Alessio Di Chirico vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan Odds, Preview and Prediction, (August 28): UFC

Credit: photo by Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports

Odds

Key stats

Preview

The preliminary card headliner comes in the Middleweight division, as Alessio Di Chirico takes on Abdul Razak Alhassan. In what could be an entertaining scrap, Di Chirico enters this fight off a stunning knockout victory over Joaquin Buckley. The victory was much needed for the Italian, as he had previously dropped three consecutive fights. Something Alhassan is all too familiar with, as his first career struggles come in the form of a three fight losing streak. Before that, Alhassan had won four of five fights. In all of his victories, he had knocked his opponents out in the opening round.

Prediction

This fight comes down to if Abdul Razak Alhassan has made adjustments to his game. Thus far in the UFC, Alhassan has been overly reliant on power. While that recipe worked in four of his first five fights, it’s been an afterthought since. Any opponent with some wrestling and cardio has proven to be problematic for Alhassan. Quite the opposite can be said about Alessio Di Chirico, who could use some disruptive power. However, the problem for Di Chirco more so, has been his hesitancy to throw more strikes. The Italian’s low output has seen him drop countless fights. 

As for a prediction, I have Di Chirco. Even with his low output issues, you still have to favor his style against Alhassan. The Italian has excellent durability, having never been stopped via strikes in eighteen professional fights. He has sneaky wrestling, landing eleven takedowns in his first six UFC fights. He has solid cardio and striking defense. In my opinion, this is Di Chirico’s fight to lose. Alhassan has proven that he is incapable of fending off wrestlers or keeping a three round pace. Di Chirco can exploit both. So with that, I have Di Chirico extending his win streak to two, winning this fight via decision.

PICK: Alessio Di Chirico (-220)

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