Shavkat Rakhmonov vs Stephen Thompson Pick, 12/16/2023 Predictions UFC 296 Odds

by Josh Schonwald - 12/12/2023

Shavkat Rakhmonov vs Stephen Thompson

UFC 296

T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV

Saturday, December 16, 2023

Shavkat Rakhmonov will face off with Stephen Thompson at UFC 296 on Saturday, December 16, 2023. The opening odds have Rakhmonov coming in at -550 while Thompson is at +410.

Shavkat "Nomad" Rakhmonov will be looking to add a victory to his total of 17-0-0. The 29-year-old weighs 170 lbs and measures 6'1". The orthodox fighter stretches 77". Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson stands 6'0" and steps on the scale at 170 lbs. The orthodox fighter will be looking to add a victory to his total of 17-6-1. The 40-year-old has a wingspan of 75". In the category of significant strikes, Shavkat Rakhmonov connects on 4.45 per minute and Stephen Thompson connects on 4.20 significant strikes per minute. Rakhmonov lands 59% of the significant strikes he attempts while Thompson is landing 45%. In terms of defending themselves, "Nomad" takes 2.61 significant strikes per min and "Wonderboy" takes 3.04. Rakhmonov also stops 53% of the significant strikes his opponents attempt while Thompson prevents 55% of them.

ufc picks Stephen Thompson ufc predictions best bet odds

UFC 296	Shavkat Rakhmonov	Stephen Thompson
Opening Odds	-550	+410
Record	17-0-0	17-6-1
Average Fight Time	8:03	14:51
Height	6'1"	6'0"
Weight	170 lbs	170 lbs
Reach	77"	75"
Strikes Landed Per Minute	4.45	4.20
Striking Accuracy	59%	45%

In the grappling category, Shavkat Rakhmonov is the more apt grappler as he takes his opponents down 1.49 times per 3 rounds. Rakhmonov is taking his opponents to the canvas on 33% of his attempts and is stuffing 85% of all takedown tries against him. Thompson is taking his opponents down on 41% of the takedowns he attempts and stuffing 64% of the tries against him. Regarding submission attempts, Rakhmonov is the more experienced of the two fighters by going for 1.5 finishes per 3 rds while Thompson tries 0.6 finishes per 3 rds.

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The last time he stepped into the Octagon, Shavkat Rakhmonov faced Geoff Neal and ended up winning this fight by rear naked choke in round 3. Neal ended up landing 69 of 145 of the strikes he threw in total in this fight. Rakhmonov finished this fight landing 120 of 186 total strikes. When talking about significant strikes, Neal landed 69 of 145, which gave him a percentage of 47%. He ended up landing 63 of 136 significant strikes directed at the head. On the other side of the Octagon, Rakhmonov ended up landing 63% of the significant strikes he threw by landing 113 of 179. In regard to the placement of these significant strikes, he landed 69 of 130 pointed at the head. 82% of the significant strikes landed by Neal and 65% of them landed by Rakhmonov were thrown at distance.

In the last fight for Stephen Thompson, he fought Kevin Holland and wound up getting the win by way of corner stoppage in round 4. Holland ended up connecting on 81% of the significant strikes he tried at a distance and Thompson ended up landing 92% of the significant strikes he tried at a distance. Thompson ended up connecting on 62% of the significant strikes he attempted by landing 163 of 260. He landed 103 of 192 significant strikes to the head. Holland connected on 119 of 210 significant strikes in that contest. Out of all the significant strikes thrown, he ended up landing 52 of 131 directed at the head. In terms of total strikes that he let go, Holland was 123 of 214 while Thompson landed 178 of 278 of all the strikes he attempted.

Other fights on the card to keep an eye on

Another fight to keep an eye on is when Tony Ferguson meets Paddy Pimblett. Ferguson will be looking to add a win to his career total of 26-9-0. The 39-year-old weighs in at 155 lbs and stands 5'11". The orthodox fighter stretches 76". Pimblett measures in at 5'10" and tips the scales at 155 lbs. The orthodox fighter looks to add a victory to his career total of 20-3-0. The 28-year-old has an arm span of 73". When it comes to grappling, Tony Ferguson takes his opponents down 0.42 times per 3 rounds while Paddy Pimblett scores a takedown 0.97 times per 3 rounds. Regarding striking, Ferguson connects on 4.98 strikes per min and is landing 45% of the strikes that he throws. Joining him in the Octagon is Paddy Pimblett, who tags his opponent on 46% of the strikes he has attempted and lands 4.19 per min.

Another must see fight on the night is when Ian Garry is set to face off with Vicente Luque. Luque comes into this bout with a mark of 22-9-1. The 32-year-old is fighting at 170 lbs and measures in at 5'11". The orthodox fighter has an arm span of 75". Garry stands in at 6'3" and records a weight of 170 lbs. The orthodox fighter has a mark of 12-0-0. The 26-year-old stretches 74". Regarding wrestling, Vicente Luque is stopping 62% of the takedowns fighters have gone for and is finishing his takedown tries on 60% of his tries. Garry is taking his opponents down on 75% of the tries he takes and stops 69% of the takedowns his opponents try. In the category of striking, Luque is absorbing 5.15 strikes per minute while he is dealing 5.17 strikes/min. Garry, on the contrary, absorbs 3.58 strikes/min and lands 6.67 per min.

Who will win tonight's UFC match against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Shavkat Rakhmonov (-550)

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Shavkat Rakhmonov vs Stephen Thompson Pick, 12/16/2023 Predictions UFC 296 Odds

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