Ikram Aliskerov

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Aliskerov is a good striker with good forward pressure, a jab he works well into a follow-up punch, solid counters, and good kicks and knees. His grappling is solid, with reliable takedowns, heavy ground-and-pound, and a good submission arsenal he is willing to attack, plus the patience to simply hold top position and wear an opponent down if needed. The analyst's game plan for him explicitly calls for controlling the first round on the mat to blunt his opponent's power before it fades on its own late. Compared to his most recent earlier read, both his striking and grappling grades are unchanged.

Calls it a really close fight twice, hypothetically scores it 29-28, and goes with Aliskerov by just a little bit on top-pressure upside and cleaner shots.

On the feet he presses forward with a straight-punch attack and mixes in middle-of-the-body kicks and knees, timing counters well, though he's expected to lose any output race and will have to land the cleaner, more selective shot instead of matching pace. Where he is favored is once he gets on top: enough control there to stay, a serviceable ground attack, a reliable defense against being taken down himself, and a Kimura he can ride into a sweep or occasionally a tap, even if it rarely finishes anyone at this level. As of 2025-10-20. Note: the board's grappling heading for him actually lists striking sub-bullets, a likely presenter mislabel (see flags).

Unhedged: he states plainly he's picking Aliskerov and expects him to win at a high rate, naming a clear mechanism (better striking, controls where the fight happens) with no concession on the win itself.

Our paraphrase: a solid, well-rounded grappler -- on the mat: really good takedowns, very solid top pressure, a really good ground-and-pound game, excellent takedown defense, and a rarely-seen kimura in his toolbox. On the feet he is described as the clearly better fighter of the two: good forward pressure, long straight punches, solid counter-striking, and good kicks and knees.

A solid wrestler with excellent takedowns and top pressure, a very good ground-and-pound game, and a favorite kimura attempt once on top; his takedown defense is described as present too. His striking is good and benefits directly from that wrestling threat -- forward pressure, power, long straight punches, and knee/front-kick work aimed up his opponent's midsection, plus the ability to counter strike. He stepped in on short notice as a replacement for the originally scheduled opponent, having fought the previous weekend before flying to this event. The analyst notes he has been finishing opponents easily in his recent fights without needing to lean on the wrestling, so there is real uncertainty about exactly how good that wrestling has become.

He commits plainly to Aliskerov, saying he feels good about the pick and that the lopsided betting line is justified, with a clear mechanism (takedowns and top pressure neutralizing the length-based BJJ). No real hedge on the win itself.

Our words: a standout in a stacked weight class, by the analyst's reckoning still climbing the rankings. Comes forward behind a crisp, clean punching style and dangerous knees/front kicks up the middle. Once his takedowns land, excellent top pressure and ground-and-pound follow, with a favored, dangerous kimura finish.

Pick sentence (segs 5-6) self-contradicts between two name tokens -- 'Al scov' versus 'IAM' -- each wrapped in a different fighter's own profile: one clause matches Alves (short notice, a losing stretch over his last five), the other matches Aliskerov (unbeaten outside one career loss, described as running through people). Neither the board nor the rest of the bout settles which man he actually means. NO CLEAN PICK -- verdict declined and recorded null per the standing rule rather than guessed; this is not a genuine coinflip read of the matchup. See review_flags.

Ikram Aliskerov is framed as a dominant short-notice-opponent-eater, 5-0 in his last five with only one loss on his career. He is a wrestler first: good takedowns, solid top pressure, and very good ground-and-pound, with a kimura as an added submission threat. His striking is called good rather than elite -- clean straights, forward pressure, and kicks/knees up the middle, with a specific note that he can disguise a front kick as a knee off the same hip setup.

Names Aliskerov as the pick, with a stated mechanism -- wearing Hawes down physically through sustained pressure and a cardio grind across the three rounds -- but immediately adds that his confidence here is not mega-high, because Hawes's only real path, a big shot given Aliskerov's one loss was itself a knockout, is conceded and never fully rebutted.

A relentless wrestler who presses forward hunting takedowns and heavy top control, then hunts a kimura from top or bottom position -- three of his past four victories have ended by that same submission. His striking is decent, and he says himself he prefers his kicks and knees over his hands. The game plan against Hawes is to wear him down physically with cardio and pressure across the three rounds.