The UFC has a great fight card on tap in Abu Dhabi for the fight fans. Headlining this stacked fight night event is a matchup in the bantamweight division between two of the best in the division Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov

On the prelims, we have a heavyweight banger between two heavy-hitting contenders Shamil Gaziev and Don'Tale Mayes. Both of these fighters will be looking to score the big knockout to set them up for a big matchup in their next fight.

This should be a barnburner for however long it lasts between these two heavyweights so let's take a look at this matchup and our Gaziev-Mayes prediction and pick.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 02: (R-L) Shamil Gaziev of Russia punches Jairzinho Rozenstruik of Suriname in a heavyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on March 02, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

UFC Abu Dhabi: Shamil Gaziev Predictions August 3rd

Shamil Gaziev (12-1) secured his contract with a first-round submission over Greg Velasco which gave Gaziev a ton of hype coming into his UFC debut. He then did one better by battering Martin Buday in just a little over two rounds getting the TKO victory.

However, Gaziev got a gigantic step up in competition that deemed too much for him when he took perrenial heavyweight contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik and retired in the corner in the 4th round.

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Gaziev will now get a considerable step down in competition when he takes on Don'Tale Mayes with hopes that he can return to his pre-UFC form.

• In Gaziev's 12 victories as a professional MMA fighter, he has finished 11 of his 12 wins which is split with 8 knockouts and 3 submissions.

He is a behemoth of a man standing in at 6'4" with a 78.5" and while that is on the larger scale he will be the smaller higher in this matchup against Mayes. However, he utilizes his size a lot better than his counterpart by wearing down his opponents with his grappling as well as his thunderous strikes on the feet.

In this matchup, the forward pressure of Gaziev is going to be key. Mayes has a difficult time navigating pressure and needs his space to land his kicks and jab but by Gaziev crowding his space Mayes will not be able to get off his usual offense.

As long as Gaziev doesn't death gas like he did in five minutes with Rozenstruik he should be able to get himself back into the win column by hunting down Mayes and landing his shots while mixing in the takedowns until the eventual finish.

UFC Abu Dhabi: Don'Tale Mayes Predictions August 3rd

Don'Tale Mayes (11-6) has now alternated wins and losses over his last four fights but he comes into this matchup riding a victory over Caio Machado.

Mayes comes into this fight with a 4-4-0, 1 NC record during his time in the UFC and is just three fights removed from the best win of his career where he knocked out longtime UFC veteran Andrei Arlovski.

After that win against Arlovski, it looked like Mayes had turned a corner only to drop his next fight to Augusto Sakai but as he comes off a win in his last fight he will be looking to keep his winning ways going.

• Don'Tale Mayes is a finisher by nature with finishes in 7 of his 11 victories which is split between 4 knockouts and 3 submissions making him a well-rounded fighter.

In this matchup, Mayes is going to have to navigate the forward aggression that Shamil Gaziev will put forth in this matchup. He will need to stick the jab, use his footwork, and hammer the lead calf of Gaziev so that he can't just come barreling forward.

Then if Mayes can level change and take this fight to the mat there's a good chance he can wear out Gaziev just like Rozenstruik was able to do and he can get the finish shortly thereafter.

UFC ABU DHABI: SHAMIL GAZIEV vs DON'TALE MAYES FANDUEL ODDS FOR AUGUST 3

MONEY LINE

• SHAMIL GAZIEV: -245
• DON'TALE MAYES: +186

PROPS

• SHAMIL GAZIEV BY POINTS: +310
• SHAMIL GAZIEV BY SUBMISSION: +480
• SHAMIL GAZIEV BY KNOCKOUT/TKO: +200
• DON'TALE MAYES BY POINTS: +550
• DON'TALE MAYES BY KNOCKOUT/TKO: +430
• DON'TALE MAYES BY SUBMISSION: +1800

OVER/UNDER (ROUNDS TOTAL) - DRAFTKINGS

• OVER 2.5 ROUNDS (+120)
• UNDER 2.5 ROUNDS (-165)

BEST UFC ABU DHABI ODDS FOR SHAMIL GAZIEV vs DON'TALE MAYES

• Don'Tale Mayes comes in as the moderate underdog in this fight this weekend. DraftKings Sportsbook has the best odds at (+200)
• Shamil Gaziev is the heavy favorite coming off his first professional loss this weekend. Caesars Sportsbook sits with the best betting odds at (-230)
• DraftKings has the best odds when it comes to the over/under on the total rounds, which is set at 2.5 Rounds (+120) for the over, and (-165) for the under

FINAL GAZIEV-MAYES PICK & PREDICTION

This should be a barnburner for however long it lasts between these two heavy-hitting heavyweights. Ultimately, while Mayes certainly has a chance to keep his winning streak going all signs point to Gaziev getting back on track with a thunderous knockout in under 1.5 rounds.

FINAL GAZIEV-MAYES PICK & PREDICTION: SHAMIL GAZIEV (-245)