Introduction
Friday, June 28, Russian featherweight prospect Timur Khizriev will be in action for PFL, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Enrique Barzola. He will be looking for another win, as Khizriev looks to inch closer to a million dollar payday from PFL. He represents DagFighter, a solid camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Wrestling: Surprise, a Dagestani has strong wrestling. It’s the best part of Khizriev’s game and he uses it frequently.
Strength of Schedule: Khizriev is battle tested. His resume is strong and he has had some very notable wins. His first big victory came in his eighth career fight, when he bested Bibert Tumenov. Once he went to Bellator/PFL, he took on a good string of opponents and scored four unanimous decision wins over Daniel Weichel, Richie Smullen, Justin Gonzales and Brett Johns. He takes on UFC veteran Enrique Barzola here, so his strong schedule continues.
Needs Improvement
Decision Machine: The biggest knock I have on Khizriev is the rate at which he fights to decision. 11 of his 15 wins are by decision. The longer you let your opponent stay in the fight, the more likely you are to let them have a chance at finishing you. Khizriev is going to have to have more urgency in finishing his opponents going forward.
Outlook
PFL Champion: Khizriev has been a runaway train so far in his MMA career, which is why he’s undefeated at 15-0. I have a hard time seeing anybody in the featherweight division of PFL stopping this guy. He’s too tough, skilled and battle tested. It would not shock me to see him score the $1 million and secure the PFL belt.
MMA Intel 