UFC Heavyweight Division fighters Martin Buday and Shamil Gaziev will face each other in UFC 296. Buday has won all four of his fights in the UFC octagon and is on a 12-fight winning streak. On the other hand, Gaziev is still undefeated in all 11 of his professional bouts since making his UFC debut.
Martin signed a contract with Contender Series in 2021. He defeated Josh Parisien via first-round Kimura in August and maintained his undefeated streak. Shamil Gaziev solidified his contract when he defeated Greg Velasco in the first round of the Contender Series in September. Both fighters will put their undefeated record on the line when they take on each other this weekend.
Why Martin Buday can win ?
When the Slovakian fighter came to the UFC via the Contender Series, he exceeded everyone’s expectations. He is now 4-0 in the promotion after earning his contract with a first-round knockout in the Contender Series.
Shamil, like Buday, secured his contract with a win in the Contender Series. He is an undefeated fighter who has finished 10 of his 11 opponents. Buday will have to be careful of the Russian’s power and if he can use his size and strength to take Gaziev down, he can be dominant in the match. If Buday is able to do that, then he can make it 13 wins in a row, which will set him up for his next fight against a ranked opponent.
Why Shamil Gaziev can win ?
Gaziev was not that known at the beginning of his Contender Series debut, but he quickly put his name in the sport. The Russian made his opponent, Greg Velasco, submit midway through the first round. Gaziev will now face his toughest opponent in the UFC. Buday is a massive heavyweight who likes to use his size to neutralize his opponent. However, at range, he is a defensive liability where he takes a lot of punches, which Gaziev can take full advantage of.
Gaziev has some dangerous power in his feet and has got seven of his eleven wins by knockout or TKO. It will be up to him to keep the fight off the cage and on the feet, if he is successful in doing so, Shamil will have the chance to pull off a big upset and pick up his first UFC win.
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Prediction
Buday continues to perform well and gets the win in every fight, but now he will face his most dangerous opponent in the form of Shamil Gaziev. The Russian has finished 10 of his 11 opponents in under six minutes. It remains to be seen whether he can fight at that pace against Buday. The Slovakian has the tendency to get touched up on the feet, which is a worrying factor for him against a powerhouse like Gaziev. If Shamil can keep this fight on the feet and away from the cage, where Buday can control him and hold onto him, he should win it quickly and make another knocking win and a perfect debut as well.
