Muhammad Mokaev vs Cody Durden UFC Prediction & Betting

15/03/2022

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Top prospect Muhammad Mokaev and Cody Durden come to odds in the opening bout of the night. Mokaev is an incredible prospect with a lot of hype surrounding his debut in the UFC, he’s undefeated (6-0-0(1NC) as a pro, 20-0 as an amateur). He makes his debut against Cody Durden, who is 1-1-1 in the promotion.

On paper this seems like a gimme fight for Mokaev to make an impressive debut. How could it play out?

Muhammad Mokaev vs Cody Durden Prediction

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Mokaev is a Dagestani based in England, having that classic Dagestani sambo/wrestling background. With a penchant for securing tight body locks, Mokaev likes to literally carry his opponents to his corner where he can take full advantage of his coaching. Mokaev has good striking fundamentals, but it all boils down to his wrestling, submissions, and ground and pound.

muhammad mokaev UFC — Display of strength from Mokaev

How good is Muhammad Mokaev’s Wrestling & Grappling?

Mokaev became European Junior Champion in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. This was followed by becoming Gi and NoGi champion at the NAGA championships in 2016, 2017 and 2018. He is 5xBritish Wrestling champion. In 2019 he also became the Men Senior / Intermediate / Adults / -65 kg champion at the ADCC Championships held in Manchester, UK.
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How does Cody Durden compare?

Durden is a boxer wrestler, who was very well esteemed wrestler before picking up MMA. He fights on the front foot a lot, staying bouncy and hopping into his opponent’s range. He’s not as well accredited as Mokaev, but it does mean he should have more than a fair chance of putting up a fight in the grappling.

Durden tends to keep his hands low, and fades as the fight continues. If he does subdue to a Mokaev takedown, we might be seeing this faded Durden make an appearance. Low hands might mean he is able to defend takedowns, but he needs to watch out for any striking coming his way, which is something you don’t normally anticipate from Dagestani fighters. All signs point to a Mokaev domination.