Introduction
Saturday, December 11th, Russo-French welterweight prospect Abdoul Abdouraguimov will be in action for Ares FC, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Alex Lohore. He will be looking for another win, as Abdouraguimov looks to stay undefeated in MMA. He represents Bulgarian Top Team, a solid camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Submission Wrestling: Abdouraguimov is an aggressive wrestler who will get in your face from the opening bell and it’s seen in all of his fights. Abdouraguimov sets up his takedowns with strikes and gets right to work. He is very strong and explosive in his takedowns, generally scoring a single/double leg. If not, he gets guys against the cage and score takedowns from there. Once on top, he gets to work quickly. He is very positionally sound on the mat and is known for his excellent grip strength. He is also a neck hunter. Eight of his wins come by submission, all of which are by chokes (rear-naked, choke, arm-triangle and anaconda). He’s high level on the mat and it shows.
Toughness: Like many Russian fighters, Abdouraguimov is exceptionally tough and can absorb damage. He will take damage to close the distance on opponents so he can institute his grappling acumen. In his lone loss, a stoppage to Jarrah Hussein al-Silawi, he took a ton of damage on the feet. He kept fighting and the fight was not stopped until between rounds. Abdouraguimov does not want to take a ton of damage in each fight, but he’s shown he can absorb damage and keep fighting.
Needs Improvement
Technical Striking: While Abdouraguimov has power when he strikes (especially on the mat), his technical striking could use some work. On the feet, his movement can be labored and his combinations simple. A lot of that is due to him using his striking to set up his takedowns. However, when he’s unable to get takedowns and has to be on the feet for an extended period of time, he can be exposed. We saw that in his lone pro loss to al-Silawi, where he was handily beaten on the feet before the fight was stopped at the end of the fourth round. He was easily hit and outclassed by al-Silawi when he was unable to consistently grapple against the cage or on the mat.
Outlook
UFC Midcarder: Abdouraguimov is certainly more than talented enough to get to the apex of the sport: the UFC. His wrestling and his submission skill set are top notch and can challenge many of the men on the welterweight roster right now. Despite his slip up in the fight vs. fellow top welterweight prospect Jarrah Hussein al-Silawi, Abdouraguimov has proven more than capable. He has dominated most fights he has been in and has continually upped his competition level in doing so. I can see him taking a number of fights on the UFC roster, as he undoubtedly can compete up there. I am not sure he’d get past the midcard, but he’d certainly be somebody that’s a tough out.
MMA Intel 