Alexander Volkov and Tom Aspinall will lock heads in the main event of the UFC London which will be taking place at the O2 Arena. In the preliminary card opener, UFC have placed a massive Flyweight fight, where Muhammad Mokaev will be taking on Cody Durden.
Muhammad Mokaev is just 21-years-old and coming off a second round submission win over Blaine O’Driscoll at BRAVE CF 54. He is the former IMAAF bantamweight champion and also holds a notable win over Abdul Hussein. Mokaev was born in Dagestan but trains in England now, so this will also be a homecoming fight for him.
Cody Durden picked up his first UFC win back at UFC Vegas 43 where he edged out a close decision over Aoriqileng. A win over the budding prospect Mokaev would mean Durdan finally sets himself on a winning streak and on route to building up his UFC legacy.
Muhammad Mokaev vs Cody Durden Stats
Muhammad Mokaev
Win/Losses: 6/0
Height/Reach: 5 ft 7 inches/ N/A
Stance: Orthodox
Cody Durden
Win/Losses: 12/3
Height/Reach: 5 ft 7 inches/ 67 inches
Stance: Southpaw
Muhammad Mokaev vs Cody Durden Fight Breakdown and Prediction
Cody Durden is a well-rounded and high-output fighter. His strikes are not the most technical and crisp but they serve to overwhelm his opponents and provide the openings he needs to shoot for the takedown. Typically he likes to put his foot on the gas at the opening bell and he favors a lead hand approach to his boxing.
Mokaev is a dominant grappler and someone who hunts for the back. However, starting on the feet, Mokaev is much more mobile and slick. One of his biggest strengths as a fighter is his confidence in reversals, he will strike in order to draw out his opponent’s takedown attempts because he almost always succeeds in defending, reversing, and ending up on top.
We believe that Mokaev is technically better on the feet, and although both are solid wrestlers, Mokaev’s transitional wrestling sets him apart. Durdon has a better cardio and endurance game so should they engage on the feet for extended time we think that Mokaev’s success slowly drops, but if he wants to put Durden on the mat it’s far more likely than the other way around.
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