SUMMARY
- MMA fans are waiting with bated breath for UFC Vegas 87 this weekend.
- UFC veteran Ludovit Klein will take on debutant AJ Cunningham in the prelims.
UFC Vegas 87 has some very exciting matchups for the fans. From Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs Shamil Gaziev to Umar Nurmagomedov vs Bekzat Almakhan, the event is filled with some blockbuster fights. Aside from Umar the biggest favorite on the card is Ludovit Klein, who is facing AJ Cunningham in the second fight of the night in the prelims.
Ludovit Klein is coming off a great win against Ignacio Bahamondes in August 2023. The Slovakian fighter dominated the bout for all three rounds and ultimately won the contest via a unanimous decision. Out of his 20 victories, Klein has 8 KOs, 8 submissions, and 4 decision wins. He also has 4 losses where he was submitted twice, KO’ed once, and lost via judges decision once. Klein’s bout against Jai Herbert ended via a majority draw.
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AJ Cunningham, on the other hand, will make his UFC debut this Saturday. However, he did fight under the UFC banner in September 2023 when he took on Steven Nguyen at the Dana White’s Contender Series. After a solid display, the bout ended with Nguyen securing a KO win over Cunningham. However, the American fighter finally got into the promotion after beating Justice Lamperez in December 2023.
UFC Vegas 87: Ludovit Klein vs. AJ Cunningham, stats
Stats | Ludovit Klein | AJ Cunningham |
---|---|---|
Wins | 20 | 11 |
Losses | 4 | 3 |
Height | 1.7 m | 1.78 m |
Division | Lightweight | Lightweight |
Reach | 184.2 cm | 180.3 cm |
Age | 29 | 29 |
Klein vs. Cunningham: Fight Breakdown
Ludovit Klein currently averages 3.49 strikes per minute and absorbs 3.53 strikes at the same time as per UFC stats. With 43% accuracy, the 29-year-old fighter averages 1.52 takedowns per 15 minutes. He has managed 9 takedowns in his UFC outings so far. But, Ludovit hasn’t been as effective with his punches and he has only managed 2 knockdowns in 7 bouts inside the Octagon.
AJ Cunningham, Ludovit Klein’s opponent this Saturday, averaged 7.58 strikes per minute during his last UFC bout. Unfortunately for him, AJ absorbed 11.32 strikes at the same time too. “The Savage” has 11 wins with 4 KOs, 4 submissions and 3 decision wins. It just shows how balanced the match up is going to be this weekend.
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One thing that will definitely go against the debutant, is the experience factor. Ludovit Klein was originally supposed to face Joel Alvarez at the event. However, with the bout falling through, Cunningham was called in on a short notice. Hence, going up against a 7 fight UFC veteran is going to be quite a hard task for AJ Cunningham. Hence, barring a major upset, fans can expect Klein to walk away with a win.