Yilizhati Maimaitijiang
7-1-0
26 years old
Middleweight
Fighting out of: Zhongshan, Guangdong, China
Hailing from China, Yilizhati Maimaitijiang enters this showcase opportunity coming off a first-round finish over (3-4-0) Denis Chernikov. It’s a surprising call to the UFC, as he dropped a decision prior to beating Chernikov, which likely would’ve put most fighters off the matchmakers’ radar. However, lucky for Yilizhati, the brass seems much more interested in his skill set than whether or not he truly deserves the opportunity.
If we give Yilizhati Maimaitijiang the benefit of the doubt, his lone loss did come against the best competition of his career and in his first fight at 185 pounds. He also possesses many of the tools the UFC is looking for. He’s a gifted striker with an excellent knack for finishing, with six of his seven victories coming inside the first five minutes. Yilizhati’s athleticism and strength play a major role in his offense. His dexterity for his size is pretty incredible, and his kicks can come from so far out that the range is almost impossible for smaller opponents to close. He also owns an impressive spinning wheel kick that has landed in the past, but perhaps his best work comes when he finds himself in control on the mats.
Yilizhati Maimaitijiang’s strikes from top position are brutal, and he actually has a few submissions in his back pocket. In the first fight of his career, Yilizhati refused to abandon a takedown attempt, driving his massive frame into his opponent before eventually taking the back and finding a rear-naked choke. Though that did come after Yilizhati was cracked by his 3-4-0 opponent, Changshen Huo. He clearly showed the ability to survive, but defensively, there’s still some work to be done.
There have been times when Yilizhati has been controlled along the cage against some really bad competition. He also survived a scare in his sixth fight, nearly getting caught in a heel hook by Woo Ram Shim before slamming down some nasty ground-and-pound for the TKO. Maybe that’s a bit of nitpicking, but if he’s going to make a home for himself in the UFC, he’s going to have to polish a few things up.
The fun part about Yilizhati is that he’s coming to the UFC with his own status and following already established. Believe it or not, he’s a fitness influencer and fashion model who won Beijing’s Mr. Suit in 2020. Without a doubt, the 6’4″ Yilizhati will look the part inside the octagon… but can he handle another jump in competition against Tre’ston Vines?
Yilizhati Maimaitijiang vs. Tre’ston Vines
We didn’t get to see much of Vines in his UFC debut. He was brought in on short notice like a pig to slaughter against Ateba Gautier. It’s been a few times now that Vines has been put out badly. All four of his losses have come by first-round knockout, and against Bakhromjon Mashrapov, the concern for Vines’ health was more overwhelming than the impressive finish by his opponent.
It’s going to be difficult to trust Vines. It’s safe to assume that his chin is completely shot. He’ll be at a massive size disadvantage, and he could very well get finished in the first exchange. Though in this case, to say Yilizhati Maimaitijiang isn’t equally as shaky of a pick as Vines would be a lie.
Yilizhati Maimaitijiang has only fought one opponent who had both participated in more than one fight and held a winning record in their career, and he lost that fight. Vines could end up looking like prime GSP in this matchup, and it really wouldn’t be all that surprising. There’s levels to this game, and that saying could be very real here. Vines’ win over Chris Mixan in 2024 is more valuable than anything Yilizhati Maimaitijiang has accomplished in his mixed martial arts career.
Stylistically, though, Vines looks like he’s in trouble. He’s a small 185er fighting against a light heavyweight who’s cutting to middleweight. Yilizhati will most definitely be heavier than Vines on fight night. In Vines’ last fight, Gautier shucked off his takedown attempt like he was defending against a flyweight, and I expect Yilizhati to have that same strength advantage inside the cage. If Yilizhati can muscle off Vines and land clean like Gautier did, there’s no chance Vines’ chin holds up.
On the other side of things, if Tre’ston Vines is going to have any success, he’s going to have to push Yilizhati outside of the first round. Level changes will be the key for the American. He’ll have to find a way to control Yilizhati and drag him into deep waters. Keeping a guy the size of Yilizhati down will be a challenge, but Vines cannot exchange with him on the feet.
Final Take
I’d love to pick Tre’ston Vines here. Nine times out of 10, I’ll pick the fighter with more experience under his belt. This time, though, I’m going to side with Yilizhati Maimaitijiang. The size difference is glaring, and I simply don’t trust Vines to take a clean punch. He’s definitely raw, and I’d be shocked if Yilizhati goes undefeated through his first UFC contract, but this matchup plays directly into his strengths.
Pick: Yilizhati Maimaitijiang by Round 1 KO/TKO
