Lightweight Nasrat Haqparast (11-3, 9 KOs) will welcome undefeated Alex Munoz (6-0, 2 KOs, 1 SUB) at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik on August 8, 2020 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card airs live on ESPN starting at 9pm ET, headlined by a heavyweight banger between knockout Artist Derrick Lewis (23-8) and submission specialist Alexei Oleinik (59-13-1). Let's take a deeper look at the lightweight feature, break down the stats and get to your best betting options at the UFC online sportsbook.
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Nasrat Haqparast (11-3, 9 KOs)
There's no question that Afghanistan's Nasrat Haqparast has a bright future. Just 24 years old, Haqparast already has five UFC appearances and is developing inside the cage against excellent fighters. His UFC debut against Marcin Held resulted in a UD loss, but fighting the former Bellator title challenger on short notice was an extremely tough task for a young prospect. Haqparast then reeled off three straight wins, decisioning a good kickboxer in Marc Diakiese, and prevailing over Thibault Gouti and Joaquim Silva.
Unfortunately, Haqparast recently had his winning streak snapped by Drew Dober earlier this year. On top of that, it was the first time that he'd ever been knocked out. But this is the fight game after all, and sooner or later everybody gets caught. Now, we'll see how he bounces back. The TriStar Gym product certainly has the talent to carve out a long, productive UFC career. And if we're talking ceilings, Haqparast is an awesome athlete with knockout power. That's something you can't teach.
As the more experienced fighter in this matchup, Haqparast is a huge -265 favorite. Even though Munoz is an excellent prospect, Haqparast is just too skilled and savvy to be anything but a heavy favorite here.
Alex Munoz (6-0, 2 KOs, 1 SUB)
Who is Alex Munoz? For starters, he comes out of Team Alpha Male - a camp that pumps out pro lighter weight fighters. So at the very least, you know he's got high level training partners Joe Benavidez, Cody Garbrandt and Andre Fili. After dipping his feet in regional promotions like Xtreme Knockout and Evolution of FIghters, Munoz got his chance on Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series in July 2018. There was a lot of interest in his DWCS appearance, as Munoz faced off against Nick Newell - the one-armed fighter. Though he wasn't signed after beating Newell, Munoz kept himself on the radar with a win over Troy Lamson.
Munoz is 30 years old and a good athlete. He's also Alpha Male's wrestling coach - and that is a team that produces very, very good wrestlers. If anything, that means he enters the UFC with expertise in one of the best bases for MMA. Obviously, don't expect knockouts (he has just 2 career stoppages), but strong grinders generally have some longevity in the sport. Maybe he'll find his power inside the octagon as well.
The odds are stacked against him, as the UFC odds at BookMaker.eu opened with him as a +204 underdog. It's a tough opening assignment, but Munoz will not be out of his depth.
Significant Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Haqparast 5.25 / Munoz 4.07
Striking accuracy: Haqparast 47% / Munoz 63%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Haqparast 3.38 / Munoz 3.53
Striking defense: Haqparast 74% / Munoz 53%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Haqparast 0.29 / Munoz 4.00
Takedown accuracy: Haqparast 25% / Munoz 66%
Takedown defense: Haqparast 78% / Munoz 0%
Submission average: Haqparast 0.0 / Munoz 0.0
UFC Picks
We love wrestlers. It's not like Munoz is some blue chip prospect, but he's not going to be somebody that's overwhelmed by the moment. While Haqparast has good takedown defense, he's going to spend a lot of time getting controlled by a guy that trains top-notch fighters. At this price, we'll take a small bet.
UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik Card & Odds
Heavyweight - Aleksei Oleinik +176 vs. Derrick Lewis -214
Middleweight - Omari Akhmedov +104 vs. Chris Weidman -128
Lightweight - Scott Holtzman +134 vs. Beneil Dariush -162
Middleweight - Andrew Sanchez +134 vs. Wellington Turman -162
Lightweight - Alex Munoz +205 vs. Nasrat Haqparast -251
Welterweight - Tim Means +113 vs. Laureano Strapoli -137
Featherweight - Justin Jaynes +123 vs. Gavin Tucker -147
Featherweight - Peter Barret +327 vs. Youssef Zalal -425
Women Bantamweight - Julija Stoliarenko +194 vs. Yana Kunitskaya -238
Bantamweight - Ali Al Qaisi +162 vs. Irwin Rivera -196
Middleweight - Maki Pitolo +150 vs. Darren Stewart -181
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