Ankalaev vs Walker Fight Night Odds: Finishing the Unfinished Business
Light Heavyweight Rematch Heavily Favored To End Violently
Ankalaev Widely Favored To Finish Walker
Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker met in Abu Dhabi for UFC 294 in October. However, the fight was called off following an accidental illegal knee strike from Ankalaev.
The two have since traded barbs online and will headline this Saturday to settle the score. If the Ankalaev vs Walker Fight Night odds indicate, we should expect a violent finish courtesy of Ankalaev. But Walker remains a dangerous underdog.
UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs Walker 2
Day/Time:
Location: UFC Apex, Las Vegas, NV
Stream: ESPN+
Will “Beef” Play a Role in Ankalaev-Walker 2?
We’ve seen it all too often: two fighters exchange smack talk on social media only to put on a boring five-round UFC event. It’s safe to say that’s not the case here, given the -500 line on Ankalaev-Walker 2 not going to a decision. After all, these 205-pound fighters are finishers with a vendetta.
“I was ready for a fight with a warrior, but he turned out to be a clown,” Ankalaev posted on social media following his ‘No Contest’ with Walker.
“Am I a clown?” Walker asked in response to the post. “Or you a cheater that likes to take advantage and play dirty @ankalaev_magomed? You should be DQ! You saw that you had lost your strong position and I was getting up and you *bleep* yourself and decided to play dirty. You have 20 professional fights and still don’t know the rules?”
Half of Ankalaev’s fights have ended with a finish, primarily by his hand. Meanwhile, nine of Walker’s 12 fights have. We may need to wait a while to see this one end. A title shot is on the line for these potential UFC champions. And Ankalaev is more of a cerebral fighter, while Walker has “toned it down.”
If the bad blood between Ankalaev and Walker plays any role, it could lead to a more aggressive approach from either. That’s why the total is set at only 1.5 rounds, with the ‘over’ juiced at -160.
If anyone is doing the finishing, it’s Ankalaev. The Russian is widely favored at -550, with the comeback on Walker at +375. The Ankalaev vs Walker Fight Night odds also peg Ankalaev at -250 to do it by knockout or submission. A finish from Walker is at +550. Either could be legitimate.
Another Rematch, Another Potential Title Eliminator
Ankalaev-Walker 2 is not the only potential title eliminator this Saturday. Manel Kape and Matheus Nicolau in the co-main event are also in a rematch to get the next crack at flyweight king, Alexandre Pantoja. Kape is favored on the Ankalaev vs Walker Fight Night odds at -270. Nicolau is +215.
Despite being the moderate favorite here, Kape lost to Nicolau in their first fight. It was a split decision, so that fight could have gone either way. Since that fight in March 2021, Kape has won four straight fights. Nicolau has gone 3-1, though his last loss came via a knockout against Brandon Royval.
Kape has a solid shot at exacting revenge and knocking Nicolau out at +165. The odds also have this fight ending in a finish at -105. However, this is the flyweight division, and 125-pound UFC fighters tend to go to a decision more than any weight class.
While Kape has two first-round knockouts, his last two bouts did need the judges. As for Nicolau, four of his last five victories were via decisions. His lone finish came against Matt Schnell, a fighter who has been knocked out in four of his 12 UFC fights.
But maybe dangling a title shot could put some urgency in these two fighters. After all, this is also a rematch, and they each have 15 minutes of data against each other. But whoever wins, their next UFC fight could be in a co-main event for the belt.
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