UFC Returns In 2022 With Fight Night Card On Jan 15

UFC fans are used to expecting fights every weekend as the premier MMA promotion continued to host Fight Nights even during the pandemic. The UFC has decided to take a three-week break from Christmas to give both the staff and fighters a break to spend some time with family during the holidays.

The UFC will return with a bang in 2022 as several exciting fight cards have already been planned. The UFC will start 2022 with an exciting Fight Night card on Jan 15 at the UFC Apex Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Kattar vs. Chikadze – Main Event

This card will be headlined by an exciting fight in the featherweight division as Calvin Kattar takes on the exciting Giga Chikadze. The winner of this fight will be in line for a title fight after Max Holloway and current champ Alex Volkanovski fight for the third time. The Holloway vs. Volkanovski fight is not a done deal, and if the UFC decides not to do Holloway vs. Volkanovski right away, then either Kattar or Chikadze could fight for the belt next.

Kattar is the underdog for this fight and has odds of 9/5, while Chikadze is the betting favorite with odds of 5/11. This is a must-watch fight if you like to see two of the best technical fighters in the UFC stand and trade shots. Kattar has impressive boxing and a strong chin, while Chikadze is a brilliant kickboxer and one of the best strikers overall in the UFC.

While Chikadze is a huge betting favorite, don’t count Kattar out. We know Chikadze is the most dangerous in the first two rounds, and he then starts to fade slowly as his cardio goes. This is going to be a 5 round Main Event, which means if Kattar can push Chikadze past round 3, his chances of winning will increase significantly.

Kattar has immense cardio and a strong chin, so we expect this fight to go past the third round. The chances of this fight going to a decision are slim as we do expect a finish in this fight. If you like taking calculated risks, go ahead and put your money on Kattar.

Buckley vs. Alhassan

Kattar vs. Chikadze will be a technical striking feast. Still, the fight in the middleweight division between Joaquin Buckley and Abdul Razak Alhassan will be an all-out war as both fighters have incredible power and the ability to finish the fight with one punch. Buckley is the betting favorite with odds of 4/6, while Alhassan is the underdog with odds of 5/4.

Alhassan saved his UFC career in his last fight after stopping a skid of three defeats when he finished Alessio Di Chirico in August. Before his three defeats, he was one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC. Interestingly, Buckley’s last loss was at the feet of Alessio Di Chirico, who knocked him out in Jan 2021.

While the bookmakers have Buckley as the betting favorite, we believe that Alhassan has got back his confidence after his last win and should get the better of Buckley. We are going to put our money on Alhassan to win by KO.

Salikhov vs. Pereira

The stand and bang fights on this card are very impressive as you also have a fantastic welterweight fight between Russian Muslim Salikhov and Brazilian Michel Pereira. Salikhov, known as the King of Kung Fu, is a slight betting underdog with odds of 1/1, while the charismatic Pereira is the betting favorite with odds of 4/5.

Salikhov likes to stand and trade punches, while Pereira is known for his acrobatics and weird moves in the ring. Salikhov is too experienced a fighter to get sidetracked by Pereira’s antics in the ring, and we do think he has a good chance of winning this fight.

Other Exciting Fights

Some of the other exciting fights on this card include a fight in the women’s flyweight division when veteran Katlyn Chookagian takes on Jennifer Maia. Chookagian has odds of 10/17, while Maia has odds of 7/5. This is a close fight to call, but we will give Chookagian the edge.

You also have an exciting fight in the heavyweight division when Chase Sherman takes on Jake Collier. Sherman goes in with odds of 1/1, while Collier goes in with odds of 4/5. We will put our money on Collier for this fight as we believe he has the better chin and will be more aggressive throughout the fight.

Some of the other fights to watch out for include Court McGee and Ramiz Brahimaj in the welterweight division and Brian Kelleher and Saidyokub Kakhramonov in the bantamweight division.