Aliaskhab Khizriev and Makhmud Muradov will face each other in the middleweight category, in a fight scheduled to take place on Saturday night, February 3, 2024, starting at 9:30 pm. The duel is part of the main card of UFC Vegas 85 and will be held at UFC Apex, in the city of Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.
Aliaskhab Khizriev
Still undefeated in his career, Aliaskhab Khizriev represents Russia and arrives motivated to claim yet another victim, however, he will have to deal with a certain disadvantage in relation to his height, as he is only 175 cm tall and has a wingspan of 187 cm compared to 187 and 191 cm. of his opponent.
At 33 years old, the Russian has already proven that he has the technical quality and physical strength to stand out positively, however, he has only one concern for this Saturday, which is regarding the pace of the fight, considering that his last confrontation took place in March 2022, almost two full years ago.
On that occasion, Aliaskhab Khizriev faced Denis Tiuliulin and prevailed by submission in the second round with a dominant performance.
In his 5 most recent clashes, he recorded 5 consecutive victories and, in this period, he faced Matej Truhan, Sergiy Kobshik, Rousimar Palhares, Henrique Shiguemoto and also Denis Tiuliulin.
His record consists of 12 wins and no losses in his career, recording 5 wins by KO / TKO, 4 by submission and 3 by judge’s decision.
Makhmud Muradov
On the other side is the Uzbek Makhmud ‘Mach’ Muradov, who is also 33 years old, like his opponent, and is characterized by being a specialist in stand-up striking, being a high-level striker who has already totaled almost 20 knockouts in his career.
Despite being the same age as his opponent, Makhmud has already fought almost triple the number of fights held by Aliaskhab Khizriev.
However, even after a unanimous decision victory over Bryan Barberena in July last year, his competitive level has been questioned a lot, considering that the Uzbek had two consecutive defeats until then.
In the last 5 fights held officially by the UFC, 3 wins and 2 losses were recorded. During this period he beat Bryan Barberena, Andrew Sanchez and Trevor Smith, as well as losing to Gerald Meerschaert and also to Caio Borralho.
His record consists of 26 wins and 8 losses, totaling 17 wins by KO/TKO, 3 by submission and 6 by judge’s decision.
Conclusion:
As much as Makhmud Muradov is seen as the underdog in this duel, I believe that his odds are too balanced, taking into account that the Russian Aliaskhab Khizriev arrives, in my opinion, with broad favoritism to claim yet another victim in MMA.
Owner of an undefeated record and a more complete fighting style, the Russian tends to have an advantage over the Uzbek, who depends much more on the power of his hands to achieve an unlikely victory.