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There’s plenty of action in the octagon on Saturday, June 21, as we head into the main card with a heavyweight bout and lightweight bout before diving into the main event between two American fighters in a light heavyweight contest. Tune into combat with coverage starting at 3 PM ET, but only after analyzing our picks to decide whether they’re something you want to fade or follow!
One of tonight’s main-card fights finds #5 American fighter Curtis Blaydes (18-5) against Russia’s Rizvan Kuniev (12-2-1) in a powerful heavyweight matchup. Blaydes is slightly favored, although comes into this one off a loss, while his opponent, Kuniev, takes to the arena fresh off a victory. While both fighters stand at 6’4”, Blaydes takes a solid 4” arm reach and 5” leg reach advantage, making this matchup as exciting as ever.
Both fighters prefer quick finishes, with their average fight lengths reaching around eight minutes, and Blaydes has 72% of victories from KO/TKO, while Kuniev boasts 50% by KO/TKO, with 17% by submission. Kuniev does have a slightly higher win-by-decision rate (33%) which can be partly due to his significant strikes, where he’s landed 5.82 per minute on average (72%) compared to Blaydes’ 3.54 (50%). Although the American has yet to win by submission, he averages about 5.69 takedowns per 15 minutes (53% accuracy) compared to the Russian’s 2.82 (75% accuracy). Kuniev does rep a 100% takedown defense coming into this one.
It’s not an easy decision, but we expect Blaydes to take home the win by decision in this one, considering Kuniev can take hits and doesn’t often get taken down to the canvas.
For tonight’s lightweight bout, we find Azerbaijan’s Rafael Fiziev (12-4) challenging Chile’s Ignacio Bahamondes (17-5). Fiziev takes to the arena off a loss in his most recent fight, while Bahamondes comes in fresh off a victory. The height difference in this one may be a deciding factor, with the Chilean standing 7” taller than his 5’8” opponent, while repping a 4.5” arm and 2” leg reach advantage.
Both fighters showcase around a 65% win-by-KO/TKO rate, 10% submission rate and 25% decision rate, so this one will be interesting. Bahamondes has the Azerbaijanian beat in significant striking stats with 7.09 landed per minute (47%) compared to Fiziev’s 4.85 landed per minute (52%). Fiziev appears to absorb slightly more strikes per minute at 4.95 (48%), although Bahamondes showcases similar stats, absorbing 4.36 per minute (57%). On top of that, both fighters boast around a 90% takedown defense, so with the striking and reach advantage going to the Chilean, we think this bout may just end in Bahamonde’s favor, possibly by KO/TKO.
For tonight’s highly anticipated main event, we witness #4 American fighter Jamahal Hill (12-3) take on #7 American fighter Khalil Rountree Jr. (14-6). Both fighters head into the octagon off a loss in their most recent bouts. Hill takes a 3” height advantage with a 2.5 arm reach advantage, which could make a crucial difference in this showdown.
Much like the other fights on this card, neither fighter submits their opponent, as Jamahal Hill reps a 58% win-by-KO/TKO rate and 42% by-decision rate, and Rountree Jr. reps a 71% KO/TKO rate with a 29% win-by-decision rate. This one could end before going the distance, as both fighters showcase average fight lengths of around just 9 minutes. Jamahal Hill does take advantage of significant strikes though, boasting 7.05 landed per minute (53%), part of the reason why he has a large chunk of wins by decision.
Rountree Jr. reps 3.73 strikes landed per minute (38%), while both fighters absorb just over 4 significant strikes per minute at around 45% defense. Considering takedowns are likely out of the question here, if Jamahal Hill can’t do any damage with his strikes early on, Rountree Jr. may give way to some lethal blows, giving him the win by KO/TKO tonight and a fresh 15-6 record.
Liam has been a major sports fan and soccer player for over a decade, with a particular focus on major top-level soccer leagues, including the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and MLS. He has written numerous promotional articles for various top sportsbooks and continues to publish historical and factual sports articles covering the NFL, MLS, NHL, MLB, EPL and more.