearance on the Contender Series last season. He elected to strike with Ribeiro which ultimately cost him the fight after he was clipped early. While Lopes is a heavy-handed striker in his own right, the path to victory in this matchup against Sazhiniani lies in his grappling. He will need to be the aggressor, find his openings, and time the takedowns when Sazhiniani over-extends on his wild strikes. If Lopes can land the takedown early and get on top he should be able to finish the fight shortly thereafter with yet another submission victory on his resume.
Final Mikheil Sazhiniani-Bruno Lopes Prediction & Pick
This light heavyweight matchup should be an absolute banger for however long it lasts. Both Lopes and Sazhiniani have the ability to land one punch and end it well as well as have the ground to get the finish there as well making this fight heavily favored to not see the judge’s scorecards. Ultimately, Sazhiniani will be pressing the action early looking to take the fight to Lopes but Lopes will take advantage of his eagerness and take him down and from there that’s where Lopes will dominate Sazhiniani eventually getting to a dominant position and submit him to get the victory and secure his UFC contract.
Final Mikheil Sazhiniani-Bruno Lopes Prediction & Pick: Bruno Lopes (-198)
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