M-1 Challenge 92 takes place Thursday, May 24 at M-1 Arena in St. Petersburg, Russia. The opening odds for some of the top fights on the card were released released by the offshore sportsbooks and here they are.
M-1 Challenge 92 Opening Odds
Sergei Kharitonov -300
Anton Vyazigin +220
Arman Ashimov -230
Aleksander Doskalchuk +170
And here are my initial thoughts on the M-1 Challenge 92 opening odds: – This main event between Kharitonov (28-7) and Vyazigin (9-2) should be a lot of fun for as long as it lasts, which likely won’t be more than five minutes considering the KO power both men possess. Kharitonov is a guy I always wished was in the UFC but for whatever reason he never fought in the Octagon. He was a bit of a disappointment in Bellator, where he went 1-1 wth a shocking KO loss to Javy Ayala and a KO win over Chase Gormley, but he’s bounced back with three-straight wins since leaving Bellator including victories over Geronimo dos Santos and Sokoudjou. Vyazigin bounced back with a decision loss to Phil de Fries with a knockout win in his last bout and he’s a guy with some potential, but he hasn’t fought anyone of Kharitonov’s caliber before. Even though Kharitonov is 37 and showing signs of a fading chin, I still think he has what it takes to go in there and beat Vyazigin in this showcase fight that headlines M-1 Challenge 92.
– The flyweight title bout between champion Doskalchuk (8-2) and challenger Ashimov (8-2-1) is a really good match that is flying under the radar this week. Doskalchuk has won five-straight bouts and looked great in winning the M-1 flyweight belt and I’m a bit surprised here that he’s the underdog considering he’s the champion. Ashimov has won three-straight fights and he’s a guy with a lot of knockout power for a little guy so I’m not counting him out here by any means. I just think that Doskalchuk has the advantage if this fight hits the ground and I think he has what it takes to get the fight to the mat and win the fight by submission on the mat. As good as Ashimov is on the feet I’ve seen him get taken down in tape and I’m banking on that happening in this fight.
