Said Nurmagomedov may not currently be ranked in the bantamweight division, but he’s an absolute menace and his ninja choke is becoming a nasty go-to finisher. He’s 5-1 over his last six and 7-2 inside the Octagon overall, with his last loss to coming to the surging Jonathan Martinez. There are going to be quite a few ascendant fighters in the 135-pound weight class that are looking to steer clear of the dangerous Russian going forward, with good reason.
Muhammad Mokaev notched the biggest win of his young career on Saturday, submitting former title challenger and Top 15 fixture Tim Elliott. It’s his fifth straight victory in the UFC, his third straight third-round finish, and showed that the 23-year-old has graduated from prospect to contender status in the 125-pound weight class.
Shara Magomedov carried a great deal of hype into his promotional debut and validated much of it with a unanimous decision win over Bruno Silva. His kicking game is bananas, he was attacking off his back when taken down, and he’s got a new No. 1 fan in Daniel Cormier as well. Worst-case, “Shara Bullet” should be a fun, all-action addition to the 185-pound weight class, and if he can address that takedown defense, things could get real interesting.
