Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Shamil Abdurakhimov
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No match for Blaydes
Abdurakhimov lost to Curtis Blaydes via TKO (elbow and punch) at 2:22 of Round 2 at The Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
ANALYSIS
Abdurakhimov may have hit Blaydes with one clean counter punch, but it was far from enough to gain purchase in this one. Blaydes is simply too strong of a wrestler for the smaller Abdurakhimov to deal with, which resulted in one-way traffic until the bout was mercifully stopped. The 38-year-old had seen a bit of a resurgence late in his career with a three-fight winning streak, but that was stopped dead in its tracks Saturday, which raises raises the question of what's next for the powerful, yet slow-footed fighter. He falls to 20-5 in professional MMA as a result of the loss.
Abdurakhimov may have hit Blaydes with one clean counter punch, but it was far from enough to gain purchase in this one. Blaydes is simply too strong of a wrestler for the smaller Abdurakhimov to deal with, which resulted in one-way traffic until the bout was mercifully stopped. The 38-year-old had seen a bit of a resurgence late in his career with a three-fight winning streak, but that was stopped dead in its tracks Saturday, which raises raises the question of what's next for the powerful, yet slow-footed fighter. He falls to 20-5 in professional MMA as a result of the loss.
Taking on Curtis Blaydes at UFC 242
Abdurakhimov will square off against Curtis Blaydes in a heavyweight matchup at UFC 242 on Sept. 7, Nolan King of Flocombat reports.
ANALYSIS
Abdurakhimov has emerged victorious in each of his last three bouts, with two of the three coming via KO or TKO via punches. That type of stopping power typically makes for a great fantasy selection, though Abdurakhimov is likely to enter as a betting underdog in this one. Even though he should theoretically have the crowd behind him, Abdurakhimov will be facing his toughest opponent to date. Blaydes will own height and reach advantages, and is statistically superior in striking statistics (both offense and defense), in addition to offensive wrestling.
Abdurakhimov has emerged victorious in each of his last three bouts, with two of the three coming via KO or TKO via punches. That type of stopping power typically makes for a great fantasy selection, though Abdurakhimov is likely to enter as a betting underdog in this one. Even though he should theoretically have the crowd behind him, Abdurakhimov will be facing his toughest opponent to date. Blaydes will own height and reach advantages, and is statistically superior in striking statistics (both offense and defense), in addition to offensive wrestling.
Shows off power striking
Abdurakhimov defeated Marcin Tybura via TKO (punches) at 3:15 of Round 2 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Saint Petersburg.
ANALYSIS
Abdurakhimov became the third-straight fighter on this card to pick up a finish. It took him a round to really find his range, but he was leading throughout the fight. He continually came forward and landed to the head and body. His body work really gave Tybura a lot of trouble, and he struggled to defend. In the second round, Abdurakhimov caught Tybura with a punch that sent him falling back. He caught himself on the fence, but Abdurakhimov was all over him and punched until the stoppage. He is now 5-2 in the UFC and 20-4 overall.
Abdurakhimov became the third-straight fighter on this card to pick up a finish. It took him a round to really find his range, but he was leading throughout the fight. He continually came forward and landed to the head and body. His body work really gave Tybura a lot of trouble, and he struggled to defend. In the second round, Abdurakhimov caught Tybura with a punch that sent him falling back. He caught himself on the fence, but Abdurakhimov was all over him and punched until the stoppage. He is now 5-2 in the UFC and 20-4 overall.
Defeated former champion Arlovski via unanimous decision in Russia
Abdurakhimov defeated Andrei Arlovski via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) at UFC Moscow on Saturday.
ANALYSIS
This was an extremely uneventful fight. Neither fighter was hurt or in danger of being finished. Abdurakhimov controlled the fight with a few takedowns, but the referee was constantly threatening to stand the fighters up due to inactivity. The biggest moment came when Arlovski tried to get back to his feet against the cage and Abdurakhimov landed some big shots as he got up. The stand-up was very even, but neither fighter put together combinations. The majority of the strikes were single shots and then the fighters would reset.
This was an extremely uneventful fight. Neither fighter was hurt or in danger of being finished. Abdurakhimov controlled the fight with a few takedowns, but the referee was constantly threatening to stand the fighters up due to inactivity. The biggest moment came when Arlovski tried to get back to his feet against the cage and Abdurakhimov landed some big shots as he got up. The stand-up was very even, but neither fighter put together combinations. The majority of the strikes were single shots and then the fighters would reset.
Gets Andrei Arlovski in Moscow
Abdurakhimov will face Andrei Arlovski at UFC Moscow on Sep. 15 in a heavyweight bout.
ANALYSIS
Abdurakhimov's last fight was in November of 2017 when he knocked out Chase Sherman in a bout that only lasted 1:24. That result moved his overall record to 18-4, with a 3-2 mark in the UFC. Although wins over Anthony Hamilton, Walt Harris and Chase Sherman on non-PPV cards generally won't get you much name recognition, he'll have a chance to change that against "The Pit Bull" within the friendly confines of his native Russia. Abdurakhimov is no spring chicken himself at age 36, but going up against a 39-year-old Arlovski on the tail end of his career may help propel a final run up the heavyweight rankings. Due to a lack of depth in the division, a stoppage victory should get Abdurakhimov a top-10 opponent his next time out.
Abdurakhimov's last fight was in November of 2017 when he knocked out Chase Sherman in a bout that only lasted 1:24. That result moved his overall record to 18-4, with a 3-2 mark in the UFC. Although wins over Anthony Hamilton, Walt Harris and Chase Sherman on non-PPV cards generally won't get you much name recognition, he'll have a chance to change that against "The Pit Bull" within the friendly confines of his native Russia. Abdurakhimov is no spring chicken himself at age 36, but going up against a 39-year-old Arlovski on the tail end of his career may help propel a final run up the heavyweight rankings. Due to a lack of depth in the division, a stoppage victory should get Abdurakhimov a top-10 opponent his next time out.