Muhammad Mokaev vs Tim Elliott Prediction: Experience vs Youth

Youth and experience will meet in the cage at UFC 294 on October 21 when 23-year-old undefeated contender Muhammad Mokaev takes on 36-year-old mixed martial arts veteran Tim Elliott. The fighters are ranked eleventh and tenth in the UFC's lightweight rankings.

Muhammad Mokaev has only had ten professional fights, but he has won every one. He fought in the Brave CF and UFC leagues, winning his last two bouts early. Muhammad is an outstanding wrestler, but he makes mistakes on defense. He was saved in those fights by incredible patience, strength, and luck in those fights.

For Mokaev, his new opponent is probably the toughest of his career, and the more surprising are the odds, where he is a crazy favorite.

Tim Elliott has been fighting in the UFC for seven years now and has seen the likes of Demetrious Johnson, Deiveson Figueiredo, and Askar Askarov step into the Octagon. He's an incredibly experienced fighter who prefers to combat on the ground. Tim is currently riding a two-fight winning streak. One of the victories was over Tagir Ulanbekov.

Mokaev has youth, combativeness, and physic on his side. He's better than Elliott in every way, which could be his undoing, as he's overconfident approaching the fight. It's also troubling that Muhammad often finds himself trapped in techniques that require effort to get out of.

The American is a hard worker who will not immediately put his head under the guillotine. Mokaev will have to suffer a bit to find a way to submission, and he might fail.