UFC Baku predictions: Full card picks for Fight Night in Azerbaijan
The UFC is on the trail to the Middle East.Just less than 500 miles away from Tehran, Iran, we’ll have a highly entertaining UFC card with 12 fights on it.It’s a crazy time to be a UFC fan, as we get the second loaded pay-per-view card of the month next week.UFC Baku comes at you early Saturday, beginning at 12 p.m.
ET on ESPN2, and the main card will go off at 3 p.m.ET on ABC.A massive audience is expected with six of the 12 fights projected to the distance, according to oddsmakers — although five of the first six fights are projected to do so, meaning it could be a slow start to the day.In the heavyweight division, Jamahal “Sweet Dreams” Hill faces off against Khalil Rountree Jr.
with this fight now being lined as a pick ’em, according to most oddsmakers.On Wednesday, Hill was an underdog and among my best bets on the card.Frankly, he is still there for me, even if some of the value has evaporated as we approach the weekend.Hill is coming off two competitive losses.Rountree was beaten down last time out against Alex Pereira in one of the more brutal and violent displays we’ve seen in the octagon of late.Rountree looked like a punching bag as he got to the third and fourth rounds of that fight.Looking at his schedule, his best wins are over Dustin Jacoby — a decision that I hated at the time and don’t think he earned upon a re-watch — and a victory over now-retired Anthony Smith.Rountree isn’t worth betting as a slight favorite, and Hill is the play this weekend.
PICK: Jamahal Hill ML (-102, FanDuel) | by KO/TKO (+240, DraftKings)Coming off three straight losses, Rafael Fiziev faces Ignacio Bahamondes.Two strikers are coming into Saturday night’s co-main event tilt, and it should be fascinating to see how Fiziev recovers after the beatdown he received at the hands of Justin Gaethje.When reviewing tape, though, I think Fiziev is a solid matchup for Bahamondes.Bahamondes is much taller, but kicks have seldom been an issue for Fiziev and hi...