Middleweight bout: Bakhtiyar Abbasov (-215) vs Charles Andrade (+165) Fight Breakdown: The main card for Cage Warriors 58 features a middleweight bout between Azerbaijan’s Bakhtiyar Abbasov and the Brazilian Charles Andrade. Abbasov is currently the favorite at -215 (bet $215 to win $100) while the return on the dog Andrade is +165 (bet $100 to win $165) at Several Bookmakerss. Bakhtiyar Abbasov (8-2 MMA, 0-0 Cage Warriors) makes his promotional debut riding a six fight win steak; all six wins finishes, and four of them by first round knockout. Abbasov is certainly a heavy handed fighter who loves to finish fights. He has a vicious ground and pound. He dominates opponents with his fists until either the ref steps in or he secures a rear naked choke. His ground and pound makes opponents fold. Abbasov is a good striker. He has good footwork and solid movement, all around. He has grappling skills, as well. He is good at using reversals, and also has good takedown defense. His cardio is surely a big question mark, as he’s never made it to the third round in his ten fight professional mixed martial arts career. Charles Andrade (24-12 MMA, 0-0 Cage Warriors) is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt making his promotional debut. His BJJ is solid; he likes to dive for leg locks and has a dangerous guard, as he likes to threaten with submissions. Andrade has very poor cardio, he turns into a zombie after one round. He’s a terrible striker who has an awful jab and throws wild punches. His kicks are also very poor. While he’s a decent grappler, his takedowns are not very good. Also, while he’s somewhat of a threat from the bottom, his top game on the ground is not very impressive. He doesn’t offer much of a submission threat from the top, nor is he any good with ground and pound. Charles Andrade has a good chin and is capable of taking serious punishment. He will look to take Abbasov down in the early going and look for a submission, as I feel that is his best shot at a W. Fight Prediction: Abbasov beats Andrade up until Andrade can’t take it anymore. I think he will out strike him, wear him out, and put him away with a heavy ground and pound attack. Gabe’s Pick: Bakhtiyar Abbasov by TKO (punches, 2:12 round 2) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Bakhtiyar Abbasov -215 for a big play, as I feel he should be -450 and see value in this line. Only way I see him losing is by getting ahead of himself and getting caught in a submission early in the first round. I don’t think Andrade offers much of a threat, even in the early going. This is my favorite play of the weekend and it should cash.
