On every season of Dana White’s Contender Series so far, there have been a couple competitors that look capable of making an immediate and long-term impact in their respective weight classes once they touched down in the UFC Octagon.
Aliev is one of those fighters from Season 6.
The 23-year-old lightweight ran through Josh Wick in mid-September, taking him down with ease after getting poked in the eye and eventually mauling him from top position. It was a patient approach turned into a punishing finish, as Aliev wedged Wick against the fence, softened him up with elbows from inside his guard, and then unleashed a torrent of right hands as he finally postured up in the final minute of the round, forcing referee Jason Herzog to stop the fight.
Wick came in with a 12-5 record, fresh off a first-round stoppage win over former UFC competitor Cain Carrizosa, and Aliev was able to quickly close the distance and impose his will on “The White Mamba,” getting him out of there in under a round.
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Aliev looks a like a young Khabib Nurmagomedov, physically, facially, and he clearly wants to deploy a similar approach to that of the former lightweight champion. He has limited experience thus far in his career, entering his debut against Rafael Alves this weekend with an 8-0 record, but we’re going to find out where he fits in the division very quickly.
The 32-year-old Alves is a bundle of explosive energy and fight-ending skills with nearly four times as much experience as his young foe this weekend. In three UFC appearances, Alves is 1-2, sandwiching a win over Marc Diakiese between losses to Damir Ismagulov and Drew Dober.
Stepping in against Alves is a big first ask of Aliev, but he looked dominant in his last trip to the UFC APEX, and could find his way into the fast track in the lightweight division with a win on Saturday.
