The MMA Daily

We have an important fight in the Bantamweight divison, as Tony Gravely takes on Javid Basharat. A winner of two straight and four of the last five, Gravely comes into this bout with excellent momentum. With an opportunity to best an undefeated fighter, Gravely could push conversation about cracking the division’s top fifteen or getting a ranked opponent next. Meanwhile, Basharat comes into this fight off a successful UFC debut over Trevin Jones. Still undefeated and very talented, Basharat will have to get past a stiff test in second UFC appearance. Should he prevail, Basharat could very well be fastracked against a ranked foe next.

One of the more intriguing and tougher fights to call, I’m going to side with Basharat. While I recognize that Gravely is a solid wrestler, who is among the all-time leaders in the Bantamweight division in both takedowns and takedown accuracy, Basharat has the takedown defense and scrambling abilities to stifle the American. The one edge I give Gravely though, is that he has power, as we saw in his last fight against Johnny Munoz Jr. However, Basharat is defensively sound. With excellent output and cardio too, the workhorse is known to be able to go a hard fifteen. Which is notable, as Gravely’s gas tank has been compromised in the past. With that said, I predict that Basharat will scramble his way into top position, eventually locking in a fight ending submission.