Iraqi mixed martial artist Amir Albazi will fight Alessandro Costa at UFC Vegas 66. In his last bout, Albazi had a great performance against Francisco Figueiredo. Albazi submitted Francisco via rear-naked choke at UFC 278. He currently holds the 8th rank in the flyweight division and he will take on the debutant Costa.
Alessandro Costa is a good fighter with 12 wins. In his previous bout, Costa defeated Carlos Gomez via a 12-second KO. He also fought at Dana White‘s Contender Series on 26th July against Andres Luna. Although he won the bout via split decision, he did not get a UFC contract.
B.Royval out. Amir Albazi will now fight Alessandro Costa at #UFCVegas66 on December 17th. (per @CCLegaspi) #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN pic.twitter.com/OYnNSOJJ1I
— Marcel Dorff 🇳🇱🇮🇩 (@BigMarcel24) November 23, 2022
Although this will be his first UFC contest, Alessandro is on a great run of form. Costa is on a 7 fight win streak, going up against someone who is ranked in the Top 10 of UFC’s 125lbs division. Although Costa has won titles in other organizations, fighting in the UFC is an entirely different experience. Can he make a mark of his debut? Let’s find out.
UFC Vegas 66 Prediction: Amir Albazi vs Alessandro Costa, Stats
Stats | Amir Albazi | Alessandro Costa |
---|---|---|
Wins | 15 | 12 |
Losses | 1 | 2 |
Height | 1.65 m | 1.63 m |
Division | Flyweight | Flyweight |
Reach | 172.7 cm | 170.2 cm |
Age | 29 | 26 |
Can Costa beat Albazi on his debut at UFC Vegas 66?
Amir Albazi has only one loss in his career so far. Only Jose Torres managed to beat him via decision in 2019. But, Albazi has won 4 fights since then and the last 3 victories came inside the Octagon. With 4 KO wins and 9 submissions, Amir is an extremely difficult opponent to face. As Malcolm Gordon and Francisco Figueiredo found out, any small mistake would end in a submission loss.
But, Alessandro Costa has 6 submissions in his tally as well. Hence, witnessing these two go at it, would be a joy for the fans who appreciate good grappling. But, fans can also expect to see some fast-paced striking in the bout as well. Flyweights often have very strong cardio and they always put on a good show on the biggest stages. So this Saturday’s bout should be no different.
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As for the winner, Amir Albazi has the edge heading into the fight. The Prince has a slight advantage in both height and reach. He also has more experience in fighting elite-level competition at major PPVs. But, both fighters have great momentum and have similar sets of skills. So it will not be surprising to see the debutant win on December 17th.