Azat should dominate here. I get that both of these guys are on 2 fight skids, but their losses are not the same. Azat is losing close fights to established guys. Azat's loss to Tagir is more impressive than any win Mitch has. He defended 8 takedowns, got 3 of his own and landed more strikes. Azat is the pick and the fact that he is a lesser favorite than Hamdy Abdelahwab is an insult to MMA.

Azat Maksum

Azat Maksum is fast, dangerous and has a pretty well rounded skillset. He can pick people apart on the feet with technique, drop them with power, out scramble them, out wrestle them and out grapple them. He genuinely is one of the more talented guys the UFC. His composure is impressive and he is comfortable everywhere. He is riding back to back losses, most recently a close decision to Tagir Ulanbekov

Mitch Rapaso

Mitch Raposo is a New England Cartel guy and he basically fights like the rest of that team. Clean boxing, clean striking and wrestling gaps. He is only 27 years old but he has been training since middle school. He has had a few cracks at the UFC with a loss on the Ultimate Fighter and a short notice loss on the Contender Series to Jake Hadley, and most recently back to back losses in the UFC. But he's young and evolving. He has more power than most, clean striking and is very comfortable in the cage. He can be hittable because his hands are low but he has a decent enough chin.