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Welcome to the MMA News’ Sleeper Scrap! The relentless schedule of the MMA world means that some fans don’t have a full look at a fight card until days before the event, leaving the promoters to decide which bouts you should be paying the most attention to.
Everyone wants to tune in for main events and fights that feature popular names, but that means meaningful or potentially action-packed matchups from elsewhere on fight cards sometimes get lost in the shuffle. A Sleeper Scrap might highlight interesting style matchups, fighters with notable storylines, or bouts that simply have the chance to be a Fight of the Night contender.
Last week’s Sleeper Scrap turned out to be a true “sleeper” when William Knight appeared unwilling to throw any strikes against Marcin Prachnio, but the UFC’s schedule rolls on this week with UFC Fight Night 220. The event is an overall stronger offering than last week’s UFC event, and it includes an intriguing lightweight bout between Contender Series veterans Rafael Alves and Nurullo Aliev.
The Fighters
Rafael Alves had already competed in a full career’s worth of bouts prior to joining the UFC, and winning Titan FC’s interim lightweight title in 2019 earned the Brazilian a Contender Series opportunity the following year.
“The Turn” submitted Alejandro Flores with a guillotine choke in the second round to secure a UFC contract, but several canceled matchups left Alves waiting until May of 2021 to make his promotional debut against Damir Ismagulov. That bout started well when Alves dropped Ismagulov early, but he ended up being outwrestled for large portions of the fight and dropped a unanimous decision.
The 32-year-old rebounded from that difficult debut by rocking Marc Diakiese and snatching a guillotine choke for his first UFC victory, but Alves was stopped by a third-round body shot from Drew Dober in an entertaining scrap that was his only appearance of 2022.
Alves put on an entertaining performance in a losing effort against Drew Dober. (Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports)
Nurullo Aliev may only be 23-years-old, but the Tajikistani has already put together a perfect 8-0 record and has quickly established himself as one of the top prospects in the sport.
“Tajik Eagle” hit the ground running in 2018 when he debuted in February but was already 4-0 by the end of September. That rate of activity dropped off a bit over the next few years, but Aliev used his dominant grappling to earn another three decision wins while competing in Russia before being booked to fight on Contender Series 2022.
The 23-year-old had only finished one opponent prior to facing Josh Wick on Contender Series, but Aliev made sure to put in a contract-worthy performance by stopping “The White Mamba” with ground and pound late in the first round.
The Matchup
This matchup is a bit more complicated than simply being a striker vs. grappler affair, but there’s little doubt that Aliev’s game plan will include taking things to the mat at some point.
The 23-year-old typically won’t shoot for a takedown right from the start of a fight, but when he does decide it’s time to hit the canvas he’ll get opponents to the fence and start looking for a variety of takedown attempts. Aliev is relentless once he finally does get an opponent down, as he’ll rinse and repeat his takedown approach until he establishes top position and can open up with ground strikes.
Dominant wrestling has defined Aliev’s MMA career so far. (Zuffa LLC)
“Tajik Eagle” has shown some decent strides in his stand up game, and in his fight with Kirill Kryukov he appeared significantly more confident and willing to throw strikes compared to previous bouts. The striking technique isn’t always the prettiest, but Aliev does a good job of coming forward with big combinations in an effort to back his opponents to the fence and start chaining his takedown attempts together.
Alves is a much more comfortable striker than Aliev, and the Brazilian’s most dangerous weapon is a diverse kicking game that’s enhanced by the speed with which he throws those strikes.
The 32-year-old’s reliance on dynamic, potentially fight-ending shots means that he can sometimes be a relatively low-volume striker, but when he’s struggling to solve his opponent’s defense he also likes to suddenly blitz forward with big combinations. This approach allowed Alves to drop Ismagulov in the early moments of their matchup, but oustide of those blitzes the Brazilian is more comfortable looking for big counter shots.
Alves is happy to jump on a guillotine choke after rocking opponents with his striking. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
“The Turn” is willing to mix in takedowns of his own during fights, but his preferred tool in close is easily his guillotine choke. Alves threatened the technique after dropping Ismagulov and finished it quickly after doing the same to Marc Diakiese, so he’s willing to grab an opponent’s neck in virtually any scenario during a fight.
The threat of that choke will need to be on Aliev’s mind whenever he starts tying up with Alves, but the Brazilian has been outwrestled before and would definitely prefer to avoid ending up on his back. The fact that “Tajik Eagle” can get a little bit wild when striking could also play into Alves’ game on the feet, as it could open up chances for the Brazilian counter Aliev with a big kick or flying knee.
The Stakes
Alves has shown flashes of serious potential during his brief UFC career, but the Brazilian is currently 1-2 overall in the promotion and hasn’t kept an especially active schedule.
Three-straight stoppage victories preceded the 32-year-old’s Contender Series opportunity, so Alves clearly has finishing skills and the dynamism needed to produce highlight-reel finishes. He quite nearly finished Ismagulov in the same manner he used to stop Diakiese in his next fight, but threatening to finish opponents and creating fun moments can only take you so far without also getting a few wins along the way.
Seemingly every UFC card this year has featured multiple debuting fighters, and divisions like lightweight always have enough talent waiting in the wings that another loss could spell the end of Alves’ run in the UFC to make room for up-and-comers like Aliev.
Aliev is one of the most promosing young fighters to join the UFC in recent memory. (AMC Fight Nights)
“Tajik Eagle” will put his undefeated record on the line against Alves, but he’ll also be risking the considerable amount of hype he’s managed to accumulate as a young fighter with what appear to be some quite dominant skills on the mat.
Aliev is still very early in his career and has plenty of room to round out his skills, but one potential proving point in this matchup will be how he handles a higher level of competition. The 23-year-old was scheduled to make his LFA debut against a fighter on a four-fight losing streak prior to joining Contender Series, but even a matchup with the 12-5 Josh Wick wasn’t exactly the stiffest test to prove his worth to the UFC.
“Tajik Eagle” will presumably try to get things to the canvas so he can control Alves, but the Brazilian’s scrambling ability and nasty guillotine mean even those takedown attempts should provide some intrigue for fans. “The Turn” is also more than capable of landing something big on the feet, which puts pressure on Aliev to show off any new developments he’s made and provide a glimpse into his overall potential in the UFC.
How do you think this bout between Alves and Aliev will turn out? Are there any other fights from UFC Fight Night 220 that you feel deserve more attention?
Welcome to the MMA News’ Sleeper Scrap! The relentless schedule of the MMA world means that some fans don’t have a full look at a fight card until days before the event, leaving the promoters to decide which bouts you should be paying the most attention to.
Everyone wants to tune in for main events and fights that feature popular names, but that means meaningful or potentially action-packed matchups from elsewhere on fight cards sometimes get lost in the shuffle. A Sleeper Scrap might highlight interesting style matchups, fighters with notable storylines, or bouts that simply have the chance to be a Fight of the Night contender.
Last week’s Sleeper Scrap turned out to be a true “sleeper” when William Knight appeared unwilling to throw any strikes against Marcin Prachnio, but the UFC’s schedule rolls on this week with UFC Fight Night 220. The event is an overall stronger offering than last week’s UFC event, and it includes an intriguing lightweight bout between Contender Series veterans Rafael Alves and Nurullo Aliev.
The Fighters
Rafael Alves had already competed in a full career’s worth of bouts prior to joining the UFC, and winning Titan FC’s interim lightweight title in 2019 earned the Brazilian a Contender Series opportunity the following year.
“The Turn” submitted Alejandro Flores with a guillotine choke in the second round to secure a UFC contract, but several canceled matchups left Alves waiting until May of 2021 to make his promotional debut against Damir Ismagulov. That bout started well when Alves dropped Ismagulov early, but he ended up being outwrestled for large portions of the fight and dropped a unanimous decision.
The 32-year-old rebounded from that difficult debut by rocking Marc Diakiese and snatching a guillotine choke for his first UFC victory, but Alves was stopped by a third-round body shot from Drew Dober in an entertaining scrap that was his only appearance of 2022.
Alves put on an entertaining performance in a losing effort against Drew Dober. (Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports)
Nurullo Aliev may only be 23-years-old, but the Tajikistani has already put together a perfect 8-0 record and has quickly established himself as one of the top prospects in the sport.
“Tajik Eagle” hit the ground running in 2018 when he debuted in February but was already 4-0 by the end of September. That rate of activity dropped off a bit over the next few years, but Aliev used his dominant grappling to earn another three decision wins while competing in Russia before being booked to fight on Contender Series 2022.
The 23-year-old had only finished one opponent prior to facing Josh Wick on Contender Series, but Aliev made sure to put in a contract-worthy performance by stopping “The White Mamba” with ground and pound late in the first round.
The Matchup
This matchup is a bit more complicated than simply being a striker vs. grappler affair, but there’s little doubt that Aliev’s game plan will include taking things to the mat at some point.
The 23-year-old typically won’t shoot for a takedown right from the start of a fight, but when he does decide it’s time to hit the canvas he’ll get opponents to the fence and start looking for a variety of takedown attempts. Aliev is relentless once he finally does get an opponent down, as he’ll rinse and repeat his takedown approach until he establishes top position and can open up with ground strikes.
Dominant wrestling has defined Aliev’s MMA career so far. (Zuffa LLC)
“Tajik Eagle” has shown some decent strides in his stand up game, and in his fight with Kirill Kryukov he appeared significantly more confident and willing to throw strikes compared to previous bouts. The striking technique isn’t always the prettiest, but Aliev does a good job of coming forward with big combinations in an effort to back his opponents to the fence and start chaining his takedown attempts together.
Alves is a much more comfortable striker than Aliev, and the Brazilian’s most dangerous weapon is a diverse kicking game that’s enhanced by the speed with which he throws those strikes.
The 32-year-old’s reliance on dynamic, potentially fight-ending shots means that he can sometimes be a relatively low-volume striker, but when he’s struggling to solve his opponent’s defense he also likes to suddenly blitz forward with big combinations. This approach allowed Alves to drop Ismagulov in the early moments of their matchup, but oustide of those blitzes the Brazilian is more comfortable looking for big counter shots.
Alves is happy to jump on a guillotine choke after rocking opponents with his striking. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
“The Turn” is willing to mix in takedowns of his own during fights, but his preferred tool in close is easily his guillotine choke. Alves threatened the technique after dropping Ismagulov and finished it quickly after doing the same to Marc Diakiese, so he’s willing to grab an opponent’s neck in virtually any scenario during a fight.
The threat of that choke will need to be on Aliev’s mind whenever he starts tying up with Alves, but the Brazilian has been outwrestled before and would definitely prefer to avoid ending up on his back. The fact that “Tajik Eagle” can get a little bit wild when striking could also play into Alves’ game on the feet, as it could open up chances for the Brazilian counter Aliev with a big kick or flying knee.
The Stakes
Alves has shown flashes of serious potential during his brief UFC career, but the Brazilian is currently 1-2 overall in the promotion and hasn’t kept an especially active schedule.
Three-straight stoppage victories preceded the 32-year-old’s Contender Series opportunity, so Alves clearly has finishing skills and the dynamism needed to produce highlight-reel finishes. He quite nearly finished Ismagulov in the same manner he used to stop Diakiese in his next fight, but threatening to finish opponents and creating fun moments can only take you so far without also getting a few wins along the way.
Seemingly every UFC card this year has featured multiple debuting fighters, and divisions like lightweight always have enough talent waiting in the wings that another loss could spell the end of Alves’ run in the UFC to make room for up-and-comers like Aliev.
Aliev is one of the most promosing young fighters to join the UFC in recent memory. (AMC Fight Nights)
“Tajik Eagle” will put his undefeated record on the line against Alves, but he’ll also be risking the considerable amount of hype he’s managed to accumulate as a young fighter with what appear to be some quite dominant skills on the mat.
Aliev is still very early in his career and has plenty of room to round out his skills, but one potential proving point in this matchup will be how he handles a higher level of competition. The 23-year-old was scheduled to make his LFA debut against a fighter on a four-fight losing streak prior to joining Contender Series, but even a matchup with the 12-5 Josh Wick wasn’t exactly the stiffest test to prove his worth to the UFC.
“Tajik Eagle” will presumably try to get things to the canvas so he can control Alves, but the Brazilian’s scrambling ability and nasty guillotine mean even those takedown attempts should provide some intrigue for fans. “The Turn” is also more than capable of landing something big on the feet, which puts pressure on Aliev to show off any new developments he’s made and provide a glimpse into his overall potential in the UFC.
How do you think this bout between Alves and Aliev will turn out? Are there any other fights from UFC Fight Night 220 that you feel deserve more attention?
Click here to view the article.
Everyone wants to tune in for main events and fights that feature popular names, but that means meaningful or potentially action-packed matchups from elsewhere on fight cards sometimes get lost in the shuffle. A Sleeper Scrap might highlight interesting style matchups, fighters with notable storylines, or bouts that simply have the chance to be a Fight of the Night contender.
Last week’s Sleeper Scrap turned out to be a true “sleeper” when William Knight appeared unwilling to throw any strikes against Marcin Prachnio, but the UFC’s schedule rolls on this week with UFC Fight Night 220. The event is an overall stronger offering than last week’s UFC event, and it includes an intriguing lightweight bout between Contender Series veterans Rafael Alves and Nurullo Aliev.
The Fighters
Rafael Alves had already competed in a full career’s worth of bouts prior to joining the UFC, and winning Titan FC’s interim lightweight title in 2019 earned the Brazilian a Contender Series opportunity the following year.
“The Turn” submitted Alejandro Flores with a guillotine choke in the second round to secure a UFC contract, but several canceled matchups left Alves waiting until May of 2021 to make his promotional debut against Damir Ismagulov. That bout started well when Alves dropped Ismagulov early, but he ended up being outwrestled for large portions of the fight and dropped a unanimous decision.
The 32-year-old rebounded from that difficult debut by rocking Marc Diakiese and snatching a guillotine choke for his first UFC victory, but Alves was stopped by a third-round body shot from Drew Dober in an entertaining scrap that was his only appearance of 2022.
Alves put on an entertaining performance in a losing effort against Drew Dober. (Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports)
Nurullo Aliev may only be 23-years-old, but the Tajikistani has already put together a perfect 8-0 record and has quickly established himself as one of the top prospects in the sport.
“Tajik Eagle” hit the ground running in 2018 when he debuted in February but was already 4-0 by the end of September. That rate of activity dropped off a bit over the next few years, but Aliev used his dominant grappling to earn another three decision wins while competing in Russia before being booked to fight on Contender Series 2022.
The 23-year-old had only finished one opponent prior to facing Josh Wick on Contender Series, but Aliev made sure to put in a contract-worthy performance by stopping “The White Mamba” with ground and pound late in the first round.
The Matchup
This matchup is a bit more complicated than simply being a striker vs. grappler affair, but there’s little doubt that Aliev’s game plan will include taking things to the mat at some point.
The 23-year-old typically won’t shoot for a takedown right from the start of a fight, but when he does decide it’s time to hit the canvas he’ll get opponents to the fence and start looking for a variety of takedown attempts. Aliev is relentless once he finally does get an opponent down, as he’ll rinse and repeat his takedown approach until he establishes top position and can open up with ground strikes.
Dominant wrestling has defined Aliev’s MMA career so far. (Zuffa LLC)
“Tajik Eagle” has shown some decent strides in his stand up game, and in his fight with Kirill Kryukov he appeared significantly more confident and willing to throw strikes compared to previous bouts. The striking technique isn’t always the prettiest, but Aliev does a good job of coming forward with big combinations in an effort to back his opponents to the fence and start chaining his takedown attempts together.
Alves is a much more comfortable striker than Aliev, and the Brazilian’s most dangerous weapon is a diverse kicking game that’s enhanced by the speed with which he throws those strikes.
The 32-year-old’s reliance on dynamic, potentially fight-ending shots means that he can sometimes be a relatively low-volume striker, but when he’s struggling to solve his opponent’s defense he also likes to suddenly blitz forward with big combinations. This approach allowed Alves to drop Ismagulov in the early moments of their matchup, but oustide of those blitzes the Brazilian is more comfortable looking for big counter shots.
Alves is happy to jump on a guillotine choke after rocking opponents with his striking. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
“The Turn” is willing to mix in takedowns of his own during fights, but his preferred tool in close is easily his guillotine choke. Alves threatened the technique after dropping Ismagulov and finished it quickly after doing the same to Marc Diakiese, so he’s willing to grab an opponent’s neck in virtually any scenario during a fight.
The threat of that choke will need to be on Aliev’s mind whenever he starts tying up with Alves, but the Brazilian has been outwrestled before and would definitely prefer to avoid ending up on his back. The fact that “Tajik Eagle” can get a little bit wild when striking could also play into Alves’ game on the feet, as it could open up chances for the Brazilian counter Aliev with a big kick or flying knee.
The Stakes
Alves has shown flashes of serious potential during his brief UFC career, but the Brazilian is currently 1-2 overall in the promotion and hasn’t kept an especially active schedule.
Three-straight stoppage victories preceded the 32-year-old’s Contender Series opportunity, so Alves clearly has finishing skills and the dynamism needed to produce highlight-reel finishes. He quite nearly finished Ismagulov in the same manner he used to stop Diakiese in his next fight, but threatening to finish opponents and creating fun moments can only take you so far without also getting a few wins along the way.
Seemingly every UFC card this year has featured multiple debuting fighters, and divisions like lightweight always have enough talent waiting in the wings that another loss could spell the end of Alves’ run in the UFC to make room for up-and-comers like Aliev.
Aliev is one of the most promosing young fighters to join the UFC in recent memory. (AMC Fight Nights)
“Tajik Eagle” will put his undefeated record on the line against Alves, but he’ll also be risking the considerable amount of hype he’s managed to accumulate as a young fighter with what appear to be some quite dominant skills on the mat.
Aliev is still very early in his career and has plenty of room to round out his skills, but one potential proving point in this matchup will be how he handles a higher level of competition. The 23-year-old was scheduled to make his LFA debut against a fighter on a four-fight losing streak prior to joining Contender Series, but even a matchup with the 12-5 Josh Wick wasn’t exactly the stiffest test to prove his worth to the UFC.
“Tajik Eagle” will presumably try to get things to the canvas so he can control Alves, but the Brazilian’s scrambling ability and nasty guillotine mean even those takedown attempts should provide some intrigue for fans. “The Turn” is also more than capable of landing something big on the feet, which puts pressure on Aliev to show off any new developments he’s made and provide a glimpse into his overall potential in the UFC.
How do you think this bout between Alves and Aliev will turn out? Are there any other fights from UFC Fight Night 220 that you feel deserve more attention?
Welcome to the MMA News’ Sleeper Scrap! The relentless schedule of the MMA world means that some fans don’t have a full look at a fight card until days before the event, leaving the promoters to decide which bouts you should be paying the most attention to.
Everyone wants to tune in for main events and fights that feature popular names, but that means meaningful or potentially action-packed matchups from elsewhere on fight cards sometimes get lost in the shuffle. A Sleeper Scrap might highlight interesting style matchups, fighters with notable storylines, or bouts that simply have the chance to be a Fight of the Night contender.
Last week’s Sleeper Scrap turned out to be a true “sleeper” when William Knight appeared unwilling to throw any strikes against Marcin Prachnio, but the UFC’s schedule rolls on this week with UFC Fight Night 220. The event is an overall stronger offering than last week’s UFC event, and it includes an intriguing lightweight bout between Contender Series veterans Rafael Alves and Nurullo Aliev.
The Fighters
Rafael Alves had already competed in a full career’s worth of bouts prior to joining the UFC, and winning Titan FC’s interim lightweight title in 2019 earned the Brazilian a Contender Series opportunity the following year.
“The Turn” submitted Alejandro Flores with a guillotine choke in the second round to secure a UFC contract, but several canceled matchups left Alves waiting until May of 2021 to make his promotional debut against Damir Ismagulov. That bout started well when Alves dropped Ismagulov early, but he ended up being outwrestled for large portions of the fight and dropped a unanimous decision.
The 32-year-old rebounded from that difficult debut by rocking Marc Diakiese and snatching a guillotine choke for his first UFC victory, but Alves was stopped by a third-round body shot from Drew Dober in an entertaining scrap that was his only appearance of 2022.
Nurullo Aliev may only be 23-years-old, but the Tajikistani has already put together a perfect 8-0 record and has quickly established himself as one of the top prospects in the sport.
“Tajik Eagle” hit the ground running in 2018 when he debuted in February but was already 4-0 by the end of September. That rate of activity dropped off a bit over the next few years, but Aliev used his dominant grappling to earn another three decision wins while competing in Russia before being booked to fight on Contender Series 2022.
The 23-year-old had only finished one opponent prior to facing Josh Wick on Contender Series, but Aliev made sure to put in a contract-worthy performance by stopping “The White Mamba” with ground and pound late in the first round.
The Matchup
This matchup is a bit more complicated than simply being a striker vs. grappler affair, but there’s little doubt that Aliev’s game plan will include taking things to the mat at some point.
The 23-year-old typically won’t shoot for a takedown right from the start of a fight, but when he does decide it’s time to hit the canvas he’ll get opponents to the fence and start looking for a variety of takedown attempts. Aliev is relentless once he finally does get an opponent down, as he’ll rinse and repeat his takedown approach until he establishes top position and can open up with ground strikes.
“Tajik Eagle” has shown some decent strides in his stand up game, and in his fight with Kirill Kryukov he appeared significantly more confident and willing to throw strikes compared to previous bouts. The striking technique isn’t always the prettiest, but Aliev does a good job of coming forward with big combinations in an effort to back his opponents to the fence and start chaining his takedown attempts together.
Alves is a much more comfortable striker than Aliev, and the Brazilian’s most dangerous weapon is a diverse kicking game that’s enhanced by the speed with which he throws those strikes.
The 32-year-old’s reliance on dynamic, potentially fight-ending shots means that he can sometimes be a relatively low-volume striker, but when he’s struggling to solve his opponent’s defense he also likes to suddenly blitz forward with big combinations. This approach allowed Alves to drop Ismagulov in the early moments of their matchup, but oustide of those blitzes the Brazilian is more comfortable looking for big counter shots.
“The Turn” is willing to mix in takedowns of his own during fights, but his preferred tool in close is easily his guillotine choke. Alves threatened the technique after dropping Ismagulov and finished it quickly after doing the same to Marc Diakiese, so he’s willing to grab an opponent’s neck in virtually any scenario during a fight.
The threat of that choke will need to be on Aliev’s mind whenever he starts tying up with Alves, but the Brazilian has been outwrestled before and would definitely prefer to avoid ending up on his back. The fact that “Tajik Eagle” can get a little bit wild when striking could also play into Alves’ game on the feet, as it could open up chances for the Brazilian counter Aliev with a big kick or flying knee.
The Stakes
Alves has shown flashes of serious potential during his brief UFC career, but the Brazilian is currently 1-2 overall in the promotion and hasn’t kept an especially active schedule.
Three-straight stoppage victories preceded the 32-year-old’s Contender Series opportunity, so Alves clearly has finishing skills and the dynamism needed to produce highlight-reel finishes. He quite nearly finished Ismagulov in the same manner he used to stop Diakiese in his next fight, but threatening to finish opponents and creating fun moments can only take you so far without also getting a few wins along the way.
Seemingly every UFC card this year has featured multiple debuting fighters, and divisions like lightweight always have enough talent waiting in the wings that another loss could spell the end of Alves’ run in the UFC to make room for up-and-comers like Aliev.
“Tajik Eagle” will put his undefeated record on the line against Alves, but he’ll also be risking the considerable amount of hype he’s managed to accumulate as a young fighter with what appear to be some quite dominant skills on the mat.
Aliev is still very early in his career and has plenty of room to round out his skills, but one potential proving point in this matchup will be how he handles a higher level of competition. The 23-year-old was scheduled to make his LFA debut against a fighter on a four-fight losing streak prior to joining Contender Series, but even a matchup with the 12-5 Josh Wick wasn’t exactly the stiffest test to prove his worth to the UFC.
“Tajik Eagle” will presumably try to get things to the canvas so he can control Alves, but the Brazilian’s scrambling ability and nasty guillotine mean even those takedown attempts should provide some intrigue for fans. “The Turn” is also more than capable of landing something big on the feet, which puts pressure on Aliev to show off any new developments he’s made and provide a glimpse into his overall potential in the UFC.
How do you think this bout between Alves and Aliev will turn out? Are there any other fights from UFC Fight Night 220 that you feel deserve more attention?
Click here to view the article.
