On March 11 at the ACB 54: Supersonic tournament in Manchester we’ll have a chance to observe how the popular middleweights Mamed Khalidov (32-4-2) and Luke Barnatt (12-3) finally figure out which of them is a more dominant champion. Both of these fighters own the belts of European promotions - Khalidov has long been holding the Polish KSW title, and Barnatt won and once successfully defended the belt of the Italian Venator FC organization.
Mamed Khalidov is riding a 12-fight winning streak and only two matches ended by decisions. In every fight Mamed proved that he is strong in all aspects and ready to fight on his opponent's territory. Barnatt won 4 of his last fights, but this winning streak was preceded by a 3-fight losing streak. However, it was only in one the three fights that Barnatt really yielded - in other two cases he lost by very close split decisions where mere trifles resoled the outcome of the bouts. All 4 fights were finished inside distance. The age difference between the fighters is 8 years, the Englishman is 28, and the athlete from Poland is 36. This factor is likely to play into the hands of Barnatt who will have the advantage if the fight lasts the distance. In terms of anthropometry Barnatt holds the advantage again - no wonder he got the nickname Bigslow as he’s almost two meters tall, and his range is 5 centimeters greater than that of his opponent.
However, Mamed can compensate it with his advantage in strength, but to do so he’ll have to constantly break away. Relying on dry statistics one can say that Khalidov is still a favorite in this fight, but it is worth paying attention to another factor, namely Mamed’s physical condition. The last fight turned out very tough for him. Old injuries have not allowed the Polish champion to give 100%, and immediately after the fight Mamed said he wanted to take a break.
As a result, the interval between his last performance and the fight in Manchester will be a little less than 10 months. Barnatt, by the way, was also not very active during this time and had only one fight. Therefore, a lot will depend on how well Khalidov has recovered. So what do we end up with? Two top middleweights, two champions, two masters of their craft will square off in a cage at the ACB 54: Supersonic tournament. All the pros and cons of the fighters can be analyzed for a long time, but the main thing is that any of them can win.
There is no clear favorite, and anything can happen during the fight. So hurry up and choose who you’ll be cheering for and place your bets on our website! Write in the comments who will win and most importantly - why. Show off your knowledge of armchair analytics!
https://acbmma.com/en/tournamentnext/acb-54-supersonic-5236_65
