After suffering his first career loss to Michael “Venom” Page in February, Shara “Bullet” Magomedov is back to take on Marc-Andre Barriault. Magomedov holds a 15-1 record with 12 knockouts, while Barriault is a six-year UFC veteran and is coming off a knockout victory against Bruno Silva in May.
Here is my best bet for Magomedov vs. Barriault at this week’s UFC Fight Night.
Shara Magomedov To Win By KO/TKO/DQ (-135)
Even though he is coming off a loss, Magomedov is still a massive -625 favorite with Barriault being a +455 underdog on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Magomedov is an excellent striker, landing 5.87 significant strikes at a 62 percent rate. He is 15 percent more accurate than Barriault while absorbing 4.13 strikes per minute. In his previous fight against Page, it was a significant step up in competition, and although he didn’t secure the victory, he still made an impact. Magomedov landed 50 total strikes and 38 significant strikes, which was only five fewer than Page.
Barriault is a talented fighter, but he isn’t as advanced a striker as Page is. Magomedov’s unique striking arsenal with kicks and uncommon strikes makes him a very tough matchup for anyone in the division. Barriault is 3-4 in his last seven contests and has been knocked out in his previous two losses. This is an outstanding matchup for Magomedov to get back on track because he is a much quicker striker and has the tools to wear Barriault down. With that said, the best bet in this bout is to get Shara “Bullet” to win by KO/TKO/DQ, which is -135.
