The UFC is heading back out west for a stacked UFC fight night event, UFC Kansas City. This is on the heels of one the best PPVs of the year UFC 287. We saw Israel Adesanya land the biggest right hand you will ever see in this sport to reclaim his middleweight championship.
On deck for this weekend is UFC Kansas City which is headlined by two top-five-ranked featherweight contenders, Max Holloway and Arnold Allen. Holloway has been no. 2 in the featherweight division ever since Alexander Volkanovski came to town and took his title. He hasn't lost to anyone but the current champ in the last 10 years at 145 lbs.
Holloway is set to take on Arnold “Almighty” Allen who has been rising the ranks since stepping foot inside the octagon. He is riding a 12-fight winning streak and is coming back-to-back wins against elite competition in Calvin Kattar and Dan Hooker. Allen is looking to get the biggest win of his career and a potential title shot when he takes on Max Holloway.
With that said, there are a ton of other great fights on this live fight night event in Kansas City. We take a look at the best underdog plays to place your bets on this Saturday night. Check out our UFC odds series for our underdog predictions and pick.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
UFC Kansas City Odds: Top Underdog Plays
Tanner Boser: +102
Arnold Allen: +152
Azamat Murzakanov: +144
Why Tanner Boser Could Win
Tanner Boser (20-9-1) finally makes his UFC light heavyweight debut as he takes on the always-dangerous Ion Cutelaba. Boser was very small compared to the other heavyweights on the roster. Now being at 205 lbs will suit him well in a matchup against a relentless grappler like Cutelaba.
He utilizes his speed and movement to counter what his opponents will try to do against him. This will make it hard for Cutelaba to corral Boser against the cage to take him to the mat. Also, Cutelaba has shown that if his opponent makes him work and gets him out of round one his chances to win decrease mightily. If Boser just makes Cutelaba work and gets him out of round one, he should finish him in the later rounds and get his fight win in his new weight class.
Why Arnold Allen Could Win
Arnold Allen (19-1) has been sneakily rising the ranks in the featherweight division but it was his last two fights that really put the division on notice. He is now riding a 12-fight winning streak and gets to take on his toughest adversary to date, Max Holloway.
Holloway has been “that guy” for a while now until Alexander Volkanovski wreaked havoc on the division. He is now playing second fiddle behind Volkanovski just beating all of the potential title challengers along the way. Allen has the potential to be the first one to give Holloway a loss other than Volkanovski.
He has the power to put a dent in that granite chin of Holloway as well as the heavy leg kicks which could hinder his movement as the fight progresses. Expect Allen to systematically break down Holloway until he lands a devastating shot to put him away late.
Why Azamat Murzakanov Could Win
Azamat Murzakanov (12-0) burst onto the scene with a knockout on Dana White Contender Series. He then proceeded to add two more highlight reel knockouts in his first two appearances in the Octagon. Murzakanov gets a big test when he takes on the very skilled striker in Dustin Jacoby.
He will be at a pretty big size disadvantage for this fight, giving up 5″ in height and 7″ in reach but he has shown even though he is the smaller fighter he is just as dangerous. He's got grappling to go along with his power, so the key to success here for him is to mix things up. If he is able to do that he has a great chance to cash in as a sizable underdog.
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