Islam Makhachev - Davy Ramos
Since joining the UFC, a native of Makhachkala, Islam Makhachev, has been considered one of the most talented Russian promotion fighters. His skill was spoken of as a teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov, so father of Khabib Abdulmanap. Both predicted a compatriot place in the lightweight elite. However, Islam failed to climb the summit. Already in the second fight in the Absolute Fighting Championship, he suffered a heavy defeat from Adriano Martins and lost the status of a rising star of the division.
Makhachev drew conclusions from this failure and scored five victories in a row. Among his rivals were one of the new hopes of the weight category Chris Wade, as well as old-timers Nick Lenz and Glayson Tiebau, who had previously tried his hand against Nurmagomedov. Islam was able to restore its reputation and even entered the top 15 ranking, but in order to break into the top ten, it is necessary to start winning spectacularly.
Only two out of five victories of the Russian were won ahead of schedule, and the fight with Arman Tsarukyan in the framework of the UFC Fight Night in St. Petersburg, although it received the “Fight of the Night” award, was hardly made a serious impression on Dana White. This is evidenced by the fact that his next rival was Davy Ramos, who is below him in the ranking table.
The Brazilian started his UFC performance with a defeat, but then prevailed over his rivals four times in a row. It is worth noting that so far he has not met with top-class fighters, so the duel with Makhachev will be for him a moment of truth. If he succeeds, he will take the place of his counterpart in the top 15, and if he yields, he will seriously complicate his prospects in the organization.
Curtis Blades - Shamil Abdurahimov
Perhaps the battle between the two heavyweights will not be the most spectacular at the UFC 242 tournament, but it is a must-see. If only because Abdurakhimov will be opposed by the fourth number of the division’s rating, continuing his campaign to his first title match. A meeting with him is an opportunity for Shamil to prove that he is rightfully among the ten strongest and was unjustly underestimated during his four-year career in the most prestigious MMA promotion in the world.
Fans are waiting for a clash of two high-class fighters, accustomed to cracking down on their rivals in the stalls. Undoubtedly, the favorite of the fight is the Blades, who previously was second only to one person - Francis Ngann. By the way, Cameroonian already once fought for the title and soon plans to fight again with Stipe Miocic.
The Blades are younger and more resilient than a Russian, and in physical strength they are noticeably superior to him. The American will be able to transfer Abdurakhimov to the ground, and then confidently control the course of the battle. He succeeded in this both in the confrontation with Justin Willis, and in the battles with Alistair Overeem, Mark Hunt and Alexei Oleinik.
However, it cannot be said that Abdurahimov has no chance of success. In recent battles, he repeatedly proved that he has a good blow and is able to win ahead of schedule. Shamil's knockout power was felt on himself by the strong American Chase Sherman and former M-1 Global champion Marcin Tybura. It is possible that the Russian will be able to become the author of one of the sensations of the evening.
Mayrbek Taysumov - Diego Ferreira
This battle is also of great importance for the UFC lightweight. This division is rightfully considered one of the most competitive in the organization, which is why even a place in the top 15 must be earned. Veterans of the organization Mayrbek Taysumov and Diego Ferreira will compete for it, each of which has eight fights under the auspices of the promotion.
At the same time, the Russian was somewhat more successful and lost only once. The image of Taisumov was spoiled by the story with the use of prohibited drugs. He even received a six-month suspension, but by the time the verdict was announced, the suspension had expired.
The principle of the future battle is added by the fact that both fighters approach it with a decent winning streak. So, Taysumov does not lose during six fights, and his counterpart - four. It is worth noting that the rivals of both were not the strongest, but in the list of “victims” of the Brazilian two stand out - promising Canadian Olivier Obin-Mercier and another Russian, Rustam Khabilov.
As Taysumov admitted, the defeat of a compatriot not only motivated him before the battle with Ferreira, but became the main reason to agree to go into the octagon. Therefore, on September 7, he will try not only to improve his position in the division, but also to avenge his “brother”.
Muslim Salikhov - Nordin Taleb
Perhaps one of the most underrated battles of the evening will take place in the preliminary card. Success is unlikely to allow its participants to think about the title fight or big fees, and the main winners are likely to be spectators.
Like Muslim Salikhov, Nordin Taleb prefers to fight on his feet. In the case of the Russian, this is rather non-standard, because most of the natives of Dagestan are primarily famous for their wrestling skills. Muslim, on the other hand, took a different path and earned him the nickname King of Kung Fu.
As for Taleb, he is also not the most typical representative of Tristar Gym - a team known for ex-UFC champion in two divisions to Georges Saint-Pierre and Bellator title holder Rory MacDonald. In the Canadian camp, special attention was always paid to the stalls, but Nordin prefers shock equipment.
It is noteworthy that in case of defeat, both fighters may be on the verge of dismissal from the UFC. Salikhov prevailed in only one of two fights under the auspices of the promotion, and although Taleb won in the last fight, before that he lost twice in a row.
Edson Barbosa - Paul Felder
Brazilian and American fighters rightfully take their place in the second most important match of the evening. At the moment, both are representatives of the top 10 lightweight and occupy not the last place in the queue for the title. If success in this battle does not allow Barbosa and Felder to secure a meeting with Nurmagomedov, then a series of two victories may well help them achieve what they want.
In addition to champion ambitions, a high interest in this fight is due to a number of other factors. Firstly, both athletes are very spectacular and uncompromising athletes, which practically guarantees an exciting fight.
Barbosa is a universally recognized master of taekwondo, which he repeatedly proved in the cage. So, his knockout kick from a U-turn in a fight with Terry Etim is one of the highlights of UFC history. Felder has not yet managed to be noted in the highlights, but is famous for his unbending character. The American always went to the end and repeatedly participated in bloody battles.
Secondly, athletes have their own relationship history. In 2015, Barbosa and Felder had already met in the octagon. The battle lasted all three planned rounds and ended with the victory of the Brazilian by unanimous decision. Both received a bonus of $ 50 thousand for the performance of the evening, but Paul was hardly satisfied. He suffered his first defeat in his career and after that was no longer considered super-promising.
Now he has a chance to get even with his counterpart and prove that that decision was wrong. On the side of Felder, a psychological state can play. He has a series of four lightweight victories, and Barbosa, on the contrary, returns to the cage after a hard knockout in a fight with Justin Gatgi. Previously, in his career, he only lost once in this way - in 2012, the battle was a bit of Jamie Warner.