We’re back with another betting prediction and pick for the UFC London Prelims as we head over to the Middleweight (185) Division for this next bout. England’s own Christian Leroy Duncan will meet against Russia’s Andrey Pulyaev for an exciting bout between dangerous strikers. Check the UFC odds series for our Duncan-Pulyaev prediction and pick.
Christian Leroy Duncan (10-2) has gone 3-2 since joining the UFC in 2023. The former 7-0 prospect from UK’s Cage Warriors has taken to the UFC well, going 2-1 in his last three bouts. He dropped his most recent fight to Gregory Rodrigues and will be looking to bounce back with a win in front of a home crowd. Duncan stands 6-foot-2 with a 79-inch reach.
Andrey Pulyaev (9-2) will be making his UFC debut following a unanimous decision win on Dana White’s Contender Series. He’s won five consecutive fights heading into this one and all but three of his professional bouts have ended inside the distance. He’ll look to surprise as one of the bigger betting underdogs on the card. Pulyaev stands 6-foot-4 with a 78.5-inch reach.
Here are the UFC London Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC London Odds: Christian Leroy Duncan-Andrey Pulyaev Odds
Christian Leroy Duncan: -535
Andrey Pulyaev: +400
Over 1.5 rounds: -166
Under 1.5 rounds: +130
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Why Christian Leroy Duncan Will Win
- Last Fight: (W) Gregory Rodrigues – U DEC
- Last 5: 3-2
- Finishes: 8 KO/TKO, 1 SUB
Christian Leroy Duncan will make yet another appearance in front of a pro-England crowd as he’s been widely successful fighting in his home country. His last loss to Gregory Rodrigues aged well, but there was far more Duncan could have done to stop the forward pressure of his opponent. He’s very long for the weight class and does a great job of keeping opponents at distance with his straight jab. He’s also quick to use his kicks to all three levels and generally does a good job of defending himself within the pocket.
Duncan will have experience on his side as he’s seen the much fiercer UFC competition compared to his opponent. He’ll also have the luxury of facing a debuting fighter with the betting odds on his side, so this should be a fight in which Duncan feels confident in. He’ll have to maintain a safe distance as his opponent is also long, but Duncan is far more accurate in terms of his offense and can sustain that output over the course of three rounds.
Why Andrey Pulyaev Will Win
- Last Fight: (W) Liam Anderson – U DEC
- Last 5: 5-0
- Finishes: 5 KO/TKO, 2 SUB
Andrey Pulyaev was able to win his DWCS audition fight as a +170 underdog and stated after the fight that he embraces the role of the underdog no matter who he’s fighting against. He’ll need every bit of that confidence as a +400 underdog in this one, but he’ll have the advantage of size on his side against another long fighter in Duncan. Pulyaev is still raw as a striker and sometimes relies on his physical tools to overwhelm opponents. During this fight, he’ll have to focus on precision and hitting his mark clean if he’ll want to stifle his opponent.
Pulyaev is very awkward in his movements and during his DWCS fight, it was clear he was retreating to bait Liam Anderson into overextending against him. From there, Pulyaev was able to land straight rights down the middle and tie his opponent up in the clinch. Given his long arms and slender build, he creates a ton of leverage against the fence and can control opponents if he locks them into the clinch. It’ll be interesting to see how he handles first-fight jitters during his debut, but past fights have shown us he’s ready for this moment.
Final Christian Leroy Duncan-Andrey Pulyaev Prediction & Pick
This should be a striker’s delight as both men have spent the majority of their fight time on the feet. Being in the UFC for the last two years has certainly given Christian Leroy Duncan a plethora of experience in fighting the highest levels of competition, so that’s something that should become apparent in this fight early.
However, Andrey Pulyaev thrives as an underdog and given his awkward style and looping punches, he could be able to catch his opponent off-guard and stun him with a knockdown early into this fight.
For our final prediction, we’ll have to roll with Christian Leroy Duncan to get the win, either by decision or a knockout in the later rounds. He’s just the more skilled martial artist at this point and his striking is much more polished compared to his opponent. Still, I see this fight hitting its total over as we see a sloppy affair through the first round.
Final Christian Leroy Duncan-Andrey Pulyaev Prediction & Pick: Christian Leroy Duncan (-535) OVER 1.5 Rounds (-166)
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