Not counting Jan: which of the Russian fighters will perform at UFC tournaments in July

UFC 251

Date and place: July 12, Fight Island, Abu Dhabi

Muslim Salikhov - Eliseu Zaleski Dos Santos,  Roman Bogatov - Leonardo Santos,  Maxim Grishin  - Marchin Tybura

Of course, for domestic fans, the most anticipated at the UFC 251 will be a duel for the lightweight belt between Peter Yan and Jose Aldo. However, the matchmakers did not stop there and decided to organize a full-fledged confrontation between Russia and Brazil in one tournament. So, in the preliminary card, the bright welterweight Muslim Salikhov will fight with Eliseu Zaleski Dos Santos, and the lightweight Roman Bogatov will make his duel with Leonardo Santos in the promotion.

The fight between Salikhov and Zaleski is interesting for many reasons. Firstly, defeating an experienced opponent can help Muslim break into the top 15 of the division’s ranking, which he deserves. A bright style and a successful series that include two spectacular knockouts and a three-round standoff with strong Laureano Staropoli speak for him. Secondly, the battle promises to be extremely fundamental, because in recent years, Eliseu has become a specialist in the Russians. In 2016, he knocked out Omari Akhmedov, and in March 2020, prevailed over Alexei Kunchenko. For the ex-champion M-1 Global, this defeat was the second in a row and provoked his departure from the UFC.

Salikhova expects not an easy walk. Zaleski is a well-trained drummer and also has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. At the same time, he is unlikely to be able to drag Muslim into the stalls, as a result of which the fans will most likely have a 15-minute stand-off massacre. The Russian is superior to the Brazilian both in boxing skills and in the ability to kick, but he is able to surprise. This is evidenced by the fact that three of the last four victories he won ahead of schedule.

As for Bogatov, he will have much more difficult. His opponent has not lost for the past 11 years (since May 2009), seven of them he spent in the Absolute Fighting Championship. Santos is very dangerous in the stand, strong in the stalls and could be much higher in the rating, if not for frequent injuries. The novel is an experienced fighter and may well have several Leonardo takedowns, but it will not be easy for him to develop this success. The Brazilian won nine of his 17 victories by surrender, so the Russian must be very careful.

Also at the tournament will be the debut of mixed martial arts veteran Maxim Grishin, whose rival will be Marchin Tybura. Initially, the Pole was supposed to fight Moldovan Alexander Romanov, but he withdrew from the battle for an unknown reason. It is noteworthy that the 36-year-old Russian usually fights in the light heavyweight, but agreed to make an exception and appear in the most prestigious category.

UFC Fight Night Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2

Date and place: July 19, Fight Island, Abu Dhabi

Askar Askarov - Alexandre Pantoja,  Hadis Ibragimov - Roman Dolidze,  Arman Tsarukyan - Davi Ramos

Like UFC 251, only one representative of Russia turned out to be in the main card of the show. This time, he became one of the flyweight leaders Askar Askarov, who will try to extend his unbeaten streak in the promotion to three fights. In the opening, he was content with a draw with Brandon Moreno, and then prevailed over the most experienced Tim Elliot. Now on the way the Russian stands Alexandre Pantoja, who suffered only two defeats in eight championship matches.

At the moment, the UFC has not made an official statement on this matter, but it can be assumed that the triumph of this duel is very likely to receive the status of the first challenger. Pantozha is on the fourth line, Askarov is on the seventh, and a victory may well help the Russian to soar to the top of the rating. The lightest division has never been distinguished by a large number of cool fighters, so the path to the belt here is noticeably shorter. True, asking Askar in advance is not worth it. Alexandre is very strong in the stance and takes fifth place in the percentage of accurate hits (47.2%) in the history of the championship and is in the top three in the number of accurate hits per minute (4.58).

Arman Tsarukyan will try to extend the successful series and declare himself as a contender for a place in the top 15 lightweight rating. In the last fight, the athlete prevailed over the strong Olivier Obin-Mercier, and this time he will fight with Davie Ramos. It is noteworthy that each of the participants in the upcoming battle was inferior to Islam Makhachev. In April 2019, the Russian lost to him, and in September, the Brazilian could not cope.

Based on those fights, we can conclude that Tsarukyan has something to take Ramos from. He certainly is not inferior to him in the stance and is able to surpass him in this aspect. Fears are caused by the struggle on the ground, because there the world champion in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu will have serious superiority. However, we can assume that Arman will be as ready as possible for this battle. According to the athlete himself, not even a pandemic prevented him from training, during which he worked actively in the gym.

Unlike compatriots, for Khadis Ibragimov, the upcoming fight will become one of the most important in his career. He made his debut in promotion in August 2019, but since then he has not won a single victory. First, he lost to Da Un Jung, and then lost to Ed Herman. The third defeat can put an end to his prospects in the championship, so he needs to get the upper hand. But this will not be easy to do, because the undefeated Roman Dolidze will confront him. The Georgian fighter has good boxing skills and feels pretty confident in the late rounds. But this is precisely what became the problem of the Russian in the last duels.

UFC Fight Night Whittaker vs. Till

Date and Place: July 26, Fight Island, Abu Dhabi

Movsar Yevloyev - Mike Grandi,  Ramadan Emeev - Niklas Stolze

Two Russians will compete in the final UFC tournament in July, in the main bout of which ex-world middleweight champion Robert Wittaker and Darren Till will meet. This time, none of them found a place in the main program. The main event was to be the debut of cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov Umar, but he refused to fight due to the death of Abdulmanap. In his absence, Movsar Yevloyev and Ramazan Emeev will represent the country.

A bright featherweight Yevloyev is waiting for a test in the person of a British citizen. In the debut match under the auspices of the UFC, Mike Grandi knocked out Nada Narimani, but revealed a number of his minuses. One of them is protection, because he himself was almost on the floor. The Russian is a very experienced fighter and must have an advantage over his opponent. The only question is what form it is in. In February, the athlete suffered extensive soft tissue injuries as a result of an accident in Thailand and was forced to withdraw from UFC 248.

Emeev will try to rehabilitate himself for the defeat of Anthony Rocco Martin at a show in Moscow. Then the American turned out to be stronger in the stance and deservedly prevailed, interrupting a series of seven victories of the Russian. Now the representative of the Highlander team will examine the debutant Niklas Stolze. Initially, he was supposed to fight with ex-champion M-1 Global Shavkat Rakhmonov, but he was injured and was replaced. The German is known for his performances in regional promotions, in which he won 12 victories and suffered three defeats. Given the experience of Ramadan, he should not experience any particular problems in the upcoming confrontation.