Introduction
Friday, January 28th, Russian welterweight prospect Ramazan Kuramagomedov will be in action for Eagle FC, where he will be looking to keep his undefeated record intact against John Howard. He will be looking for another win, as Kuramagomedov looks to score an eventual contract with the UFC. He represents Xtreme Couture, a top camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Submission Wrestling: Surprise, surprise. A fighter from Russia is a strong submission wrestler that imposes his will in the cage. Kuramagomedov will not make it a secret. He will set up his takedowns with combinations on the feet and then shoot when the time is right. He’s very capable once he gets the fight to the mat. Five of his wins come by way of submission, often times using his excellent grip/squeeze strength to secure chokes most of the time.
Size/Strength: At 6’1″ and possessing great strength, Kuramagomedov has a great physical advantage over most he’ll step into the cage with. He’s tall and long, which helps him keep distance when striking and gives him leverage in the grappling department. Physically, he’s very strong which is why he often physically controls his opponents.
Needs Improvement
Striking for Extended Period: What we saw in Kuramagomedov’s most difficult fight to date against Jordan Williams was that he can be a target on the feet, especially when the fight is contested there for an extended period of time. Williams was the better man on the feet, and while Kuramagomedov has some skills, it’s where opponents are going to try and expose him. Arguably, you can say that Williams should have won his encounter with Kuramagomedov, but obviously two of the judges felt otherwise.
Outlook
UFC Midcarder: I am honestly shocked that Kuramagomedov is not in the UFC right now. Sure, when he was on the Contender Series and won, Dana White thought that he lost, which is why he didn’t sign him. However, that was 2019, and since then, he has rattled off three submission wins over Matias Juarez, Trevor Ollison and Melisbek Abdurakhmanov. He has a chance to score the biggest name win of his career when he takes on UFC vet and longtime MMA mainstay John Howard, who despite being past his prime, is still a respected opponent. It’s also for Khabib Nurmagomedov’s MMA promotion, so Dana likely has an eye on this event.
MMA Intel 