Tag: Amir Albazi

UFC Edmonton Betting Odds: Current Favorites For Moreno vs. Albazi, Blanchfield vs. Namajunas, & More

UFC Edmonton is almost upon us, and MMA News is here to keep you updated with the current odds for this weekend’s lineup. The upcoming event takes place Saturday, November 2, at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The main card begins at 7 PM ET/4 PM PT, with the preliminary card starting at 4 […]

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UFC Edmonton is almost upon us, and MMA News is here to keep you updated with the current odds for this weekend’s lineup.

The upcoming event takes place Saturday, November 2, at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The main card begins at 7 PM ET/4 PM PT, with the preliminary card starting at 4 PM ET/1 PM PT.

Topping the lineup will be former two-time UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno, who will look to bounce back from consecutive split decision losses at the hands of Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Royval when he competes in the “Great White North.” To Accomplish that feat, the Mexican fan favorite is tasked with stalling the surge of 17-1 contender Amir Albazi.

Before they go to battle, the co-main event will see ex-strawweight queen Rose Namajunas make the walk for the third time this year. If she’s to make it three flyweight wins in a row and stake her claim for a shot at two-division glory, “Thug Rose” must send the #3-ranked Erin Blanchfield to the first losing skid of her career.

Also set to make the walk on Saturday will be the likes of heavyweight knockout artist Derrick Lewis, welterweight prospect Mike Malott, bantamweight veteran Pedro Munhoz, and the always entertaining Charles Jourdain.

UFC Edmonton: Moreno vs. Albazi Betting Odds

Listed below are the latest betting odds for UFC Edmonton (as of 10/31), courtesy of DraftKings.

Main Card:

  • Brandon Moreno (-175) vs. Amir Albazi (+145)
  • Erin Blanchfield (-130) vs. Rose Namajunas (+110)
  • Derrick Lewis (+145) vs. Jhonata Diniz (-175)
  • Caio Machado (-148) vs. Brendson Ribeiro (+124)
  • Marc-André Barriault (-205) vs. Dustin Stoltzfus (+170)
  • Mike Malott (-185) vs. Trevin Giles (+230)

Preliminary Card:

  • Aiemann Zahabi (-125) vs. Pedro Munhoz (+105)
  • Ariane Lipski (+120) vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius (-230)
  • Charles Jourdain (-142) vs. Victor Henry (+120)
  • Jack Shore (+250) vs. Youssef Zalal (-310)
  • Alexandr Romanov (-102) vs. Rodrigo Nascimento (-118)
  • Serhiy Sidey (-142) vs. Garrett Armfield (+120)
  • Chad Anheliger (+160) vs. Cody Gibson (-192)
  • Jamey-Lyn Horth (-218) vs. Ivana Petrovic (+180)

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Alexandre Pantoja Predicts Moreno vs. Albazi Winner At UFC Edmonton

This weekend in Edmonton, top five flyweights meet in the main event as Amir Albazi looks for his biggest win to date when facing the former champion, Brandon Moreno. We already know who Alexander Pantoja’s next title challenger is but either man can put themselves in the mix with a win here. For Moreno, it’s […]

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This weekend in Edmonton, top five flyweights meet in the main event as Amir Albazi looks for his biggest win to date when facing the former champion, Brandon Moreno. We already know who Alexander Pantoja’s next title challenger is but either man can put themselves in the mix with a win here.

For Moreno, it’s going to be hard for him to earn a shot at Pantoja after losing to the Brazilian champion three times in his career. It’s still important for the Mexican star to bounce back here following his loss to Brandon Royval in February.

Albazi is one of the few new contenders at the top of the rankings who would provide a new challenge for Pantoja, assuming that the champion is able to retain the title in his fight with Kai Asakura at UFC 310 in December. He’s riding a five-fight winning streak since signing with the UFC and adding Moreno to that list will put him within reach.

In a recent interview with Sherdog, Pantoja gave his thoughts on how he sees this weekend’s main event playing out. He also spoke about how he sees a fight against the winner playing out if it does happen down the line.

“I think Albazi has more chance to get the victory. He’s very close to fight for the belt, I think he not gonna miss the opportunity, you know. Moreno is an incredible fighter, former champ, but maybe Albazi want more in that moment. Albazi maybe want more and his grappling is very good. I don’t know if Moreno can defend the takedown shots. I don’t know if Moreno, his boxing, can work against Albazi because Albazi moves a lot, he has very good wrestling.

“I think that fight is going to be a decision for Albazi and I don’t want to say like if you have an easy fight or something like that but I like to grapple. I think in that moment right now, a grappler for me, it’s a perfect fight. It’s a good challenge of course, all is different but I have very good jiu-jitsu and I’m very comfortable in the ground game.”

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Breaking – Brandon Moreno set to fight Amir Albazi in UFC Mexico City co-Headliner in February return

Brandon Moreno set to fight Amir Albazi at UFC Mexico City five rounds February 24Former undisputed flyweight champion, Brandon Moreno is set for his return to the Octagon, taking co-main event honors at…

Brandon Moreno set to fight Amir Albazi at UFC Mexico City five rounds February 24

Former undisputed flyweight champion, Brandon Moreno is set for his return to the Octagon, taking co-main event honors at a UFC Fight Night Mexico City event on February 24. next – taking on surging contender, Amir Albazi in a five round clash.

Moreno, a former undisputed and interim flyweight champion, has been sidelined since he dropped his undisputed title at UFC 290 back in July in the co-main event of the International Fight Week event, dropping a close split decision loss to the incumbent in the pair’s Octagon rematch.

As for Albazi, the Iraq native has captured the number three rank in the official flyweight pile, most recently turning in a split decision win over common-foe and former interim title challenger, Kai Kara-France in the main event of UFC Vegas 74 back in June, The victory came as Albazi’s fifth in the Octagon since his debut back in 2020.

Brandon Moreno takes on Amir Albazi at UFC Mexico City

ESPN Deportes reporter, Carlos Contreras Legaspi was first to report the targeted bout between Brandon Moreno and Amir Albazi, before latter confirmation from Eurosport reporter, Marcel Dorff, who confirmed the bout would take place on February 24. in a Mexico City return for the UFC. 

Moreno, a former two-time undisputed flyweight champion under the banner of the UFC, first captured Octagon spoils with a stunning rear-naked choke submission win over incoming UFC Austin feature, Deiveson Figueriedo back in 2021, before dropping the title in a third fight against the Brazilian the following January.

Minting himself as the interim flyweight titleholder with a vicious body kick KO win over Kara-France in the pair’s rematch, Moreno would land a doctor’s stoppage TKO win over Figueriedo in the pair’s fourth fight in January of last year, before losing his title to Pantoja in the summer. 

17-1 as a professional, former Brave CF standout, Albazi debuted in the UFC with a rear-naked choke submission win over Malcolm Gordon, before then lodging a decision win over Zhalgas Zhumagulov in his sophomore outing.

In three consecutive victories since then, Albazi, 30, has defeated Francisco Figueriedo, Alessandro Costa, and the aforenoted, Kara-France. 

Who wins at UFC Mexico City: Brandon Moreno or Amir Albazi?

Israel Adesanya calls out judges for controversial split decision at UFC Vegas 74: ‘F*ck them c*nts’

Israel AdesanyaIsrael Adesanya was left absolutely fuming after teammate Kai Kara-France came up short on the judges’ scorecards Saturday night. On the cusp of a bantamweight world title fight, Kara-France entered the UFC Vegas 74 headliner determined to make a statement en route to an inevitable championship opportunity. Instead, ‘Don’t Blink’ saw his opponent, Amir Albazi, […]

Israel Adesanya

Israel Adesanya was left absolutely fuming after teammate Kai Kara-France came up short on the judges’ scorecards Saturday night.

On the cusp of a bantamweight world title fight, Kara-France entered the UFC Vegas 74 headliner determined to make a statement en route to an inevitable championship opportunity. Instead, ‘Don’t Blink’ saw his opponent, Amir Albazi, leave Las Vegas with the biggest win of his career via a split decision. Fans online were seemingly split with many suggesting Albazi’s control time was the deciding factor despite Kara-France landing 56 more significant strikes throughout the 25-minute duration.

Reacting to the somewhat controversial decision, Israel Adesanya unleashed his wrath on embattled judges Chris Lee and Sal D’Amato who awarded Albazi the win with identical 48-47 scores.

“Nah bro…F*ck yous!!!” Adesanya wrote on Twitter in the first of four scathing tweets. He followed that up with another post that took aim at the two judges in question. “Fire Chris Lee & Sal Deez nuts,” Adesanya continued in a second message.

‘The Last Stylebender’ was far from done.

“I tweeted that before even seeing the scorecards because I knew them two will f*ck it up!!” Adesanya wrote in a third tweet. “How many times will they rob athletes of their moments of glory, of [sic] their money, their livelihood for their family? F*ck them c*nts, they need to expire quickly and go. Mike Bell was the only judge to score this properly, the other two deff need to disappear.”

Israel Adesanya posted a fourth, and much more tame tweet, suggesting that judges should publicly address their reasoning behind questionable scores while facing consequences for handing fights to competitors that clearly didn’t earn the victory.

“Start interviewing the judges after fights,” Adesanya wrote. “Hold them accountable for their work.”

Israel Adesanya May Be Biased, but Is He Wrong?

Of course, there is a bit of bias as Israel Adesanya and Kai Kara-France are both teammates under the City Kickboxing banner in New Zealand. ‘Stylebender’ had a similar response following the loss of teammate Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 in February. The Great’ went toe-to-toe with reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev for five rounds and in the eyes of many, did more than enough damage to secure a win over the Dagestani destroyer.

In Saturday’s main event, Amir Albazi had 6:10 of control time during the 25-minute affair but failed to do any damage aside from a very tight rear-naked choke submission attempt that Kara-France was able to work his way out of. When it comes to the top criteria, damage, ‘Don’t Blink’ was significantly ahead. The Kiwi landed 99 significant strikes compared to 43 from Albazi. Total strikes were even further apart with Kara-Frace landing 133 versus 64. Kara-France also scored two takedowns in two attempts while Albazi officially landed one out of nine. Kara France also out-landed Albazi in all five rounds.

Do you agree with Israel Adesanya’s assessment of last night’s decision?

Amir Albazi snags split decision win over Kai Kara-France, calls for flyweight title shot – UFC Vegas 74 Highlights

Kai Kara-FranceKai Kara-France and Amir Albazi put on a show in the UFC Vegas 74 main event. The two top-10 flyweight standouts went toe-to-toe for a full 25 minutes on Saturday night at The APEX, but only one man was able to walk out with his hand raised and a potential title opportunity in his future. […]

Kai Kara-France

Kai Kara-France and Amir Albazi put on a show in the UFC Vegas 74 main event.

The two top-10 flyweight standouts went toe-to-toe for a full 25 minutes on Saturday night at The APEX, but only one man was able to walk out with his hand raised and a potential title opportunity in his future. Kai Kara-France and Albazi put on a five-round striking clinic that saw each fighter find their share of moments, but it was Kara-Frace who had the superior movement, allowing him to jump ahead early in the significant strike totals.

While the Kiwi had striking totals on his side, Albazi was arguably landing the bigger blows, making the scorecards relatively unpredictable after the first two rounds. ‘The Prince’ was able to get things down to the ground in round three, taking Kara-France’s back and slapping on a body lock. With less than a minute to go, Kara-France was able to fight back up to his feet and reverse position, sliding into the guard of Albazi where he remained for the final 30 seconds of the third.

With the fourth round being incredibly close, both fighters came out with a sense of urgency in the fifth and final round. Kara-France went on the attack early prompting Albazi to change levels and work for a takedown but was unsuccessful in taking things to the ground. The final three minutes saw both fighters letting their hands go and giving the fans in Las Vegas a show. By the time the final bell rang, Kara-France had swelled to a -400 favorite after landing 38 more significant strikes than the opposition, but did the judges see it that way?

Official Result: Amir Albazi def. Kai Kara-France via split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47)

Check Out Highlights From Kai Kara-France vs. Amir Albazi at UFC Vegas 74 Below:

Brandon Moreno Set To Return In UFC Fight Night Edmonton Main Event On Nov. 2

Former two-time UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno will bring his brief layoff to an end in the “Great White North” later this year. The changes keep on coming for the promotion’s return to Edmonton in Canada on November 2. When the card was originally announced, a flyweight showdown between Rose Namajunas and Erin Blanchfield was […]

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Former two-time UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno will bring his brief layoff to an end in the “Great White North” later this year.

The changes keep on coming for the promotion’s return to Edmonton in Canada on November 2. When the card was originally announced, a flyweight showdown between Rose Namajunas and Erin Blanchfield was set as the main event, with heavyweights Derrick Lewis and Alexandr Romanov co-headlining.

But after the latter of those bouts was split in two to create fresh matchups, the UFC Fight Night in Alberta now has a new headline pairing.

UFC CEO Dana White revealed in a social media video this week that Mexico’s Moreno (21-8-2) will make his return in the main event for a rearranged clash against rising contender Amir Albazi (17-1).

Moreno Looks To End Losing Skid, Albazi’s Perfect UFC Record

When he makes the walk this November, Moreno will be looking to break his first losing skid since 2018.

“The Assassin Baby” enjoyed a strong start to 2023, regaining the flyweight gold from longtime rival Deiveson Figueiredo six months on from an interim title win over Kai Kara-France. But as was the case with his first reign, Moreno fell short in his attempt at recording a successful defense, with Alexandre Pantoja emerging victorious from their Fight of the Year war at UFC 290.

The Mexican return this past February for an appearance on home soil, where he was scheduled to do battle with Albazi. But after an injury forced the Iraqi out, Moreno fell on the wrong side of a narrow split decision against replacement opponent Brandon Royval.

While he announced plans to take an extended period away from the cage to recharge, Moreno will be back in action just nine months later, looking for his matchup with Albazi to make it to the cage at the second time of trying.

For “The Prince,” the Nov. 2 headliner marks the opportunity for him to stake his claim for a first shot at title glory on MMA’s biggest stage. The former Brave CF standout has gone 5-0 in the Octagon thus far, most recently outpointing Kara-France in a tight five-round main event at the Apex in June 2023.

With this addition, the fights currently expected to take place at UFC Fight Night Edmonton on Nov. 2 are as follows:

  • Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi (flyweight main event)
  • Erin Blanchfield vs. Rose Namajunas (women’s flyweight co-main event)
  • Derrick Lewis vs. Jhonata Diniz (heavyweight)
  • Pedro Munhoz vs. Aiemann Zahabi (bantamweight)
  • Ariane da Silva vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius (women’s flyweight)
  • Mike Malott vs. Trevin Giles (welterweight)
  • Marc-André Barriault vs. Dustin Stoltzfus (middleweight)
  • Serhiy Sidey vs. Garrett Armfield (bantamweight)
  • Alexandr Romanov vs. Rodrigo Nascimento (heavyweight)
  • Chad Anheliger vs. Cody Gibson (bantamweight)
  • Jamey-Lyn Horth vs. Ivana Petrovi? (women’s flyweight)
  • Caio Machado vs. Brendson Ribeiro (light heavyweight)
Amir Albazi
Image: UFC/Zuffa LLC

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