Ramazan Kuramagomedov vs. Jordan Williams
Kuramagomedov looks like the real deal. The Russian fighter does not have a single blemish on his perfect 5-0 professional resume despite being matched against high-level competition in both the Absolute Championship Berkut and the Professional Fighters League organizations. He trains under Mark Henry and Ricardo Almeida in New Jersey. The undefeated fighter is a southpaw but likes to switch stances to keep his opponents guessing. He often uses feints to create openings to attack with a popping jab or a straight left. His best strikes are his wide variety of kicks. He will attack the legs, body and head with blows, but his left kick to the body is of particular concern to opponents. He uses excellent head movement and footwork to avoid any counterattacks. He works at a high pace and has shown a deep enough gas tank to fuel his output. Kuramagomedov is also a strong wrestler. He uses his straight left, body kicks and flying knees to close the distance to shoot for his takedowns. He has superb takedown defense, though he occasionally finds himself on the bottom because he likes to jump on guillotine chokes. Like most wrestlers, the Russian is not comfortable on his back. If he is on top, Kuramagomedov works to move to a dominant position before dispatching heavy ground striking or searching for a submission. Another flaw is that he tends to fall in love with his striking and abandon his wrestling attacks.
Williams took a fight with Tim Caron during the 2018 season of DWCS on just five days’ notice. The Nor-Cal Fighting Alliance export dominated the New Englander on his way to a third-round TKO but had the result overturned due to a positive test for marijuana. The California native returns to the show to attempt to right his wrongs and receive employment in the premier MMA organization. He enters the bout on the heels of three straight wins. A protégé of former UFC middleweight title challenger David Terrell, Williams is an athletic but raw talent. He is a southpaw striker who has fast hands. He packs a big wallop with both hands, but his straight left is his moneymaker. While he likes to march forward, he makes the mistake of dropping his hands and leaving himself open to run into a counter shot. The Bellator veteran is a strong wrestler with fast entries on his takedowns and is incredibly hard to take down himself. The 28-year-old unleashes heavy ground-and-pound, which has ended several of his bouts in the past. The Californian does make the mistake of exposing his own back while trying to work back to his feet if he is taken down.
This is one of the best fights of this entire season on paper. Both men are intriguing prospects and would represent great additions to the UFC roster. Williams is tough test for the Russian and should give him everything he can handle, but look for Kuramagomedov to land hard kicks on the feet and mix in takedowns on his way to a unanimous decision. As a potential future Top 15 middleweight, his performance earns him a spot in the UFC.
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