The UFC returns to Abu Dhabi for the first time since UFC 112 in 2010. The card is jam packed full of Lightweight bouts. Including Khabib Nurmagomedov’s return to defend his Lightweight belt for the second time against top contender Dustin Poirier. We also have a fight of the year candidate, and rematch between Edson Barboza & Paul Felder. This should be a action packed card, and a special event taking place in the Middle East. My predictions for the evening are listed below, and feel free to leave your thoughts as well!

Prelims
Lightweight: Don Madge (8-3-1) vs Fares Ziam (10-2)- Madge Submission

Middleweight: Omari Akhmedov (18-4-1) vs Zak Cummings (23-6)- Akhmedov Unanimous Decision

Welterweight: Nordine Taleb (15-6) vs Muslim Salikhov (14-2)- Salikhov TKO

Welterweight: Belal Muhammed (15-3) vs Takashi Sato (15-2)- Muhammed Unanimous Decision

Lightweight: Ottman Azaitar (11-0) vs Teemu Packalen (8-2)- Azaitar TKO

Women’s Bantamweight: Liana Jojua (7-2) vs Sarah Moras (5-5)- Jojua Submission

Featherweight: Zubaira Tukhugov (18-4) vs Lerone Murphy (5-0)- Tukhugov Unanimous Decision

Women’s Flyweight: Joanne Calderwood (13-4) vs Andrea Lee (11-2)- Calderwood Submission

Main
Lightweight: Mairbek Taisumov (28-5) vs Carlos Ferreira (15-2)- Ferreira Split Decision
Taisumov comes from a muay thai background, and has won the majority of his bouts by knockout. Maribek has solid wrestling, and is has underrated submission skills as well even though he prefers to strike. He is currently riding a six fight win streak coming into this bout. Ferreira is a high level third degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from Atos Jiu-Jitsu under the tutelage of Andre Galvao. He has improved his striking, but tends to struggle against superior opposition on the feet. Ferreira likes to land his takedowns from the clinch or transitions, but isn’t opposed to being taken down as he has a very solid guard. I am going to pick Ferreira in this fight in a closely contested bout. I believe he will survive on the feet, and try to use his superior grappling to outwork Taisumov on the mat. Once the fight is on the floor Ferreira has dominated the majority of his opponents.

Heavyweight: Curtis Blaydes (11-2) vs Shamil Abdurakhimov (20-4)- Blaydes TKO
Blaydes is a former Junior College national champion in wrestling at Harper College, and actually played college football for a brief period as well. Curtis is a phenomenal athlete, and has vicious ground and pound once he hits a takedown. His striking is still a work in progress, but he has excellent cardio for a Heavyweight, and uses his non stop pressure to wear his opponents down. Shamil is a master of sport in Russia in Wushu and Kickboxing. He is very skilled on the feet mixing in his boxing with crisp kicks as well. Abdurakhimov is not a bad wrestler either, and has the ability to take his opponents down or defend their shots. Neither fighter are submission artists, and tend to look for control from the top position. I like Blaydes in this fight, I just feel he will use his wrestling to wear down Shamil. Once Blaydes gets the takedown it is very rare for his opponents to get back up. I don’t see Blaydes messing around on the feet, and I expect him to wrestle straight away.

Lightweight: Islam Makhachev (17-1) vs Davi Ramos (10-2)- Makhachev Unanimous Decision
Makhachev is one of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s main training partners at AKA and in Dagestan. Many believe he has the tools to be a future champion once Khabib decides to retire. Makhachev has greatly improved on the feet, and can really do damage with his kicks. Like Khabib, he is a phenomenal wrestler with a non stop motor that breaks his adversaries. Makhachev is skilled on the ground, and has solid submissions but is really impressive in his ability to keep steady top pressure. Ramos could be a real threat to Islam on the mat. Davi is a third degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Cesar Guimaraes, and trains out of Team Nogueira. Ramos is very short for the division at 5’6, but is built like a tank and very strong for the Lightweight division. Ramos like Makhachev, rarely takes a back step, and both are forward pressure fighters. Ramos is very green on the feet, and tends to look for takedowns straight away. Ramos is a superb grappler, and is a submission threat to anyone once the fight hits the mat. The biggest question is will he be able to submit the well rounded Makhachev. I see Islam taking a different approach, and winning this fight with his striking. He will have a clear advantage in this area, and I believe he will look to out point Ramos on the feet for a decision victory.

Lightweight: Edson Barboza (20-7) vs Paul Felder (16-4)- Barboza Unanimous Decision
Barboza is one of the most gifted strikers in the history of the UFC, and throws a flurry of unorthodox kicks from any angle. Barboza has solid hands, but his kicks are the most deadly part of his game. He throws them with such power, speed, precision, and bad intentions every time. Edson is great at working the body, head, and legs with his kicks with real knockout power. Barboza has struggled mightly against wrestlers, and hasn’t shown much submission ability despite a Brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He has lost three out of his last four fights constantly facing the best fighters in the world. Felder is a bonafied striker who is always a candidate for Fight of the Night. Felder is very technical on the feet, and comes from a Tae Kwon Do/Karate background. He is dangerous specifically with his elbows, and likes to use them frequently on the ground or in the clinch. Felder will sneak the occasional takedown in, but prefers to stand and trade on the feet. This will be a rematch from a previous contest back in 2015 with Barboza winning then by Unanimous Decision. I like Barboza in this fight, I just feel he is a little more diversified with his striking, and has more pressure on him in this fight. Barboza needs a major victory after several tough losses, and I believe he will be sharp as ever on the night. Barboza tends to excel in fights against fellow strikers, and already has a feel of what Felder brings to the table.

Lightweight: Khabib Nurmagomedov (27-0) vs Dustin Poirier (25-5)- Nurmagomedov Submission
“The Eagle” has been undefeated since 2008, and makes his return after a suspension for post fight fireworks after defeating Conor McGregor. Khabib is known for his mauling style of non stop wrestling. He takes every one down, beats them to a pulp, and then finishes them with a submission. His striking is very unorthodox, and at times can be somewhat reckless. He does have power, and has dropper numerous opponents in the past on the feet. His wrestling is at the top of the food chain, and has taken down every opponent he has faced. He has some of the most brutal ground and pound as well using punches, elbows, and never taking a breath. His cardio is elite, and never seems to get tired inside the octagon. Khabib has a Sambo based submission style, and is particularly proficient with chokes. Poirier has been on a tear, and “The Diamond” comes into this fight on a five fight win streak. Poirier has improved on the feet, and has become one of the best boxers in the division. He has very quick hands, and has shown real power with multiple recent finishes. His footwork has been taken to another level as well, and has added sharp body kicks to his arsenal. Poirier wrestled in high school, but has yet to face a wrestler of Khabib’s caliber. In the past, he has shown solid takedown defense, and will hit the occasional takedown in his transition sequences. Dustin is black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and people forget about his ability to land sneaky chokes on the mat. He has been so heavy with his boxing of late that you often overlook his grappling. The real question is how is Poirier’s cardio going to be against a pressure fighter in Khabib. He has a tendency to slow down in the later rounds, and honestly has not fought against a style like Khabib’s before. I have Nurmagomedov winning this fight by Unanimous Decision. I believe Dustin will test him on the feet, and will have some success but it won’t be enough to win the fight. I believe Khabib’s wrestling and ground and pound will be too much for “The Diamond” to overcome. I see Khabib finishing Dustin in round four or five with a submission after a wrestling filled attack before the finish. If Dustin can defend some of Khabib’s takedowns or at the very least make him work for them he could pull of an upset. I feel he does have a real advantage on the feet, but I just don’t see the fight staying there long.

Photo Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m4WOWbH9y4