Magomed Ankalaev vs Johnny Walker Odds, AI Picks, and AI Prediction

Home / UFC News / Magomed Ankalaev vs Johnny Walker Odds, AI Picks, and AI Prediction

While you might be heading into 2024 counting down the days of some of the massive PPV cards in the first quarter of the year, don’t look past the UFC events that set the table for the big ones. 

This weekend we have a matchup between top light heavyweights headlining the weekend with Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker looking to settle things once and for all in the octagon. This Ankalaev vs Walker 2 bout will give us an idea of who will possibly challenge for the title later on in 2024.

Let’s take a closer look at the Ankalaev vs Walker odds, break down the analytics, and predict who will win and how it will happen on Saturday night. 

Bout Information 

MAGOMED ANKALAEV vs JOHNNY WALKER

Location of the Game: UFC APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada, United State

Date and Time: January 13, 2024 – 7 PM ET main card start

Reason: UFC Friday Night Ligh Heavyweight Bout

How to watch: ESPN+

AI Betting Picks

ODDS	AI BETTING PICKS
OVER/UNDER	Over 1.5 rounds (-140)
MONEYLINE	Magomed Ankalaev (-500)

Even though making UFC picks on fights where two UFC fighters at this level are set to headline an event is seemingly impossible, we can use the Ankalaev vs Walker odds, analytics, and film to make the best possible, intelligent guess. 

When these two were first set to fight a few months back, it was easier to make a pick for Walker. He is unpredictable, uber-athletic, and has confidence again. But with the unfortunate way yet another fight of Ankalaev’s played out, he is going to be the most dangerous he’s ever been.

This Magomed Ankalaev prediction is that he’s going to show his superior martial arts skill set and dominate this fight from the start. No promises that it won’t be a boring, technical snooze fest for most fans, but he might get a finish in the middle rounds. 

Taking this bet is a perfect example of not overthinking and agreeing with the oddsmakers. Ankalaev is the better fighter and he will make sure he doesn’t let anything ruin his moment this time around. 

Ankalaev vs Walker Odds

FIGHTER	MONEYLINE	OVER/UNDER
MAGOMED ANKALAEV	-500	O 1.5
JOHNNY WALKER	+350	U 1.5

According to the available UFC odds, Ankalaev is now a massive -500 betting favorite and that seems to keep trending upward for him. He opened at around -450 to start fight week and must be getting a lot of public traction in the sportsbooks. 

The Johnny Walker betting lines look like they have him bringing up the rear as the underdog at +375. You can also get Walker winning by KO, something he plans on doing, at +600. 

This bout is -1000 to end inside the distance; meaning that the oddsmakers believe there is a massive chance someone will finish on the floor, and a very low chance these two both are standing at the end of 25 minutes of competition. The over/under is at 1.5 rounds for this 5-round main event bout. 

Betting Preview

Magomed Ankalaev

Ankalaev is a Russian mixed martial arts fighter with a professional MMA record of 17-1 with 9 wins coming by TKO/KO and zero wins by submission. His only loss was a last-second submission to the infamous comeback-from-behind submission artist, Paul Craig back in 2018. He is at 6’3” and has a 75” reach while fighting out of predominately the orthodox stance. 

Ankalaev averages 3.56 significant strikes landed per minute and 2.20 significant strikes absorbed per minute. On top of his technical kickboxing prowess, he averages 1.07 takedowns per 15 minutes and had a rock-solid 86% takedown defense. 

Johnny Walker

Walker is an MMA fighter with a professional record of 21-7 with 16 TKO/KO victories and 3 submissions so far. He is only 31 years old and is one of the most physically gifted athletes on the UFC roster, coming in at 6’6” with an 82” reach while fighting out of predominately the orthodox stance. 

Walker averages 3.87 significant strikes landed and 2.64 significant strikes absorbed per minute in the UFC. He lands his strikes at 56% impressively but has a 45% striking defense–meaning he receives punches easier than a lot of guys at the top of the division. He also has sneaky-good grappling due to his unpredictability, leading to his 100% rate on takedown attempts in the UFC.

Ready to take the Ankalaev vs Walker Odds for your sports betting to the next level with AI? Follow us @SportBettingAI on X and keep reading for continuous AI-powered betting picks.