Muhammad “Kubik” Saidov trains out of GOR MMA in his hometown of Moscow, Russia, competing under longtime head coach Gor Azizyan. Their contingent will be in full force come Saturday, as Saidov shares the same gym as both Bogdan Guskov and Valter Walker. However, Muhammad Saidov’s mission is much different than both Walker and Guskov, as the two have already settled into their respective spots on the roster.
For Saidov, the 30-year-old is focused on his first fight under the UFC banner. Expectations are high- “Kubik” is riding the hot hand after knocking out Luis Henrique da Silva in just over a minute at UAE Warriors 71. Though, the proposition of Dustin Jacoby offers considerably more danger than the likes of “Frankenstein.” A longtime stalwart of the light heavyweight division, Jacoby holds a 10-6-1 record in the UFC with seven knockouts across his time with the promotion. The American has seemingly gotten better with age, now riding an impressive three-fight win streak, all coming by way of finish.
It’ll be a considerable jump in competition for Saidov, but the UAE representative is on quite the run himself. Currently holding an undefeated professional record with eight finish victories, Saidov has worked his way up through the Russian regional scene. He’s impressed with several head kick knockouts, finishing his opponents in a matter of minutes. While impressive in a vacuum, it’s important to mention the level of competition Saidov was facing in these fixtures.
The bulk of Saidov’s victories came during his time with MMA Series Russia, a promotion notorious for can-crushing and record inflation. While not all of Saidov’s opponents were human heavybags, it’s become a theme for GOR MMA fighters to beef up their records with the promotion. Just a few years ago, Saidov’s teammate Valter Walker held an undefeated record of 5-0-0 before facing 3-3-0 Andrey Zhukovsky at MMA Series 54. There are a few more examples as well, but given Valter’s current popularity, this felt like the most notable.
Though, to say Saidov hasn’t been tested by high-level opposition in his career would be a lie. Rewind to 2018, just one fight into Saidov’s amateur career, the Moscow native faced both Islam Umalatov and Rizvan Kuniev on Day 1 of the Russian MMA Championship. Impressively, Saidov defeated Umalatov to reach the next round of the tournament, though he ultimately fell to now-ranked UFC heavyweight Rizvan Kuniev.
Looking from afar, Saidov doesn’t have the frame of most athletes you see come through the UFC. He’s quite slim for the division with very little muscle tone. Though, a lack of size typically comes with quicker hands and lighter movement on the feet- which is very much the case for Muhammad Saidov.
The 30-year-old is most comfortable when fighting at range, presenting his opposition with a high volume of feints and heavy calf kicks to create openings for his explosive power shots. At his best, you can see some pretty amazing stuff during a Muhammad Saidov fight. The UAE representative possesses a fan-friendly assortment of spinning wheel kicks that have consistently landed with accuracy. He mixes his targets between the head and body, working in a lead front kick to stop pressuring opponents in their tracks, paired with a hard whipping body kick that carries serious power. Though, at the end of the day, it’s the high kicks that are all the rave for Saidov- his adversaries must keep a high guard when engaging him on the feet.
While it hasn’t been much on display outside of a select few fights, Saidov’s judo game is respectable. He uses inside trips both offensively and defensively, catching opponents by surprise in the clinch, though his grappling as a whole could use some work. The biggest blemishes in his game came to light during his first fight under the UAE Warriors banner. Saidov was consistently controlled by his opponent Valmir da Silva throughout the fight. Outside of one impressive trip that caused a sprawl, Saidov looked lost along the cage. He also lost a ton of energy simply evading the pressure of da Silva, forced to fight off his back foot for the majority of the first round.
What’s most intriguing about Saidov is both his defensive responsibility and the way he sets up his striking. Time and time again, Luis Henrique da Silva rushed into Saidov’s space, looking for a quick finish. Easily, it felt like Saidov could’ve engaged in a much more fiery exchange, though the UAE representative responded three consecutive times with the same footwork: escaping out of the pocket, pawing his check left hook while circling to the right of Henrique da Silva.
On the fourth attempt from Henrique da Silva, the Brazilian started his charge from the cage, leaving much more space for Saidov to make an adjustment- adding a gorgeous overhand right after his check left hook to put the former UFC competitor to sleep.
Debut vs Dustin Jacoby
As mentioned before, Dustin Jacoby is coming into UFC Abu Dhabi riding a three-fight win streak, rejuvenating his career out of nowhere at 38 years old. Jacoby will easily be the most renowned veteran of Saidov’s career and really isn’t an ideal debut fight for any light heavyweight looking to find their footing in the UFC. It’s a surprising matchup for Saidov given he’ll have the home-field advantage, but some may consider it a vote of confidence from Dana White and the UFC brass.
The path for Jacoby to win is cut and dry- Muhammad Saidov hasn’t proven he can last three rounds at a high level without his gas tank becoming a factor. Back at UFC Vegas 35, Jacoby weathered the early storm against Darren Stewart, controlling him along the cage in the clinch before finding a brutal first-round knockout. If the American kickboxer can control Saidov similarly to Stewart, he should be able to wear down the debutant and find an opening for his power shots.
That being said, this isn’t the same Dustin Jacoby we saw in 2021, and frankly, he’s never been particularly effective at controlling the pace when attempting to slow fights down.
Jacoby hasn’t needed to take his foot off the gas much as of late, but throughout his career, opponents have consistently been able to escape his control with relative ease.
Dustin Jacoby is getting up there in age as well. Despite being on the winning side of things recently, Jacoby’s best days as an athlete are likely behind him. His movements are much more labored, and his hands don’t have the same quickness they once did. The last thing to go is always the power, and Dustin Jacoby still has plenty of it, but if he starts chasing the knockout, Saidov could potentially counter the orthodox striker with a lead left hook that puts Jacoby to sleep.
My Pick:
This is a tough one to pick- streaky veteran vs. unproven knockout artist. Jacoby’s recent run is impressive, but I’m hesitant, Saidov will have the crowd at his back and a significant advantage in hand speed. The UAE representative will have to be careful with his spinning kicks, as Jacoby has seen it all during his time in GLORY, and one wrong slip could mean the end of the night for the debutant.
Final call- I’m siding with Muhammad Saidov. Jacoby has consistently let fighters off the hook along the cage, and I don’t expect the 38-year-old to suddenly improve in that area. I doubt Jacoby will work much physicality into his game- he’s fallen in love with his power once again and he’ll be looking to spoil Saidov’s party with a Performance of the Night-worthy finish.
Though, I think it’ll be the debutant stealing the show as a betting underdog. Muhammad Saidov will be able to settle in at striking range and catch an overcommitting Jacoby with a left hook for the finish.
