UFC on ESPN 48: Strickland vs. Magomedov Odds, Schedule, Predictions

Experience meets potential when Sean Strickland welcomes Abus Magomedov to the main event scene at UFC on ESPN 48.

Strickland has been on the UFC roster for a long time at this point. He made his debut all the way back in 2014 and will serve as a headliner for the fifth time in his career.

Conversely, Magomedov is a relative newcomer to the UFC roster. He knocked out Dustin Stoltzfus in the first round of his UFC debut and is now getting launched into a headlining fight against a seasoned veteran in Strickland.

It either says a lot about what the UFC thinks of Magomedov or how much they want Strickland to be a player in the middleweight division. Either way, it's an intriguing matchup that could be a breakout spot for Magomedov as the former PFL fighter looks to make a name for himself at the UFC's Apex Facility.

Here's a look at the complete card along with the latest odds and predictions for the featured bouts.

Fight Card, Schedule and Odds

Main Card (ESPN/ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)

• Sean Strickland (-150) vs. Abus Magomedov (+130)
• Grant Dawson (-110) vs. Damir Ismagulov (-110)
• Max Griffin (+210) vs. Michael Morales (-250)
• Melissa Gatto (-225) vs. Ariane Lipski (+190)
• Ismael Bonfim (-305) vs. Benoit Saint-Denis (+255)
• Brunno Ferreira (-215) vs. Nursulton Ruziboev (+185)

Prelims (ESPN/ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)

• Rinat Fakhretdinov (-200) vs. Kevin Lee (+170)
• Joanderson Brito (-1250) vs. Westin Wilson (+800)
• Karol Rosa (-175) vs. Yana Santos (+150)
• Elves Brener (+550) vs. Guram Kutateladze (-750)
• Luana Carolina (+175) vs. Ivana Petrovic (-205)
• Blagoy Ivanov (+110) vs. Alexandr Romanov (-130)

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Strickland vs. Magomedov

Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

PARIS, FRANCE - SEPTEMBER 03: Abus Magomedov of Russia kicks Dustin Stoltzfus in a middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at The Accor Arena on September 03, 2022 in Paris, France. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

This one is interesting because Sean Strickland seems to primarily serve as a barometer in the middleweight division. He's good enough to be near the top of the rankings but he just isn't good enough to break through.

That makes him a fascinating opponent for Abus Magomedov because it's hard to tell what to make of him. His UFC debut was his first fight since 2020 due to various fight cancelations and injuries.

When he's been healthy, he's a good athlete with good kicks and solid wrestling. When he gets top position he can do damage and can even end a fight early as he did in his debut.

However, Strickland is not easily taken down. He has a good wrestling game of his own and does a great jab of hiding behind his jab and making it difficult for fighters to close the distance against him.

Then again, he doesn't bring a lot of power to the table so if Magomedov decides to let his hands go off of his leg kicks he should be able to get inside and do damage without taking too much damage.

He's a bit of an underdog but his athleticism could be the difference-maker.

Prediction: Magomedov via decision

Dawson vs. Ismagulov

Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Damir Ismagulov (left) and Grant Dawson (right)

The co-main event features two featherweights with strong records trying to break into the top 10 of the division.

Grant Dawson hasn't lost inside the Octagon. He has a majority draw against Ricky Glenn but his pesky wrestling style which relies heavily on spamming takedowns, wearing down his opponent and looking for chokes has been difficult to deal with.

Damir Ismagulov was a successful M-1 champion before arriving in the UFC. Since making his debut in 2018, he's 5-1 and he'll be looking to bounce back from his lone loss to Arman Tsarukyan last time out.

That loss to Tsarukyan has aged well. He just scored a knockout victory over Joaquim Silva on June 17.

Ultimately, this is going to come down to his cardio and how well his takedown defense works. He has to be on point at all times because if Dawson gets a takedown it could be the last time he's standing for the rest of the round.

The fact this is three rounds helps the striker in this case. If he can keep the first round standing he just has to win the majority of the second round and avoid gassing to get the win on the judge's cards.

Prediction: Ismagulov via decision

Griffin vs. Morales

Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Max Griffin (left) and Michael Morales (right)

The lead-in to the co-main event features a fighter in the midst of a late-career renaissance and an up-and-comer stepping up in competition.

Max Griffin has been around for a long time. The 37-year-old will make his 15th walk to the Octagon on Saturday. While it looked like he was aging out of the sport losing four of five fights in 2018 to 2020, he rebounded by winning four of his last five.

However, it's worth noting that some of those wins came against some fellow aging vets. Time Means and Carlos Condit aren't exactly what they used to be.

Now, he'll have a chance to prove this late-career surge is real against 23-year-old Michael Morales.

The Ecuador native has just two fights under the UFC banner but both were knockout wins. Morales has a lot to learn about the nuances of fighting and game planning but he gets by a lot with his raw power and athleticism.

Griffin knows enough tricks to make Morales work for it, but it's likely his youth, length and power eventually get the better of him.

Prediction: Morales via third-round TKO

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