UFC Baku’s prelims heat up with a middleweight showdown on today at the Baku Crystal Hall as Austrian-Moroccan Ismail Naurdiev is up against South Korea’s JunYong Park. Naurdiev, “The Austrian Wonderboy,” returns with a hunger to prove his dynamic striking and improved grappling to shake up the division. Known for flashy kicks and relentless energy, he aims to dazzle in the UFC’s Azerbaijan debut.
Park, dubbed “The Iron Turtle” brings a grinding, pressure-heavy style, blending crisp boxing with suffocating wrestling to wear down opponents. This clash pits Naurdiev’s explosive athleticism against Park’s methodical resilience, giving the fans a contrasting approaches. As part of the UFC’s first even in Azerbaijan, both fighters are eager to leave a mark. Will Naurdiev’s flair steal the show, or can Park’s relentless pace prevail? The Octagon will answer this question.
At UFC Baku, Ismail Naurdiev (24-7-0 and 3-2 in the UFC) faces Junyong Park (18-6-0 with 8-3 UFC record) in a prelim middleweight bout at Baku Crystal Hall. Naurdiev, a 28-year old Austrian-Moroccan, returned to the UFC in October 2024, dominating Bruno Silva with a unanimous decision victory, landing 66 of 116 significant strikes (56% accuracy) and securing three takedowns.
His dynamic striking and improved wrestling makes him a threat. Previously, in his first tenure in the UFC, Naurdiev struggled to find consistency inside the Octagon, going 2-2. Later, Naurdiev revealed that the UFC was not interested in re-signing him to a new deal after his four-fight rookie contract was over.
Junyong Park on the other hand is coming off a win against Brad Tavares via split decision. The 34-year-old is a master of controlling the pace of the fight, who is a jack-of-all-trades, meaning he can do a little bit of everything. Whether it’s taking it to decision, making his opponents tap, or knockout them out, Park’s versatility poses a huge threat for Naurdiev, however, the Austrian is 6 years younger compared to Park, which could come handy going against a skilled and a veteran UFC fighter like Park.
The betting market reflects the significant UFC experience gap between the two fighters. According to BetMGM, Junyong Park is the -170 favorite, meaning that the oddsmakers are taking Park to win the fight, most likely due to his UFC experience and his all-around MMA game. Meanwhile, Ismail Naurdiev, is the +140 underdog, illuminating that the oddsmakers do not think that the Austrian can win this fight.
As per to BetMGM, this bout between Naurdiev and Park is likely headed to distance with odds currently at -135, rather than the fight finishing before the bell with its odds at +100.
The Korean, Junyong Park, has won five of his last six fights, and is riding a strong wave of momentum, which makes him the favorite to win this fight. Meanwhile, Naurdiev pick up a huge win against Bruno Silva in his UFC return, but his form and past performances have been pretty underwhelming. Park has also fought a stronger and more formidable opponents recently, which makes us believe that the Korean is going to walk away with a victory.
Expect Park to outwork Naurdiev, via unanimous decision, looking at his past fights and his all-around MMA game. While Naurdiev is a dangerous opponent, Park has fought in the UFC since 2019 and has only lost 3 fights but has won 8 bouts.
(All Odds According to BetMGM: BetMGM offers exclusive promo codes, bonus deals and accurate odds for users upon signing up. Use BetMGM to ace your betting game in all sports!)
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