UFC ON ESPN 51: AJ Dobson vs Tafon Nchukwi 08/12/2023 Fight Picks, Preview and Odds

UFC ON ESPN 51: Dobson vs Nchukwi 08/12/2023 – AJ Dobson clashes with Tafon Nchukwi in a three-round middleweight showdown on Saturday, August 12, at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The match is part of the UFC on ESPN 51 main card that features Vicente Luque and Rafael Dos Anjos in the main event. Dobson is looking for his first win in the UFC after two straight unanimous decision losses while Nchukwi aims to stop his own two-fight losing skid and revitalize his promising career inside the octagon. The fight is seen live on ESPN/ESPN+ for television subscribers while UFC Fight Pass will deliver the showdown on livestream. Online UFC odds and predictions are already updated for fight fans who wish to earn big money while glued to your TV screens and computer watching the match.

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Main Card

AJ Dobson

Dobson (6-2, 1 NC; 0-2 UFC) has yet to come up with his own UFC moment since debuting in the promotion on February 12, 2022. He absorbed the first loss of his career against Jacob Malkoun as all judges gave the unanimous nod to the latter. Eight months later, Dobson was paired with Armen Petrosyan for a chance to bounce back from the setback. However, Petrosyan dominated him from the opening bell to gain a 30-27 sweep from the three judges who scored the fight. Dobson will come into the fight determined to secure his first win inside the octagon and unlock his full potential moving forward.

Stats wise, Dobson has recorded five stoppages (3 knockouts and 2 submissions) and has never been knocked out or submitted in his career. He has landed 4.34 significant strikes per minute at an accuracy rate of 46%. The American has a 47% defense rate against strikes and has absorbed six significant strikes per minute in his two UFC matches. Dobson has been efficient in grappling with a takedown accuracy rate of 80%. He has averaged 1.75 takedowns per minute and has stopped 64% of the attempts against him. The American has also tried to submit his opponents at an average of 0.44 submission attempts per 15 minutes in his two fights inside the octagon.

Tafon Nchukwi

Nchukwi (6-3, 2-3 UFC) had a good start to his UFC career, winning two of his first three fights. However, the Cameroonian had a 2022 to forget as he lost both of his fights to Azamat Murzakanov (KO-Round 3) and Carlos Ulberg (TKO-Round 1) via knockout. More than a year after his loss to Ulberg, Nchukwi comes back to the UFC cage to fight Dobson and hopes to gain his first win in almost two years. He needs to bring back the form that handed him six wins in his first seven starts. Nchukwi wishes that his transfer to the middleweight ranks would work wonders as he seeks to secure a victory that will revitalize his career in the 185-pound class.

The Cameroonian has recorded four finishes in his career, all by knockout. Nchukwi striking prowess will be on full display in the fight as he has averaged 6.05 significant strikes landed per minute. His significant strike accuracy rate is considerably good for a middleweight at 52%. His defense rate against strikes is 55% and has absorbed 4.03 strikes per minute. When it comes to grappling, Nchukwi has averaged 0.94 takedowns per minute at an accuracy rate of 57%. His takedown defense rate is also above average at 71%. He has yet to successfully attempt a submission in his UFC career.