The MMA Daily

We have a pivotal fight in the Bantamweight division, as Said Nurmagomedov takes on Douglas Silva de Andrade. Since dropping his first fight in the UFC back in 2019, Nurmagomedov has rattled off two straight wins. Looking as impressive as ever in each fight, Nurmagomedov stopped both opponents within 51 seconds. Eyeing the division’s top fifteen, with a victory, don’t be surprised to see Nurmagomedov with a number next to his name. Meanwhile, de Andrade has won two straight and three of the last four. Weathering an early storm in his most recent fight, the Brazilian dug deep and pulled off an exceptional comeback over Sergey Morozov. Formerly a Flyweight, de Andrade has adjusted well at Bantamweight and with a victory, could fins himself fighting a top fifteen foe next.

Despite the odds heavily favoring Nurmagomedov, de Andrade has never been an easy out. In thirty-two professional fights, de Andrade has only lost four times. Of those four, his opponents have combined for a 47-6-1 record. A striker, with legitimate power in his hands, de Andrade has won by knockout in twenty of his twenty-eight wins. With excellent takedown defense, physical strength and top notch durability, de Andrade has the ability to give anyone fits. However, Nurmagomedov is beginning to evolve into a future contender. Over the past two fights, Nurmagomedov has stopped both foes under a minute. That includes Cody Stamann, who had only been stopped once in twenty-five fights. An impressive striker, with a dynamic skillset, Nurmagomedov has largely been one to outpoint opponents. With this recent string of finishes, Nurmagomedov is one to watch out for.

As for a prediction, I have Nurmagomedov winning. Aside from his iffy cardio, Nurmagomedov is the better of the two on the feet. Obviously de Andrade packs a bigger punch, but he can often be very inaccurate. Given Nurmagomedov is defensively sound, those woes will be enhanced this fight. Over the course of fifteen minutes, I expect Nurmagomedov to outpoint the Brazilian to a decision victory.