UFC on ESPN Odds, Preview & Betting Guide: Rafael dos Anjos vs. Rafael Fiziev (2022)

Jul 8, 2022 - 10:26 AM

Following a great night of fights at UFC 276 at T-Mobile Arena, the UFC will return to its home at the UFC Apex on Saturday for another great card. Atop the card, a pair of top-10 lightweights in Rafael dos Anjos and Rafael Fiziev will go at it in an increasingly crowded division.

Let’s take a closer look at both fighters and how things might shake out.

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Betting Profile: Rafael dos Anjos (31-13-0)

Last Five Fights (W-W-L-L-W)

Joining the UFC all the way back in 2008 at UFC 91, dos Anjos has fought a who’s who of the sport with fights against the likes of Khabib (loss), Cowboy Cerrone (win) and Nate Diaz (win), to name a few. A former lightweight champion, dos Anjos is certainly on the back nine of his career, but a recent two-fight win streak against Paul Felder and Renato Moicano gives him cause for hope.

Entering this fight, dos Anjos does hold the edge on the ground, with a 1.99 takedown average per 15 minutes compared to just .48 from Fiziev. He also holds the submission edge at .56 per 15 minutes (vs. 0).

Betting Profile: Rafael Fiziev (11-1-0)

Last Five Fights (W-W-W-W-W)

In addition to his elite striking, Fiziev’s most significant asset in this fight might be his youth and general lack of wear. Joining the UFC in April 2019, Fiziev lost via first-round TKO to Magomed Mustafaev but has since rattled off five straight wins, including recent ones over Bobby Green and Brad Riddell.

Coming into this fight against dos Anjos, Fiziev has a sizeable advantage in significant striking volume, landing 5.35 per minute vs. 3.63 from dos Anjos. He’s also slightly more accurate in his takedowns at 50% vs. just 37% from dos Anjos.

Bottom Line

With his latest win over Riddell, Fiziev entered the top 10 in the division for the first time, and a win here would move up within a distance of the top five (dos Anjos #7). Currently sitting at -210 (Fiziev) from its opener of -200, the market seems to agree that the veteran dos Anjos can hold his own in this fight.

I, however, am not so sure. Entering the UFC with a first-round loss against Mustafaev might have been one of the better things to ever happen to Fiziev, who has since rattled off five straight wins, all but one dominant performance at that.

While seven of his 11 wins have come via TKO/KO, I think dos Anjos has enough left in the tank to hang in late, but ultimately not enough to defeat the younger, in-his-prime fighter.

Best Bet: Rafael Fiziev (-210 via DraftKings)

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The post UFC on ESPN Odds, Preview & Betting Guide: Rafael dos Anjos vs. Rafael Fiziev (2022) appeared first on BettingPros.








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