On July 18 in the United States of America, another UFC Fight Night tournament will take place, headlined by Islam Makhachev and Thiago Moises. Another interesting matchup for domestic viewers will occur in the prelims — Sergey Morozov will face Khalid Taha. We have prepared a prediction for the fight.
Khalid Taha
29-year-old German fighter of Lebanese origin began his professional career in 2013. His debut was in the up to 71-kilogram category, but later Taha moved down to bantamweight, where he won his first title — Fair FC. In 2017, he was invited to participate in the Rizin Grand Prix. Khalid easily handled his opponent in the first fight, but lost in the quarterfinals and was eliminated from the tournament.
In 2018, Khalid Taha signed a contract with UFC. In the American promotion, the fighter from Germany secured one victory, lost two fights, and one bout was ruled a no-contest due to a positive doping test.
Sergey Morozov
32-year-old fighter from Kazakhstan competed in numerous amateur bouts, winning many awards in pankration and hand-to-hand combat. As a professional, he has a record of 16-4. Most of his fights took place in Russian promotions. In 2018, he fought for the M-1 title against Movsar Evloev but lost. His second attempt to win the belt was successful — Morozov defeated Alexander Osetrov. Sergey made one title defense before heading to conquer UFC.
UFC management decided to pit Morozov against another newcomer — Umar Nurmagomedov. Khabib’s cousin appeared much larger, outstruck his opponent in stand-up, and then finished with a submission hold. Sergey had some good moments in stand-up, but he couldn’t compete on the ground.
Statistics and Prediction
The opponents are of the same height, but the German has an advantage in reach. However, Morozov is used to it — he usually gives up in size in almost all his fights. The level of opposition is roughly equal.
Khalid’s base martial art is taekwondo. He has very dangerous jiu-jitsu, heavy strikes with his hands, as evidenced by 9 knockout wins. He isn’t afraid to exchange blows at close range and is physically strong.
Sergey Morozov is a typical all-rounder. Like Khalid, he has knockout power, fights well on the ground, and strikes with his legs. In fights, the Kazakh fighter patiently waits for his chance and works effectively at all levels.
In the upcoming bout, bookmakers favor the German, but I think Morozov has solid chances of winning. Taha has previously been caught using substances that help cut weight quickly and has failed weigh-ins. Due to the grueling weight cut, he might tire out by the end of the second round. Sergey needs to weather the initial onslaught, wear him down, and increase the pace in the second half of the fight. Then, victory will definitely be his.
