Abubakar Vagaev

"Let's go Malkoun" with a specific round/scorecard prediction, built on his volume-grappling style grinding down a more skilled opponent.

Good striker who mixes punches, kicks, and knees well, with a standout timed knee on opponents getting back to their feet. His grappling is even better than his striking: solid takedowns, good cage control, dirty boxing against the cage, good top pressure, and he traps hands well to set up ground and pound. Framed by the analyst as the more skilled fighter overall, but facing a grinding style he may not be able to shut down.

He commits to Vagaev but immediately calls it "a really close fight" that "could absolutely go either way," capping conviction at lean.

A solid striker and grappler who the analyst expects to be the forward-moving man in this fight -- good combinations mixing punches and kicks, decent power that earns respect even without frequent finishes, and a well-timed knee as opponents rise. His grappling includes good takedowns, a good cage push and what the analyst calls one of his best tools: dirty boxing with knees against the cage. The pick favors him coming forward and landing.