Middleweight bout: Chris Scott (+165) vs Pavel Kusch (-215) Fight Breakdown: The Cage Warriors 58 main card brings a middleweight battle between two grappling specialists when the Brit Chris Scott takes on Ukraine’s Pavel Kusch. Scott is currently the underdog at +165 (bet $100 to win $165) while Kusch is the favorite at -215 (bet $215 to win $100) at Several Bookmakerss. Chris Scott (6-2 MMA, 0-1 Cage Warriors) makes his second trip to the Cage Warriors cage, following a Unanimous Decision loss to Mat Nilsson just over four months ago. Scott was on a tear before the Nilsson loss, as he was on a five fight win streak, having finished all five opponents by submission. Scott surely is a submission wiz,. All six of his pro mixed martial arts career victories have come by way of submission. He is dangerous from both top and bottom positions, as he likes to look for any and all submission opportunities. Chris Scott’s stand up is decent. He is capable of holding his own on the feet, especially because of his striking defense and limited Muay Thai. Scott should look to take this fight into deep waters, where he will likely finish Pavel Kusch. Scott will certainly have the cardio advantage going into this bout. Pavel Kusch (13-4 MMA, 2-1) is coming off a two fight losing streak and badly looks to rebound here with a win. Not only has he lost his past two bouts, but he was finished in them. Kusch is a talented wrestler/grappler with great submission skills. He has good takedowns and a solid top game. Kusch closes the distance well and does a good job while working against the cage. He’s a strong guy who scores good takedowns and has a decent ground and pound attack to compliment his top-notch submission game. He is a solid Sambo practitioner and displays his skills inside the cage. He is never afraid to take risks and go for submissions, as he often dives for leg locks. Pavel Kusch’s biggest weakness is definitely his cardio. His conditioning is very poor, thus he is usually only a threat in the early going of his fights. Fight Prediction: I expect somewhat of a back and forth match-up until Kusch begins to gas and Scott starts taking over. I expect him to get the better of the second and third rounds, earning a Decision win, if not getting a stoppage. Gabe’s Pick: Chris Scott by TKO (strikes, 3:33 round 3) getting the first TKO/KO win on his resume. Gabe’s Recommended Play: Chris Scott +165 in the upset for a moderate value play, as I think he should be -130… As much as I hate going against a guy named “Kusch.”
