UAE Warriors 45 Full Card Breakdown & Predictions (Patreon)

Lightweight, Amru Magomedov (6-0) vs. Jakhongir Jumaev (10-3):

I'm high on Magomedov as he ranks as my top 20 prospect worldwide. What gets me excited about Magomedov is how talented he is at just 24. His wrestling and ground game is legit. He's got good technique on his takedowns and on top is a menace with ground and pound. Also, his jiu-jitsu is really strong. Jumaev is a good regional guy but he's already proven he's not at a higher level. If he's getting taken down and submitted by  Dylan Salvador than Magomedov is gonna eat him alive. I got Magomedov by submission in round two.

Bantamweight, Timur Valiev (18-3) vs. Raulian Paiva (21-5)

A battle of two former UFC vets who I think should still be in the UFC. This is a fight Valiev should win if he doesn't completely gas out. He's the better striker, better wrestling, has more weapons, and has the better momentum. I view Valiev at a higher level than Paiva. Paiva is the bigger fighter and Valiev is much older so a Paiva win wouldn't really surprise me. I'm still picking Valiev by decision because I think he's the better martial artist.

Bantamweight, Rany Saadeh (12-4) vs. Genil Francisco (13-7):

Saadeh was a top flyweight prospect in 2017 and was on the verge of signing with the UFC at one point.  He then went 1-2 in his last three and hasn't fought in over two years. He is skilled everywhere. From what I watched of Francisco I'm confident that Saadeh from a few years ago would smoke Francisco. Saadeh has to be pretty shot to lose this fight even with some rust on him. Saadeh is better in this fight everywhere and I like him by submission in round two.

Light-heavyweight, Artem Zemlyakov (4-0-1) vs. Bartosz Szewczyk (6-2-1)

Neither of these guys are good. In fact, both stink. They are primary wrestlers but both gas hard, is very sloppy, and is vulnerable to being knocked out. I was expecting to pick Zemlyakov because Szewczyk has so many flaws. I can't get over the fact that Szewczky is so much bigger. His size should definitely come in play as both are wrestlers. Zemlyakov is making a mistake moving up from middleweight as he's too small. I wouldn't bet on this fight because both are so bad.

Catchweight, Ali AlQaisi (15-6) vs. Walter Cogliandro (13-4-1)

With the run AlQaisi has been on it's hard to know he went 0-2 in the UFC losing to Tony Kelley and Irwin Rivera. He's been on a roll since winning the Titan FC title and is the current UAE champion. He's fighting Cogliandro who is a step down from the guys he's been beating. I don't see a way Cogliandro can win this. On the feet AlQaisi will press the pace, use a lot of feints, mix it up, and get off first. Cogliandro has power but AlQaisi has a stone chin. The biggest advantage is the wrestling of AlQaisi as the TDD of Cogliandro stinks. Cogliandro is a tricky submission guy but AlQaisi has good position awareness and if anything he's winning by submission. I feel very confident picking AlQaisi. I believe he gets it done by TKO in round two.

Bantamweight, Renat Khavalov (7-0) vs. Hikaru Yoshino (12-3)

Khavalov is someone I'm very high on as he's #12 on my prospect rankings. I don't know who Yoshino offended to get this fight but he's completely outmatched. Khavalov does everything so well and at a high-level. First off, he has solid wrestling with good timing on his takedown entries. He's got heavy top position and nasty ground and pound. When he isn't dominating on top his striking is good too. He does the small important things very well like footwork and head movement. Should be an easy win for Khavalov and I got it by TKO in round one.

Flyweight, Nawras Abzakh (11-4) vs. Victor Nunes (9-5)

Abzakh is flying under the radar but is the reigning UAE Warriors flyweight champion. Nunes is a dangerous guy but he's 9-5 for a reason. Abzakh is gonna run into trouble when someone can match his BJJ and force him to strike. Abzakh isn't a bad striker though because he has good movement and hands. He's a submission grappler first as he's very slick. Nunes should be no match for Abzakh and I think he gets it done by decision.

Flyweight, Sanzhar Adilov (11-1-1) vs. Yamato Fujita (10-4)

I'm not sold on Adilov and I believe he's bound to lose soon. I don't think it will be to Fujita though. I can get behind the fact that he's technically and defensively sound. I'm just not sold on his overall ability outside of the basics. I do think he's better than Fujita by a good margin. Fujita will try to get the takedown but Adilov has solid TDD and on the feet he's much better. I got Adilov by TKO in round one.

Lightweight, Abdullo Khodzhaev (4-0) vs. Petru Buzdugan (5-0)

Both are undefeated guys but after this, Khodzhaev will be undefeated. I'm pretty high on Khodzhaev. I love his kickboxing mixed in with his distance control and diversity. Buzdugan is a wrestler with clubbing power. He has nothing to offer on the feet in this one so he has to wrestle. The bad thing for him is Khodzhaev has strong takedown defense. I even think Khodzhaev is the far superior wrestler and ground game. I'm extremely confident that Khodzhaev will destroy Buzdugan.

Catchweight, Magomed Al-Abdullah (12-1-1) vs. Razhabali Shaydullaev (8-0):

This is a contrast of styles. Al-Abdullah is more technical and planted whereas Shaydullaev is very loose and wild. Both guys are good wrestlers but I strongly favor the ground game of Shaydullaev because he's more aggressive and fluid. On the feet I think is where Shaydullaev can put the pressure on. Al-Abdullah is gonna be a step behind with the output and speed. I don't think either is great but Al-Abdullah is very underwhelming for a bantamweight. I'm predicting Shaydullaev by decision.

Flyweight, Amena Hadaya (3-1) vs. Cong Wang (2-0):

I really like this fight between two promising female prospects. The attention is on Wang but Hadaya is skilled. Hadaya fights behind a lot of volume on the feet. She excels in an ugly fight because she's likely the one throwing first and ending last. Her wrestling and ground game have looked decent enough to mix it up. I'm not sure of her age but if she's under 30 then I have high hopes for her. Cong is the one to watch out for since she has the hype. She has the hype because of her background in kickboxing. She has a draw with Tiffany van Soest and a title win over Valentina Shevchenko. She was 8-0-1 in kickboxing and was a two-time gold medalist in Sanda.

Although Wang has fought absolute bums she's looked good. For a striker her takedown defense looks good and she's competent on the mat even having a submission win. Hadaya is a striker but she will have to lean on her wresting. On the feet, Wang has more tools and is cleaner. Her ability to mix up her attack with kicks and going to the body as well as her clinch. I feel more confident picking Wang in a fight I see staying upright for the most part.

Middleweight, Khabib Nabiev (6-0) vs. Adis Taalaybek (8-4-2):

I'm not as high on Nabiev as others are and I think he's destined to lose. I don't think it will be this fight as Taalaybek is a good match-up for him. Taalaybek fought Imamshafi Aliev who is similar to Nabiev. Aliev dominated Taalaybek with wrestling and top pressure. I view Nabiev as a better wrestler than Taalaybek and Aliev. Taalaybek is a primary wrestler too but he's not on the same level as Nabiev. Nabiev isn’t much in the striking department but is an outstanding grappler. Nabiev floats on top and transitions to dominant positions freely. His wrestling looks good enough so far. Even in positions where he’s off his back he’s scrambled and got back in control. Someone with good takedown defense and a little bit of striking will beat Nabiev but that's not Taalaybek. My prediction is Nabiev by decision.