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Sherdog
Preview: UFC on ABC 6 Prelims
By Tom Feely,
2024-06-19
The Ultimate Fighting Championship ’s debut in Saudi Araba on Saturday comes to Kingdom Arena in Riyadh with an interesting slate of prelims attached, led by the return of Sharabutdin Magomedov . “Shara Bullet” lived up to the billing as one of the middleweight division’s most exciting talents, and at UFC on ABC 6 , he gets a willing dance partner in organizational newcomer Joilton Lutterbach . Meanwhile, Nasrat Haqparast looks to cash in on his talent once again in an entertaining pairing against Jared Gordon , and though a welterweight clash pitting Rinat Fakhretdinov against Nicolas Dalby might not be the most exciting pairing on paper, it is a well-matched fight that could set up some big things for the winner.
It would be near-impossible for Magomedov to live up to the hype that came ahead of his UFC debut in 2023, but “Shara Bullet” should continue his reputation as an entertaining fighter to watch. Magomedov’s game might be a bit limited as a kick-heavy striker from range, but the Russian might still be able to make that work to an extremely high level at middleweight. Magomedov’s combination of creativity, power and speed makes him an offensive terror. Even though Bruno Silva was able to initiate a surprising amount of wrestling against Magomedov in October, the Russian’s sheer commitment to getting back to his feet and trying to make something happen was enough to score a clear decision victory. This sophomore effort against a UFC newcomer in Lutterbach should also thread that needle between being a clear Magomedov win on paper while still being tough enough to avoid being a clear showcase. Lutterbach’s UFC debut is over a decade in the making, as the Brazilian first got on the promotional radar with an unmemorable stint on Season 3 of “The Ultimate Fighter Brazil” back in 2014. From there, Lutterbach has gone on a nomadic fighting journey that has seen him fight in major mixed martial arts promotions while also dabbling in other combat sports. That has turned him into a fairly sturdy striker, and while he’s unlikely to get neutralized through wrestling here, this does look like an uphill battle where he will struggle to track Magomedov down thanks to being undersized and less athletic. The pick is Magomedov via decision.
With the first losing streak of his career now firmly in the rearview mirror, it would be nice if Haqparast could finally hit a new level. Haqparast dropped his UFC debut to Marcin Held in 2017, but his performance there continued a trendline of the German improving rapidly from fight to fight. Still just 22 years old at the time, Haqparast had one of the highest ceilings on the UFC roster. Indeed, Haqparast impressed greatly in his next fight, a surprisingly dominant win over Marc Diakiese , but by the time he suffered his first UFC loss—a quick knockout thanks to a crisp counter from Drew Dober —in 2020, some concerns were starting to form about his progress. The overconfidence he showed before getting knocked out by Dober was the latest sign that Haqparast was starting to coast on his natural talent, and from there, his fights fell into a solid pattern. He would beat opponents on the fringes of the UFC roster, though never in a blowout, and he would clearly fall short when given a step up in competition against craftier veterans. The hope is that a December win over Jamie Mullarkey , a sub-two-minute knockout that somehow marks Haqparast’s first finish since 2019, is at least a sign that he can put his foot on the gas and take care of business quickly when the opportunity presents itself. Meanwhile, Gordon’s career has gone somewhat the opposite route as that of Haqparast. A highly touted prospect himself, Gordon quickly found that his hard-charging style got him knocked out at the UFC level, forcing him into doing an impressive job of reinventing himself as a more patient and well-rounded fighter. Gordon’s still at his best when he can cleanly outwrestle his opponent, even though those opportunities are few and far between against better competition, but he has developed a crafty boxing game that has allowed him to pick his spots. A first-round knockout of former Olympic wrestler Mark O. Madsen in November was an impressive bit of business, but even as Gordon seems to be rounding into a career-best form, he still figures to run into the athleticism gap that has plagued him throughout his UFC career. Seemingly every high-level athlete that Gordon has faced, particularly big punchers, has found a way to finish “Flash” within 15 minutes. Gordon should fight the much smarter fight for however long this lasts, but Haqparast can probably close the show in a matter of moments, particularly if he comes into this fight with any type of focus. The pick is Haqparast via first-round knockout.
This is an interesting matchup, even if it might not be all that fun in practice. Fakhretdinov was a fairly reliable finisher when the UFC picked him up in 2021, but the Russian started off his UFC career as a pure grinder, outwrestling Andreas Michailidis and Bryan Battle for some one-sided wins. A 55-second victory over Kevin Lee saw Fakhretdinov finally show some dynamism by nearly knocking out “The Motown Phenom” before clamping on a guillotine choke. However, Fakhretdinov’s November outing against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos was a fight where “Gladiator” went back to the grind—up until the point that he tired badly and nearly got finished by ZDS, the fight ending in a draw. That makes for a fascinating dynamic against Dalby, whose recent career has been defined by his ability to outlast his opponents. Dalby has had an inspirational career revival since sliding out of the UFC in 2016, overcoming depression and alcohol issues to reinvent himself as a physical force. Dalby’s fights aren’t always the prettiest themselves, as he tends to find his most success pressuring and bullying opponents in the clinch, but he has proven capable of neutralizing and breaking opponents at a surprisingly high level, even earning the first finish of his UFC career against top prospect Gabriel Bonfim in November. This pairing has a fairly clear dynamic, with Fakhretdinov likely getting off to a hot start and Dalby taking the fight over late. The main questions involve exactly when that turning point comes or if Dalby can score a finish in that final frame. It’s a coinflip, but the call is that the Dane gets it done. The pick is Dalby via third-round stoppage.
It would be a disappointment if Gafurov never finds his first UFC victory. Gafurov was on the UFC’s radar as far back as 2019, when contractual issues scuttled a planned debut against Movsar Evloev , and it would take the Tajik fighter four years to officially sign with the promotion. That run also includes a 2021 Dana White’s Contender Series loss to Chad Anheliger , which highlighted one of the main issues in Gafurov’s game. He can be both a dynamic striker and a bulldozing wrestler, but in doing so, he tends to wear out his gas tank and fade badly down the stretch. Gafurov rebounded from the Anheliger loss successfully enough to get the call as a late replacement against John Castaneda in June 2023, when his cardio issues betrayed him once again. After somewhat surprisingly being used as cannon fodder in what wound up as a 73-second loss to Said Nurmagomedov , Gafurov looks to finally get in the win column against Kang. South Korea’s Kang is on the shortlist of fighters with the most success in the UFC with the least to show for it, but it’s a bit understandable that “Mr. Perfect” has never gained much momentum. He hasn’t fought in four of the 12 calendar years he has been under contract, and that inactivity has been combined with a knack for ill-timed losses just as Kang seems to be getting some notice. Kang can do a little bit of everything, but it’s usually unclear how he’ll look from fight to fight, both in terms of what skills he decides to focus on and how strong his decision making will be over the course of the contest. He should give Gafurov three tough rounds, but it’s unclear if he’ll do enough to actually score the victory. There’s a decent chance he’ll consent to a wrestling match and dig himself a hole on the scorecards that he can’t climb out of with a big third round. Gafurov will probably have to hang on by the skin of his teeth to get this win over the finish line, but the bet is that Kang is messy enough to give him that opening. The pick is Gafurov via decision.
This should be quick and violent. That’s typically the name of the game for Brazil’s Ribeiro, who made a career out of kill-or-be-killed fights on the regional scene before earning a contract on the Contender Series with a first-round knockout in September. Ribeiro might not always put himself in the best positions, but he’s always trying for the finish, though getting quickly knocked out by Mingyang Zhang in his UFC debut in February served as a reminder that “The Gorilla” can be beaten to the literal punch. He should have a wild fight with a UFC newcomer and fellow 2023 Contender Series alum in Gadzhiyasulov. Born in Dagestan and representing Bahrain, Gadzhiyasulov is another large light heavyweight who works with a game that’s a bit less structured but more well-rounded than Ribeiro’s. Gadzhiyasulov can pull out some wild striking techniques and wrestle a bit but mostly seems to pull ideas out of the ether rather than fight with any sort of focus. That was enough to overwhelm some lower-level opposition, but Gadzhiyasulov is now at the point where he’s facing opponents who won’t go away quickly. While his fights have gotten uglier and he has shown some holes in his cardio, he has still managed to get his last two wins over the finish line via decision. A quick win for either fighter is on the table, particularly since Ribeiro is the first credible opponent who can nullify Gadzhiyasulov’s usual size advantage, but the Russian-Bahraini gets the nod as both the more skilled fighter and seemingly the more durable competitor. The pick is Gadzhiyasulov via first-round stoppage.
After a few delays, the bantamweight final of the 2023 “Road to UFC” tournament takes place here. This marks the second shot at a UFC contract for China’s Xiao, who had a fun if unsuccessful fight against Cristian Quinonez on the Contender Series in 2021. Xiao had to skate by with two close decision wins to make it to the final, but he did show once again that he’s a perennial tough out. His game might not be the prettiest, but his combination of durability, strength and willingness to sling heat makes him a nuisance for each of his opponents. He figures to cause some trouble for South Korea’s Lee, who looks to be the more technically sound fighter but also needed to thread the needle to get this far. Lee dominated opening-round opponent Rana Rutra Pradap Singh but struggled against Chinese wrestler Daermisi Zhawupasi before staging a third-round comeback. Lee has been able to cause some damage with his ground-and-pound and he generally seems like the more potent fighter, but the lean is that Xiao can stay aggressive enough and muck this up to the point that he can score an ugly win. The pick is Xiao via decision.
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