Prediction for the fight Rinat Fakhretdinov vs Brian Battle

There was a lot of hype around the signing of Rinat Fakhretdinov in the UFC, as he became the first Tatar in the history of sports to be awarded a contract with the best MMA organization on the planet. However, the protracted selection of the opponent postponed the debut of Gladiator for almost a year, so at the UFC Fight Night 216 tournament he will hold only the second fight under the auspices of the absolute championship.

Initially, Rinat was supposed to fight with Michael Morales, but just a couple of weeks before the fight, he withdrew, and now our athlete is waiting for a duel with the winner of the penultimate season of the TUF show, Brian Battle, who has already managed to get a couple of finishes in the octagon. Their meeting will take place on the undercard of the tournament on December 18, and we will figure out which of the guys has more chances to emerge victorious from this fight.

• Rinat Fakhretdinov vs Brian Battle;
• Rinat Fakhretdinov;
• Brian Battle;
• Comparative analysis;
• Game Totals Prediction.

Rinat Fakhretdinov vs Brian Battle

Rinat Fakhretdinov

Rinat is a master of sports in mixed martial arts and combat sambo. He has the championship belt of the GFC League, the status of the champion of Moscow in pankration and BS, the winner of the Russian championships, as well as the world champion in combat sambo, among representatives of law enforcement agencies. At the same time, Fakhretdinov proved himself not only in welterweight, but also in 84 kg, despite the frequent lack in terms of dimensions.

Strengths

Pressing, an abundance of takedowns, excellent speed performance and accuracy are the pillars on which Rinat's style rests. He feels good in an attacking fight, actively uses ground and pound, and in close combat reveals his potential in multi-part combinations and pressure on the opponent near the net. At the same time, Gladiator sets a high pace almost from the starting minutes of the match.

Weaknesses

So far, it is difficult to talk about Fakhritdinov's future prospects in the UFC. Big downtime between shows, lack of fights even with the average promotion, and gaps in the standing (again, there is a lack of technique here, with an emphasis on street style), call into question whether he is ready to progress as quickly as matchmakers will rebound him more upscale opposition. In addition, he also had no dealings with top fighters, so his stalls have yet to be tested.

The current form and readiness of the fighter

Rinat is 31 years old, his last fight took place in the summer of this year, extending the winning streak to 18 victories. Having defeated Andreas Mikhailidis, the Russian secured a place in the UFC roster, and before that he dealt with rivals of the level of Eric Spicely, Alberto Pereira and Vladimir Migovic. After a long absence, Fakhretdinov is ready to tear and throw, the athlete trains with top fighters, demonstrates the motivation to learn new things, so we expect an excellent performance from Gladiator, no matter what levels his next fight takes place.

Brian Battle

As mentioned in the intro, Brian was a contestant on Season 29 of the TUF reality show where he won and received a contract with the UFC. Speaking as an amateur, he became the champion of the Hayastan MMA Charlotte organization, fought in the LFA, then KOTC, while, from time to time, making out early victories. Even in the octagon, he managed to demonstrate his skill, both on the ground and in the standing position.

Strengths

Battle is a bright representative of free style. Yes, his strong point is BJJ, but also in percussion technique, due to non-standard, lack of sequence of actions and anthropometry, he manages to deliver a lot of difficulties to opponents. On the ground floor, competent control of positions and constant attempts to enter tricks repeatedly brought the athlete victories with submissions.

Weaknesses

Sweeping unsystematic punches performed by Brian have something similar to what can be seen in street fights. We are not talking about protection, leverage, some well-functioning combinational work or something else. From there, there are problems with stamina, and the amount of damage taken could also be lowered.

The current form and readiness of the fighter

The fighter is 28 years old, his success in the professionals cannot but rejoice - a series of 7 victories, and 2 fights at TUF, are worth something. Moreover, in extreme performances, he beat Takashi Sato, Treshan Gore and Gilbert Urbina. Brian lost in 2019 by submission, and this failure, so far, has become the only one in his career. Based on everything that Battle showed in the cage, it will not be easy for him to achieve significant success, the percentage of mistakes that he allows himself to make is too high. However, the lack of some of the "standard" skills adds to the effect of surprise, which he repeatedly stunned rivals.

Comparative analysis

With the naked eye, you can see how much Battle is larger than Fakhretdinov: 7 cm in arm span and almost 5 cm in height, which are also supported by overall dimensions, since Brian drives much more weight than Rinat. This means that in close combat, our athlete will have to spend more energy to seize the initiative in the fight near the net, as well as on the ground. In this position, they will be in any case, because both of them prefer the middle-close distance of the battle, supplementing the dry pressing with abundant sweeping series.

And if in exchanges the picture can even out due to Rinat's speed advantage, because he hits not only more accurately, but also noticeably faster, then everything is not so simple on the ground floor. Yes, Fakhretdinov performs many times more takedowns and he is doing well with positional control. But, Battle, like a real, skillful jitser, perfectly uses the attacks of opponents to develop his own schemes. His submissions are a threat to the Gladiator, who is much more accustomed to crushing opponents with ground and pound.

In general, we will have a fight on a collision course - otherwise the participants in this fight do not know how to fight. And there is a high probability that Rinat will try to take the fight precisely due to active actions in the clinch and on the ground. Still, Brian is more accustomed to dealing damage in the standing position, and after finishing the knocked out opponent on the ground. For this reason, Fakhretdinov will not go into open firefights with a larger counterpart. But to torment him with endless pulling, changing floors of attacks and takedowns is just right.

Rinat Fakhretdinov vs Brian Battle Prediction

At first glance, Brian may seem like a simple opponent - only 9 professional fights, and a frank lack of polished technique, which is inherent in the guys who compete in the UFC. However, Battle fights with his heart, and there's no denying the fact that his style of fighting is difficult to analyze, which makes it extremely dangerous. Be that as it may, watching how and with whom Rinat trains, one believes more in his success in the octagon.

In a clean fight, he is better, hits briskly, albeit in smaller volumes, and holds damage without problems, in fact, like Brian. For this reason, their meeting has every chance of becoming drawn out, and in such battles, the class of a fighter will play a key role. It is difficult to predict how long the guys will last in the octagon, especially given Battle's blunders in terms of defense, so we suggest choosing a specific winner as a bet, which, most likely, will be Fakhretdinov. Install the 1xbet app and place a bet on the favorite!

Prediction: Rinat Fakhretdinov's victory.