Prediction for the fight Artem Reznikov vs Mukhamed Kokov

After a failure in the last season of the ACA Lightweight Grand Prix, Artem Reznikov closed 2023 with two defeats in a row and is now ready to return to the winning path by defeating his next opponent. It turned out to be the former interim champion - Mukhamed Kokov, with whom Spartak will measure their skills in wrestling technique. Their fight will take place on June 28 at the ACA 177 tournament in Sochi, and for both, victory in this fight is extremely important for the further development of their careers. 

• Artem Reznikov – Mukhamed Kokov;
• Mukhamed Kokov;
• Artem Reznikov;
• Comparative analysis;
• Game Totals Prediction.

Artem Reznikov – Mukhamed Kokov

Mukhamed Kokov

Muhamed is a fighter to the core. He started with grappling and combat sambo (CMS), where he took prizes at the North Caucasian Federal District championship and also won the Russian championship. Moreover, Kokov became a silver medalist at the ADCC tournament, and for a long time held the temporary ACA champion belt, but at the moment he has lost this status. 

Strengths

Pressure, spamming takedowns, tight work near the net and quick exits to attacking positions, both from the clinch and on the ground - Muhamed’s basic technique is built on this. He is far from a fan of stand-up exchanges, so he poses the highest level of danger at close range, as well as on the ground, demonstrating not only strong technique, but also decent endurance. 

Weaknesses

Oddly enough, Kokov’s main difficulties arise in fights not with strikers, but with partners like him. When his own translations do not work, or he is tied up and constantly changing positions, Muhamed seems to be unable to find a plan “B” and is limited by the limitations of his own arsenal, unable to take the fight to a standing position and inflict damage there. 

The current form and readiness of the fighter

The fighter is 31 years old, his series of 3 victories over Gordeev, Galiev and Hakran Diaz was crossed out by defeats to Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov and Daud Shaykhaev. And in general, he often lost to the guys from the top, including Vartanyan, Nalgiev and Rashid Magomedov. That is, Kokov is somewhere near the top, but cannot climb it. However, now his career is in such a position that he will have to give everything in the cage, so we expect peak readiness from Muhamed. 

Artem Reznikov

An athlete from Kazakhstan, a basic freestyle wrestler who became the champion of a major regional league Alash Pride in his home country. Previously, he claimed the ACA title, was a Grand Prix finalist, and did not lose from 2017 to 2022, until he met Eduard Vartanyan on his way. Now, Artem has to start all over again. 

Strengths

Reznikov, for his weight, has impressive physical characteristics. From there, there is a wide range of possibilities: he hammers opponents with ground and pound, easily moves them, crushes them with techniques and applies crazy pressure. By the way, he is also capable of discharging himself with a good overhand in the stand-up position, and if the fight goes according to his scenario, then he is able to work out 5 rounds. 

Weaknesses

Here we can see a situation similar to Kokov’s: under pressure, when takedowns don’t work and you need to defend yourself, Reznikov loses his aggression, begins to go into deep defense and his workrate drops significantly. Moreover, in a standing position, in such scenarios, Spartak generally loses any initiative. 

The current form and readiness of the fighter

Artem is 32 years old, he also has two defeats in a row: one from Vartanyan, and the second from Ali Bagov. Before that, he beat 10 opponents in a row, including: Yusuf Raisov, Andrey Koshkin, Davi Ramos, Khamzat Aushev and so on. And as soon as Reznikov was matched with lightweight mastodons, he immediately began to lose. Again, he will have to deal with a fighter, and now, the Kazakh has one way - to win, otherwise he will be completely written off. Therefore, Artem’s motivation and willingness to fight to the end must be at the highest level. 

Comparative analysis

Having similar height indicators, Muhamed will be 5 centimeters ahead in terms of arm span. We are not talking about strikers, because this indicator has little effect, except that at the start of the meeting they decide to exchange overhands and intimidate each other a little with series in order to push their counterparts closer to the net. The main action, which is quite expected, will take place on the ground floor, and here both will have something to show.

Technically, the guys' arsenal is approximately equal, and judging by who they lost to, physical strength and endurance will play a big role here. Both carry out submissions, but in inflicting accentuated damage, due to the same strength and control of positions, Reznikov will be ahead, and these are the very winning points that need to be earned.

Probably, in the first half of the meeting, Mukhamed will find answers to a number of Artem’s attacks, however, at a distance of 3 rounds, with a minimal margin, due to punches and dominant positions, Reznikov should take the lead and, at least, win a close decision. If none of them decides to please the audience with a sudden knockout, then the battles on the ground are unlikely to end with a reception, and this gives reason to believe that in the end we will hear the judge's decision "Total over"(2.5). 

Artem Reznikov vs Mukhamed Kokov Prediction

When there are two high-quality wrestlers in the cage who have a slight difference in strength, there is a high probability that the one with more strength will be able to better control the match on the ground. And this guy in this case is Artem Reznikov. If he doesn’t finish Kokov with punches, or works a miracle and becomes the second in Mukhamed’s career to submit him, then he should definitely take victory by decision. Therefore, to place a bet, you can use both options. Install the 1xbet app and place a bet on the favorite!

Prediction: Victory of Artem Reznikov/Total over (2.5) in completed rounds.