Chinese fighter Taiyilake Nueraji will make his UFC debut on home soil on Saturday when he faces Ireland’s Kiefer Crosbie. Nueraji is a heavy favorite in this fight as he looks to make an immediate impact in the UFC’s welterweight division. Before the action begins from Shanghai, continue reading to get my Taiyilake Nueraji vs Kiefer Crosbie prediction.
Our Taiyilake Nueraji vs Kiefer Crosbie Pick
- Pick: Taiyilake Nueraji to win by knockout
- Confidence: ★★★★☆
- Bonus Bets For Fight Night: Use bet365 promo code ATSBONUS to bet $5 and get $200 in bonus bets for this fight!
Tale of the Tape
| Taiyilake Nueraji | Kiefer Crosbie | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 24 | 35 |
| Reach | 75″ | 70″ |
| Stance | Southpaw | Switch |
| Record | 11-1-0 (1 NC) | 10-5-0 |
Nueraji vs Crosbie Preview
Taiyilake Nueraji is just 24 and is expected to deliver a ton of offensive output and relentless pressure in his UFC debut. He is 11-1-0 with one no contest and his striking statistics include an astonishing average of 11.01 significant strikes landed per minute. That style has translated to 10 knockouts in his 11 wins. The question for him in this fight is whether all of that will translate in his first fight at this level of competition.
Kiefer Crosbie is the more experienced fighter in this matchup at 35 years of age. He lands 6.27 significant strikes per minute and connects with 64% accuracy. Against most opponents those would be impressive numbers. But those numbers look pedestrian when held against Taiyilake Nueraji’s striking stats. Crosbie has lost via submission in each of his last two fights and will try to avoid being stopped a third straight time in this bout.
Betting Insights
- Taiyilake Nueraji is a huge favorite in this fight. He is -455 to win his UFC debut and Crosbie is +350 to ruin Nueraji’s UFC debut.
- This fight is not expected to last a long time. The over/under is set at 1.5 rounds and the under is juiced to -195.
- Only three of Nueraji’s career fights have gone beyond the first round.
- Crosbie has been stopped in the first round in back-to-back fights.
Taiyilake Nueraji vs Kiefer Crosbie Prediction
This is a very interesting fight to me. Taiyilake Nueraji has looked great going into his UFC debut, but you never know how a fighter will perform when stepping up to the UFC level. Crosbie has been a stoppage magnet in his last few fights and he could be vulnerable against a fighter in Nueraji who has put many an opponent to sleep in his young career.
I think we will see Taiyilake Nueraji get another win via stoppage in this fight to make his UFC debut in style. My best bet for this fight is for Nueraji to win via first-round knockout. His insane striking volume should come down to earth a big against a UFC-caliber opponent but he should still find a knockout blow within the first five minutes.
