Introduction
Tuesday, September 15th, Kyrgysz lightweight prospect Akbar Abdullaev will be in action for Dana White’s Contender Series, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Anthony Figueroa. He will be looking for another win, as Abdullaev looks to secure a UFC contract. He represents Al-Munar FC, a smaller camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Well-Rounded: Abdullaev can beat opponents anywhere he wishes. On the feet, he has a very good Muay Thai/kickboxing style with big-time power and a brutal work rate. He also has good takedowns and wrestling, where he often opts to brutalize his opponents with ground-and-pound over looking for submissions (though he has submissions). It’s going to be very hard to game plan for Abdullaev.
Finisher: Because he is well-rounded and aggressive, Abdullaev is a straight finisher. He doesn’t leave anything up to the judges. All 13 of his wins come by finish, with 12 by way of knockout and 1 by submission. He’s also not just finishing cans; he’s finishing a former world champion, two 10-0 prospects and a strong 11-1 wrestler. That’s what’s even more impressive.
Needs Improvement
No Known Weakness Yet: Abdullaev is well-rounded. He finishes fights and is aggressive. He has good cardio and is physically tough as nails. I have not really seen a weakness from him yet, which is very high praise.
Outlook
UFC Top 15: I don’t often give prospects this high of a ceiling because they aren’t usually as proven as Abdullaev, but this guy is proven and ready to step up to the biggest of big leagues. He’s knocked out ONE champ Kai Tang, which alone is enough for me to look at a guy and see he’s going to be a problem in the big leagues. He has Anthony Figueroa on his plate this week at the Contender Series, who is a fine fighter, but not nearly on the level of Abdullaev. I think Akbar gets in the UFC with a brutal performance and quickly ascends the ladder to contendership rather quickly.
MMA Intel 