UFC Vegas 18: Cody Stamman vs. Akar Akar Picks, Odds and Predictions

Cody Stamman and Akar Akar are fighting at UFC Vegas 18 on Saturday, February 6, 2021 on ESPN+. 

In this featherweight (145lb) bout, we have Cody Stamman vs. Akar Akar. Stamman is fighting out of Wayne, Michigan. He is entering this bout as a -355 favorite. He lost his last bout to Jimmie Rivera in July 2020. Before this loss, he was on a two fight winning streak. He has notable wins against Brian Kheller and Aljejandro Perez. He has a professional MMA record of 19-3-0 and has 5 wins by KO/TKO (32%), 2 submissions (11%), and 10 decisions (58%). 

Akar is fighting out of Orlando Park, Illinois. He is entering this fight as a +265 underdog. Askar is 1-1 in his last two bouts. In his last fight, he won against Kevin Wirth. Before that fight, he lost to Saidyokub Kakhramonov. Before his loss to Kakhramonov, he was on a ten fight winning streak. He has a professional MMA record of 11-1-0 and has 5 wins via KO/TKO (45%), 1 submissions (9%), and 5 decisions (45%).  

Stamman was originally scheduled to fight Andre Ewell on this card, however, Ewell had to pull out of the fight due to an injury. Akar is taking this fight on short notice which is concerning, especially against a stamina heavy fighter like Stamman. While Akar has a nearly flawless record, he hasn’t faced top level competition. He is making his UFC debut and Stamman will be able to capitalize on this. I think the bright lights and pressure of fighting in the UFC with get to Akar. 58% of Stamman’s fights have gone to decision and 45% of Askar’s fights have gone to decision. I don’t see anything different happening here. For these reasons, my pick is…