The UFC Kansas City main card opener between Ikram Aliskerov and Andrew Muniz has a finish written all over it, but who has the edge?
Ikram Aliskerov and Andre Muniz meet Saturday in the main card opener of UFC on ESPN 66 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
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Ikram Aliskerov vs. Andre Muniz UFC on ESPN 66 preview
Aliskerov (15-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) suffered his first UFC setback in just his second career loss in a June main event against former champion Robert Whittaker. The results snapped a winning streak of seven. Aliskerov earned a main event slot in just his third UFC appearance after stopping Phil Hawes and Warlley Alves in the first round, the latter of which earned a Performance of the Night bonus. … Muniz (24-6 MMA, 6-2 UFC) will look to keep the momentum going following a close split decision win over Jun Yong Park to return to the win column. Muniz dropped a back-to-back outings in 2023, which snapped a nine-fight winning streak from 2017-22.
Ikram Aliskerov vs. Andre Muniz UFC on ESPN 66 expert pick, prediction
Despite having plenty of lighter-weight action fights on prelims, the UFC matchmakers are once again spitting on Joe Silva’s tried and true method of booking featherweights or lightweights to open up main cards in order to fulfill their weird fetish of featuring almost every middleweight fight they make.
However, in Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby’s defense, this bout between Aliskerov and Muniz should be action-packed for as long as it lasts.
Aliskerov should have a solid striking edge on the feet, but I’ll be curious if his game will be affected given that he’s facing the first southpaw of his UFC career (as MMA fighters still sadly seem to lose their jabs in open-stance affairs). I’ll also be curious to see the armbar and kimura interplay on the ground, given both men’s submission preferences. That said, I suspect that the superior wrestling of Aliskerov will be the deciding factor in where this fight takes place.
A world and European sambo champion, Aliskerov might be one of the handful of fighters who can confidently grapple with a credentialed Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt like Muniz. Muniz was good to me early on in his UFC career, but it’s hard to take him with any confidence given how breakable he’s looked when taking steps up in competition.
Unless Muniz can recreate his submission magic, I suspect that Aliskerov eventually breaks him down and forces a stoppage by strikes in Round 2.
Ikram Aliskerov vs. Andre Muniz UFC on ESPN 66 odds
The oddsmakers and the public heavily favor the Russian fighter, listing Aliskerov -550 and Muniz +390 via FanDuel.
Ikram Aliskerov vs. Andre Muniz UFC on ESPN 66 start time, how to watch
As the main card opener, Aliskerov and Muniz are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 9:10 p.m. ET. The fight broadcasts on ESPN 2 and streams on ESPN+.
