Preview: UFC 253 ‘Adesanya vs. Costa’ Prelims

Light Heavyweights

Khadis Ibragimov (8-3) vs. Danilo Marques (9-2)

ODDS: Ibragimov (-195), Marques (+160)

Ibragimov is almost surely fighting for his spot on the UFC roster now, as his run inside the Octagon has been quite disappointing. After a strong start in his native Russia, Ibragimov looked like a powerful wrestler who could put away his opponents with bursts of aggression. However, nothing has translated up a level. Ibragimov has not been able to bull around or finish anyone, so he has instead wound up burning out his gas tank. To his credit, Ibragimov did seem a bit more patient in his last bout against Roman Dolidze, but the end result of that was Dolidze quickly knocked out Ibragimov for the victory. Ibragimov gets a fourth shot at his first UFC victory against a Brazilian newcomer in Marques, who draws his first fight since early 2018. Marques certainly has light heavyweight size, and based on what little relevant film is available, he appears to be a twitchy striker who is most comfortable grappling with his opponent. That should make this a mess of a fight. Marques seems closer to the type of competition Ibragimov managed to overwhelm prior to his UFC debut, but at this point, there has to be concern about his ability to keep that going for 15 minutes. Nevertheless, Ibragimov by decision is the pick.