Middleweight veteran Krzysztof Jotko (22-4, 6 KOs, 1 SUB) will meet surging prospect Makhmud Muradov (24-6, 16 KOs, 3 SUBs) at UFC Fight Night: Hall vs. Silva on Saturday, October 31, 2020 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card airs live on ESPN+ starting 10pm ET, with a main event featuring the legendary Anderson "The Spider"Silva (34-10, 23 KOs, 3 SUBs) and the flashy Uriah Hall (15-9, 11 KOs, 1 SUB). Let’s take a closer look at the Jotko-Muradov matchup and get into your best UFC bets at the online sportsbook.
Bet on UFC at BookMaker.eu
Krzysztof Jotko (22-4, 6 KOs, 1 SUB)
Did you know that Jotko has made 13 octagon appearances? Joining the UFC as an undefeated European prospect, Jotko has been productive if unspectacular. After losing his octagon debut to Magnus Cedenblad, the Polish native reeled off five straight wins, peaking with a win over a known quantity in Thales Leites. That gave Jotko access to an upper tier of competition - which he proved unable to handle. He dropped a tepid split decision to David Branch, then suffered back-to-back TKOs to Uriah Hall and Brad Tavares, guys who have spent time in the top 15. The 31-year old has turned it around since then, with three straight wins over mid-tier competition.
Jotko is an unorthodox fighter on the feet, with off-rhythm striking that comes at weird angles. While he can hurt his opponents, Jotko provides little knockout threat with just 6 KOs in 22 career victories. In the grappling department, the ATT rep can grind, but it’s rare that he can overwhelm a fighter with strength or technique. You only need to watch him fight once or twice see how he’s been able to stick around the UFC, but never get over the hump - Jotko is a solid middleweight with a low ceiling.
Makhmud Muradov (24-6, 16 KOs, 3 SUBs)
Muradov is a name you might need to get familiar with: the 30-year from Uzbekistan comes into the matchup on a 13-fight win streak, with two of those coming inside the octagon. Overseas, Muradov garnered attention fighting at XFN, piling up early knockouts against decent regional competition. When he moved over to Oktagon MMA, Muradov earned a TKO win over UFC alum Wendell de Oliveira Marques, punching his ticket to the big show in the process. After scoring a UD win over Alessio Di Chirico in his debut, Muradov most recently knocked out Trevor Smith in 2019. The fight against Smith came on the prelims to the prelims - now Muradov jumps up to a main event slot.
We love that Muradov is a confident striker, and he has good reason to be: he’s got both power and technique on the feet. Though he was unable to get the knockout, the Uzbekistani picked Di Chirico apart over three rounds and did the same to the slower Smith. A good athlete, Muradov will definitely be the faster fighter here, but will have to avoid the takedowns as he could end up spending a lot of time on his back.
Significant Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Jotko 2.98 / Muradov 4.97
Striking accuracy: Jotko 45% / Muradov 41%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Jotko 1.90 / Muradov 2.57
Striking defense: Jotko 58% / Muradov 64%
Grappling Stats
Takedowns per 15 minutes: Jotko 1.27 / Muradov 0.51
Takedown accuracy: Jotko 35% / Muradov 25%
Takedown defense: Jotko 87% / Muradov 100%
Submissions per 15 minutes: Jotko 0.1 / Muradov 0.5
UFC Picks
Not a tough pick here. Muradov is the more physically gifted fighter and far more aggressive on the feet - which means that he should be able to avoid lockups with Jotko and will likely score more points on the feet. Muradov also has enough power that a few big hits can severely tilt the fight in his favor as well. It’s not a cheap pick, but Muradov to win is the safe one in a matchup designed to make him look good.
UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Hall Card & Odds
Middleweight - Anderson Silva +200 vs. Uriah Hall -245
Middleweight - Makhmud Muradov +119 vs. Kevin Holland -143
Heavyweight - Maurice Greene +261 vs. Greg Hardy -328
Lightweight - Thiago Moises +260 vs. Bobby Green -328
Lightweight - Chris Gruetzemacher +297 vs. Alexander Hernandez -381
Middleweight - Jack Marshman +252 vs. Sean Strickland -318
Lightweight - Cole Williams +118 vs. Jason Witt -142
Light Heavyweight - Justin Ledet +281 vs. Dustin Jacoby -359
Women’s Flyweight - Priscila Cachoeira +203 vs. Cortney Casey -250
Bantamweight - Kevin Natividad +138 vs. Miles Johns -166
Bantamweight - Victor Rodriguez +313 vs. Adrian Yanez -405
Featherweight - Andre Fili +125 vs. Bryce Mitchell -149
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! Real-time spreads, totals, props, and money lines are all available so start betting with BookMaker today.
