Ultimate Fighter protege Bryan Battle will step inside the Octagon for the 10th time in his mixed martial arts career as he takes on the Russian Rinat Fakhretdinov in what promises to be an exciting match at UFC Vegas 66 this weekend in Las Vegas.
Battle will walk to the cage with a vicious first-round head-kick KO win that saw him dissipate Takashi Sato in less than 50 seconds back at UFC Fight Night: Santos vs Hill. The bout will mark Bryan’s third appearance this year and it’s safe to say, the American fighter will look to maintain his winning streak inside the UFC Octagon.
BEST JOB IN THE WORLD BABY! pic.twitter.com/Md9Mw8N9XP
— Bryan Battle (@BryanBattle10) December 15, 2022
Meanwhile, the Russian fighter Rinat Fakhretdinov will make his second appearance for the promotion. He made his UFC debut earlier this year in a unanimous decision win over Andreas Michailidis back in June this year. Fakhretdinov is currently on an eighteen fight win-streak and has tasted defeat only once in a professional mixed martial arts career.
Bryan Battle vs Rinat Fakhretdinov prediction
Much like most of the Russian fighters, Rinat Fakhretdinov is a menace on the ground. He is a dominant grappler who likes to take the fight to the ground. However, that should not be of any trouble to Bryan Battle.
The Ultimate Fighter winner has five submission wins to his name, and is a fighter who likes to mix it up. While the recent KO win will certainly boost his confidence on the feet heading into this fight, it will be foolish to presume Battle will not step into the Octagon with a game plan. Rinat, despite more MMA appearances than Battle, could be in for a hard time against the 28-year-old fighter who is improving every step of the way.
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Bryan has shown a huge improvement in his striking ability and has already impressed many with his grappling prowess. However, the fact that he will be fighting Rinat Fakshretdinov on short notice, raises some eyebrows. While it’s going to be a tough match-up, Fakhretdinov is expected to get his hands raised with a grueling wrestling contest that could go against Battle’s conditioning in this short-notice match-up. Be that as it may, watch out for Battle’s savvy submission skills.
Bryan Battle vs Rinat Fakhretdinov predictions: Rinat Fakhretdinov via Unanimous decision