Said Nurmagomedov and Vinicius Oliveira meet Saturday on the UFC Fight Night 250 main card at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
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Said Nurmagomedov vs. Vinicius Oliveira UFC Fight Night 250 preview
Nurmagomedov (18-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) enters his first fight in over 15 months. His last appearance was a first-round submission over Muin Gafurov at UFC 294. In the fight prior, Jonathan Martinez snapped his four-fight winning streak that included three stoppages. … Oliveira (21-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has quickly turned heads following his impressive performance on Dana White’s Contender Series and a flying knee knockout of Bernardo Sopaj in his UFC debut. He enters this matchup following a unanimous decision over Ricky Simon in his sophomore appearance.
Said Nurmagomedov vs. Vinicius Oliveira UFC Fight Night 250 expert pick, prediction
Serving as a solid offering at bantamweight is a matchup between Nurmagomedov and Oliveira.
Although it’s rare to see fans fading someone with the last name Nurmagomedov, Oliveira possesses plenty of the attributes that tend to attract MMA gamblers.
Fighting like he knows exactly what his advantages are, Oliveira is a flashy and wild striker who is insulated by his athleticism and insane size for the division. Nurmagomedov looks to have a submission and wrestling edge over his Brazilian counterpart, but Oliveira has shown an ability to scramble from negative positions and unleash hellacious ground-and-pound from topside.
On the feet, Oliveira looks like an ultra-violent version of Dominick Cruz with how he weaves his head and trunk movement into strikes. “Lok Dog” also loves to throw leg kicks with reckless abandon and will spin when feeling in stride.
That said, Oliveira will be facing a spinning connoisseur who can counter kicks, which could be problematic from a stylistic perspective. Add in the fact that Nurmagomedov will be able to offer some size parity, and I’ll side with the more experienced fighter to win the day.
I see Oliveira being extra live to upset the apple cart if this fight hits the final frame, but I’ll officially pick Nurmagomedov to win via knockout by scoring either a spinning backfist or a spinning sidekick by Round 2.
Said Nurmagomedov vs. Vinicius Oliveira UFC Fight Night 250 odds
Despite the oddsmakers opening this line a bit wider, public money has been coming in on the underdog, listing Nurmagomedov -176 and Oliveira +142 via FanDuel.
Said Nurmagomedov vs. Vinicius Oliveira UFC Fight Night 250 start time, how to watch
Nurmagomedov and Oliveira are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 12:40 p.m. ET. The fight will stream on ESPN+.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 250.
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