Abu Azaitar
Age: 32
Nationality: German
MMA Record: 13-1-1, 1 NC
UFC Record: Debut
Notable Wins: Jack Marshman
Notable Losses: None
Last Fight: Decision win over Michael Arrant
Fighter Profile: A standout German fighter, Azaitar is riding a nine-fight unbeaten streak into the UFC. He was last seen in WSOF back in 2016, picking up back-to-back wins there and looking like someone to watch out for in the middleweight division. He’s a dangerous fighter with serious power in his punches and he has actually fought a decent level of competition prior to entering the Octagon, having competed for organizations such as ACB and KSW. The UFC needs a couple of German fighters to emerge if it wants to make this a yearly stop on the promotional calendar, and for the UFC it would be great if a guy like Azaitar could emerge as a potential star.
Vitor Miranda
Age: 39
Nationality: Brazilian
MMA Record: 12-6
UFC Record: 3-3
Notable Wins: Clint Hester, Jake Collier
Notable Losses: Chris Camozzi, Antonio Carlos Junior, Fabio Maldonado, Marvin Vettori
Last Fight: Decision loss to Chris Camozzi
Fighter Profile: A tremendous muay Thai striker, it’s been a tale of two UFC careers for Miranda inside the Octagon. When we’ve seen him at his best he’s in there knocking his opponents out with his kickboxing and KO power, but when we’ve seen him at his worst he’s getting dumped to the floor and outwrestled. He has had a lot of fights in his career and has taken a lot of damage in his fights. Sometimes it’s he who is the one dishing out the blows, but lately it hasn’t been, and with another loss could be cut from the UFC.
Fight Breakdown: Even though Miranda is the better striker on paper I still think you have to fade him. He’s one of the oldest middleweights on the roster and he showed in his recent losses that he’s just not well-rounded enough to really be considered a contender in the middleweight division. Sure, Miranda has striking skills, but that won’t help him if he’s put on his back on the mat. Azaitar is a wild fighter with knockout power on the feet and he likes to bulldoze his opponents and finish them. Miranda is a very tough fighter and is hard to stop, but I think Azaitar is going to push the pace on him, outstrike and outwrestle him and win a decision.
Prediction: Abu Azaitar via decision
