Introduction
Friday, April 19th, Russian welterweight prospect Magomed Umalatov will be in action for PFL, where he will be looking continue his undefeated ways against Andrey Koreshkov. He will be looking for another win, as Umalatov looks to kick off the 2024 PFL season and aern $1 million. He represents American Top Team, a top camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Power Striking: Umalatov is an absolute savage on the feet and is known for his knockout prowess. 11 of his 14 wins come by way of knockout, including finishes by flying knee and clean knockouts with hooks. He likes to move forward and make his opponent uncomfortable. Once he gets his opponent’s back against the cage, Umalatov unloads with his hands and doesn’t let his opponent out of the corner.
Wrestling: In addition to being a strong striker, Umalatov, like most Russians, is a strong wrestler as well. He uses it effectively both offensively and defensively. He’s very effective when he shoots in, earning takedowns at a high clip. He’s heavy on top as well, using strong ground-and-pound to damage his opponents. He has solid submissions as well, though they only account for two of his finishes.
Needs Improvement
Fighting off Back: One thing we have really yet to see is Umalatov off his back, though he does own a triangle choke victory. My assumption is, seeing he’s a wrestler, is that his off-the-back game needs a bit of work. However, he’s a very complete fighter, so this is being a bit nitpicky.
Outlook
PFL Champion: Umalatov may be one of the best fighters on the PFL roster, so I expect him to be competitive in this season. He gets a tough task right out of the box in Andrey Koreshkov, a Bellator vet and top fighter from that roster. If Umalatov can prove himself here, I think he’s definitely a favorite to take home the $1 million and become the PFL Welterweight Champion.
MMA Intel 