Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Chris Barnett Odds
Check out the Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Chris Barnett odds for UFC 308 on Saturday, October 26, with my betting preview and breakdown.
UFC CEO Dana White would have you believe that the UFC books only the best of the best and there is no such thing as a freak-show fight in the No. 1 MMA organization in the world.
But here we are.
Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Chris Barnett is about as much of a freak show fight as you are going to get in the UFC these days. MMA fans will be on the edge of their seats.
Should UFC bettors be too?
Here's my Nzechukwu vs. Barnett pick and prediction.
Clint MacLean's Tale of the Tape
| Nzechukwu | Barnett | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 12-5 | 23-8 |
| Avg. Fight Time | 9:37 | 8:23 |
| Height | 6'5" | 5'9" |
| Weight (pounds) | 205 lbs. | 265 lbs. |
| Reach (inches) | 83" | 75" |
| Stance | Southpaw | Orthodox |
| Date of birth | 6/13/1992 | 6/14/1986 |
| Sig Strikes Per Min | 5.13 | 4.41 |
| SS Accuracy | 45% | 48% |
| SS Absorbed Per Min | 4.90 | 5.87 |
| SS Defense | 50% | 40% |
| Take Down Avg | 0.60 | 0.00 |
| TD Acc | 45% | 0% |
| TD Def | 80% | 33% |
| Submission Avg | 0.2 | 0.0 |
Kennedy Nzechukwu is a career light heavyweight, but for UFC 308, he will be moving up a weight class for his debut at heavyweight.
Chris Barnett is only 5-foot-9 per official UFC stats, but I would be shocked if he is anything over 5-foot-8 and while tapping the scales at 265 pounds.
Nzechukwu is going to be eight inches taller than Barnett, and he will also enjoy a massive eight-inch reach advantage.
Nzechukwu has been untrustworthy and a bit of a bust as a prospect. Even though he is 3-3 in his past six fights, the flashes of greatness we have seen from Kennedy have come against only the bottom-of-the-barrel fighters such as Devin Clark and Karl Roberson.
Nzechukwu is coming into this fight off back-to-back losses via one-punch KO in Round 1 and a split decision in which he just never looked like he was right against the withered shell of Ovince Saint Pruex.
I cannot trust Nzechukwu against any fighter on the roster right now.
Chris Barnett, meanwhile, has faced an absolute pile of issues that have kept him out of the cage since 2022, when he hit a viral come-from-behind KO win over Jake Collier.
Barnett has had four fights booked and canceled, the most recent of which was against Junior Tafa just a few weeks ago.
I worry about the mental state and health of a 38-year-old cage fighter who's seemingly half the size of his opponents and relies on insane levels of athleticism to generate meme-level finishes.
With that kind of setup, you would think we just ship it on Nzechukwu this week, right? The problem is Nzechukwu has chin issues, and we just saw him fight scared and lose to OSP.
Nzechukwu vs. Barnett Pick
I can never get to a -800 price tag after seeing Nzechukwu's recent form and considering his durability.
I would think that the most likely path to victory here is for Nzechukwu to eliminate the danger and take "Huggy Bear" down. Nzechukwu has an underrated submission game and will be much bigger than his opponent even if Barnett actually weighs more on fight night.
This is a sprinkle kind of play only, but rather than looking for even money or loading up and parlaying a huge favorite, let's see if Kennedy passes the IQ test on Saturday.
Clint's Pick: Kennedy Nzechukwu by submission (+600 at FanDuel)
