We’re back for another prediction and pick for UFC 295: Prochazka vs. Pereira as we begin the Preliminary Card with a banger in the Lightweight (155 lb) Division. Two Contender Series standouts will face off as Brooklyn’s own Nazim Sadykhov will take on Team Alpha Male’s Viacheslav Borshchev. Check out our UFC odds series for our Sadykhov-Borshchev prediction and pick.
Nazim Sadykhov (9-1) has gone 2-0 in his UFC fights after earning a contract with a stellar knockout on Dana White’s Contender Series. He won his debut after cutting Evan Elder and forcing a doctor’s stoppage and followed up with an impressive submission over Terrance McKinney. He now turns his attention towards a willing striker in Borshchev and hopes to deliver in front of his home crowd. Sadykhov stands 5’10” with a 69-inch reach.
Viacheslav Borshchev (7-3) has split his UFC fights at 2-2 since earning a contract on Contender Series back in 2021. His debut was extremely impressive as he won with a liver shot knockout. He lost back-to-back unanimous decisions after that, but bounced back with another knockout win over Maheshate in his last fight. Now, he comes into hostile territory looking for another striking affair with a willing dance partner. Borshchev stands 5’11” with a 69-inch reach.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
UFC 295 Odds: Nazim Sadykhov-Viacheslav Borshchev Odds
Nazim Sadykhov: -122
Viacheslav Borshchev: +102
Over 2.5 rounds: +114
Under 2.5 rounds: -145
How to Watch Nazim Sadykhov vs. Viacheslav Borshchev
TV: ESPNEWS
Stream: ESPN+, Watch ESPN
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT (Prelims)
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Why Nazim Sadykhov Will Win
Nazim Sadykhov has been a UFC-ready prospect for a while now and much of that can be credited to his training and team at Longo Weidman MMA. Ray Longo is known to produce absolute killers out of his gym and Nazim Sadykhov is no different. He’s a vicious striker with fast hands and lands over four significant strikes per minute. His defense is very technical and he does a good job of avoiding clean shots. He hasn’t had to wrestle much up until this point, but he’s confident in his grappling abilities from his longtime training at Serra Longo.
For this fight, he’ll undoubtedly be looking negate his opponent’s striking and get him to the ground. They have very similar striking statistics and both land with significant power, so defense will be key for Sadykhov to get this win. He lost his first professional MMA fight and has gone a perfect 9-0 since then. As an undefeated fighter, Sadykhov’s confidence is through the roof and he’ll be pressing the action against Borshchev. We saw Borshchev struggle with grappling during his losses and he can certainly be hit if Sadykhov finds the target. Expect the Brooklyn native to fight a very sound fight defensively as the crowd will be fully behind him in this one.
Why Viacheslav Borshchev Will Win
Viacheslav Borshchev struggled during his two back-to-back losses and it’s clear that he still has some work to do on the ground if he wants to stay competitive against talented grapplers. However, we paired with an equally willing striker, Borshchev goes all-out with his combinations and throw with a ton of power behind them. While he’s not the most imposing figure, he lands his shots with great accuracy and will not discriminate in going to the body. His takedown defense isn’t great at 35%, so he may be in for a long night if Sadykhov decides to work the grappling. Still, if he can stand in the pocket and keep walking towards Sadykhov with combinations, he should be able to win this fight.
The grappling discrepancy here will be rather significant, so Viacheslav Borshchev should look to keep this fight standing at all costs. If they can stay in striking range, Borshchev stands a chance to finish this fight on the feet. He has yet to be finished in his career, so there’s a great chance we could see him fight to a decision. If that’s the case, Borshchev will have to decidedly win in the striking numbers and cause noticeable damage to Sadykhov.
Final Nazim Sadykhov-Viacheslav Borshchev Prediction & Pick
This is going to be a great fight in terms of skills as both of these fighters are relatively similar in terms of their striking numbers. Both guys have to power to knock each other out, but neither fighter has been knocked out in their career. If this fight remains on the feet for all three rounds, it might as well be a coin toss as to who will control the dance. However, I believe Nazim Sadykhov and his 100% takedown accuracy will be the difference in this fight.
Ray Longo will have a solid game plan for Sadykhov in this one and I expect it to fully include shooting for a takedown early. Sadykhov is a great grappler and has two submission wins, so he’ll have the clear advantage on the ground and will want to get this fight down as soon as possible. For our prediction, let’s go with Nazim Sadykhov as he has more ways to win this fight.
Final Nazim Sadykhov-Viacheslav Borshchev Prediction & Pick: Nazim Sadykhov (-122)
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