For our Russian prospect of the month, I wanted to go with someone with a lot of hype that I wasn’t completely sold on. That led me to the 7-0 bantamweight, Ullubiy Amirzhanov.
Amirzhanov has everything behind him to excel in the sport. He trains out of Club Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s School, which alone puts his name in bold. In his early career, he trained at Tiger Muay Thai, so he’s had elite training. Also, Amirzhanov signed with Dominance MMA management, so opportunities are never gonna be short.
Amirzhanov came to MMA billed as a Muay Thai fighter, but it’s been his ground game that shone through. It’s largely been his submission grappling, finishing five of his seven wins by sub. A massive threat from anywhere, from any position. Most of his opportunities come from who he’s fighting, initiating the takedowns. His guillotine, ninja choke, and front chokes in general are lethal.
For a Dagestan fighter, it’s not usual for them to fight off their back. Amirzhanov is welcome to fight off his back, and that could only go so far. From what I’ve seen, he’s effective off his back using his size more so than technique. He has long arms and legs, so he’s easier to sneak something in with that huge 6’2″ frame. Amirzhanov, I believe, can be too content fighting off his back and doesn’t use angles as much.
On the feet, someone of his size, I expect better distance control. He’s nice with the kicks, throwing low and high. He’s pretty creative and uses nice feints to find the open spots. Amirzhanov, I feel he’s too easy to walk down and get inside the phone booth on him. I’d like to see his throwing the jab more and use lateral footwork. Now, he can easily develop that, and I’m sure he will to an extent.
As I am a bit underwhelmed with tape, I can understand the hype. He’s only 23, trains with killers, and is a true finisher. The guys Amirzhanov has beaten have been reassuring. He’s beaten a combined record of 27-2 at the time they fought.