A flyweight showdown will take place on Saturday, June 3, as Kai Kara-France tangles with Amir Albazi at the UFC Vegas 74 event inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
The #3 ranked flyweight, Kara-France (24-10), will be looking to rebound after having his three-fight winning streak snapped in an interim title fight loss against champion Brandon Moreno.
Albazi (16-1) is the #7 ranked flyweight and has an unblemished 4-0 record in the UFC with three submissions, including two in the opening round.
Kara-France is a powerful striker who combines quick hands with a formidable takedown defense. He is one of the top fighters in the flyweight division but has not fared well in previous bouts against fighters with solid grappling skills.
A well-rounded fighter, Albazzi is a former wrestler with a background in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He is adept at controlling his opponents on the ground and is also a capable striker. However, his striking skills are at a different level than Kara-France, which should lead him to lean on his mat abilities.
Caesars and BetMGM sportsbooks have #7 ranked Amir Albazi (-115) a slight favorite to defeat Kai Kara-France (+105), despite the latter currently being ranked #3 in the flyweight division. Albazi is a complete fighter who has excellent grappling skills, while Kara-France is a knockout artist who struggles against fighters with the same skillsets similar to his opponent.
Amir Albazi's path to victory lies in his elite grappling skills and submission prowess. If the Iraqi-born fighter can keep the fight on the ground, he can exploit Kara-France's suspect mat abilities and control the contest to win a decision or submission.
The strength of Kai Kara-France is his striking ability and knockout potential. The New Zealander will strive to keep the action off the mat, use his quick hands to land heavy blows and secure a potential knockout victory.
Albazi has an impressive takedown accuracy of 50%, and his takedown average at 2.47 per 15 minutes is much higher than Kara-France. He also has a stellar submission average of 0.8 per 15 minutes, which allows him to dictate the pace of the fight and increases his odds of earning a submission victory.
Although Albazi excels on the mat, his striking skills are lackluster, with unimpressive strikes landed per minute (SLpM) at 3.54. His takedown defense is also a weakness and stands at 66%. Considering his striking disadvantage, Albazi's best option will be to take the fight to the ground and use his superior grappling skills to neutralize the knockout power of his opponent.
Kara-France is a dangerous striker and combines a sensational 4.70 strikes landed per minute (SLpM) with a striking accuracy of 40%. He also has a solid striking defense of 64%, which prevents opponents from landing effective punches. Kara-France is also tough to take down and has stopped 87% of his opponent's takedown attempts.
Because of his superior striking talents, Kara-France will look to keep the fight off the ground and wear down Albazi with consistent strikes. If he can avoid being taken down to the mat, his chances of winning the fight with a knockout increase dramatically.
While Kara-France could end the fight with one big punch, I like the all-around skills of Albazi. This is an evenly-matched fight, and Albazi will take Kara-France off his feet and use his grappling skills to come out on top.
The most popular bet types for wagering on the Kai Kara-France vs. Amir Albazi fight are:
The moneyline - a bet on who will win. Say you favor Kara-France, a $100 wager at odds of +105 would net a total payout of $205 at Caesars and BetMGM sportsbooks. However, if you think Albazi will win the fight, a $100 wager at odds of -115 would net a profit of $86.96.
Round betting - for more bang for your money, you can bet on the total number of rounds in this fight.
The odds for the fight going over 3.5 rounds is -165, while the odds for the fight going under 3.5 rounds is +135. The odds show that the expected result is for this fight to last the distance.
If you bet on over 3.5 rounds, you would need the fight to last for three-and-a-half rounds for your $100 bet to net a profit of $60.61. If you bet on under 3.5 rounds, the fight would need to end in the first three-and-a-half rounds for your $100 bet to net a total payout of $235.
The UFC Vegas 74 event will take place on Saturday, June 3, at the UFC's Apex in Las Vegas. Mixed Martial Arts fans in New York can catch the action on ESPN+ and ESPN.
Amir Albazi is a slight favorite to defeat Kai Kara-France in the main event. A pair of sportsbooks in New York, BetMGM and Caesars, has Albazi the favorite with -115 odds. Other sportsbooks, such as WynnBet have them evenly matched at -110.
#15th-ranked Alex Caceres will battle Daniel Pineda in a featherweight matchup, while Jim Miller will face Jared Gordon in a lightweight bout. Other fights on the undercard include Tim Elliott vs. Victor Altamirano, Karine Silva vs. Ketlen Souza, and Jamie Mullarkey vs. Guram Kutateladze.
Live betting allows UFC fans to bet on a fight as it is happening. Based on the real action taking place, the dynamic odds are updated throughout the bout. Thus, if you think Albazi will knock out France to end the fight, place a wager on it, and you might win some extra cash.
There is a range of legal NY sportsbooks to choose from for anyone who wants to bet on the UFC - each book offers something a bit different. WynnBet is great for offering insightful picks, Caesars for main card betting and BetMGM for live UFC betting.
