With 14 amazing knuckle-knockers going down in Al Ain, it’s tough to pick out any particular standout bouts on the 22nd of Feb. That’s because this fight card is so deep it’s veritably subterranean! With that being said we’ve got a couple of preferences with strong reasons why we got ‘em tagged as definite fight of the night candidates!
1. Let’s start with the obvious and go straight to the main event title clash between the champ, Amru Magomedov and the challenger Alex da Silva. It remains a bit of a mystery to some as to why Amru still doesn’t have a freshly-inked UFC contract, considering he is undoubtedly one of the best lightweight prospects in the world today, even his coach Khabib Nurmagomedov has him pegged as a future UFC title-holder. Admittedly the division in Vegas is pretty darn deep but Amru would match-up well against anyone outside the top five rankings there.
This is his second title defence after he sensationally choked-out Ali Kabdulla in the second round in Abu Dhabi last July, bucking his trend of five first-round finishes courtesy of a stifling ground game backed-up by an electrifying standup style. What’s interesting in this defence against Alex, is that they were signed to fight each other in August ‘23 with both going deep in camp before Magomedov sustained a training injury and shelved the scrap. What’s even more spicy is that Amru is Alex’s third opponent from Team Nurmagomedov, having lost to Makkasharip Zaynukov on debut and taking the decision against Dinislam Kamavov at UAEW 46 over a year ago.
Moreover, while no-one has been able to find Leko’s chin in 29 pro bouts, Alex has 14 knockout victories of his own. Stand and throw at your peril! Stylistically this title fight pitches Sambo against Luta Livre in a fascinating clash not just of combat cultures but of two camps who have prepared for each other repeatedly in the past, and whilst Da Silva finally gets a shot at gold after a career that has spanned a decade, another win for Magomedov who hasn’t gone the distance in over 4 years would surely bring Messrs Maynard and Shelby to the phone. What. A. Title. Fight.
2. Someone’s ‘O’ has to go! One of two highly-touted undefeated prospects will enter the red column for the first time in a Caspian clash between Dagestan’s Magomed Zaynukov and Azerbaijan’s Shakhmar Sadygov. What’s great about this pairing isn’t just the neighbourly rivalry but the fact that they are both outstanding kickboxers.
Club Nurmagomedov’s Zaynukov does a lot of his best work inside the clinch with a lot of torque in his knees and elbows which we witnessed in his standup war against Poles at UAE Warriors 51. His kickboxing is so good that many find it crazy when considering his camp and combat background that he has never won by submission! But we saw what Sadygov did taking a short notice fight against Jumaev last September, a decision win in a fight of the night that snapped his first-round winning streak.
Despite posing a massive threat off his back, his Muay Thai is deadly, training with countryman Rafael Fiziev at Tiger Muay Thai where he is permanently based. Two undefeated local rivals who prefer to keep it standing with so much on the line. Truly unmissable.
3. You thought we were going to skim past the killer co-main? How could we when it involves the sublime submissionist Rany Saadeh and the southpaw samurai Hikaru Yoshino?! That’s because there are so many questions going into this fight. Hikaru likes to negate his reach disadvantage by skipping into the pocket and deploying power-punches but no-one has been able to knock-out the Palestinian.
Equally Rany has built a brand on lightning-quick taps from his patented heel-hook to a variety of chokes, but his opponent has the best submission defence in the division and tapped only once almost a decade ago. Hikaru has two TKO promotional losses to top opponents, Lokdog and Khavalov with the former remaining undefeated in the UFC and the latter likewise in the PFL so it will be interesting to assess where he is against Rany who is not best known for finishing with the fists.
However, Saadeh works such lovely angles with elusive movement and damaging sniper-like counters that his reach advantage may be a telling factor. Regardless, this being the 19th bout for two fighters who are able to scramble like electric eels, wherever this fight may end up, it’s going to be one for the ages!
With these monumental collisions and 11 other wars exploding in Al Ain, how can you afford to miss this night of annihilation live?! Get your tickets now at any Virgin Megastore in the UAE or purchase them RIGHT NOW online at:
