Preview: UFC Fight Night ‘Bigfoot vs. Mir’

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LIGHTWEIGHTS

Rustam Khabilov (17-2, 3-1 UFC) vs. Adriano Martins (26-7, 2-1 UFC)

THE MATCHUP: The talented Khabilov, a native of Dagestan, attempts to get back on track after losing to former lightweight champion Benson Henderson in June; visa problems kept him out of a scheduled fight last month. Martins ate a flush head kick from Donald Cerrone in January 2014 but easily knocked out Juan Manuel Puig to stay relevant in the stacked lightweight division. This should be a fun fight between two talented up-and-comers, with the promise of action in every phase.

Khabilov, a former combat sambo champion, is extremely athletic and offers a well-rounded game. Striking is not his strongest suit, and he tends to rely too much on a winging right hand that he likes to throw two or three at a time. On the plus side, he is difficult to hit, takes good angles, times his low output of strikes fairly well and uses his work at range to cover his entries into his best phase: the clinch.

When tied up with his opponents, the Dagestani has an almost infinite variety of techniques on which to draw, ranging from inside and outside trips to body-lock throws, hip tosses and his trademark suplexes, and he is difficult to take down himself. If stuffed on his takedown attempts, Khabilov excels at sneaking in hard combinations on clinch breaks. From top position, Khabilov drops bombs and passes with some skill, but he is more of a rinse-and-repeat wrestler than a control grappler on the mat.

Martins is an enormous lightweight with huge power in his hands, as if Gleison Tibau had decided to focus on his striking instead of his wrestling about a decade ago. Although he looks a bit stiff striking from his southpaw stance, his shots visibly move his opponents, and he has excellent pop in both his well-timed straight left and right hook. He is not an exceptional wrestler, but his sheer strength and command of timing makes him a takedown threat. From top position, Martins is a monster, with smooth passes, a heavy base, great posture and therefore power in his ground strikes and an array of topside submissions, especially the kimura and straight armbar.

THE PICK: This matchup favors Khabilov, especially if he has made a few improvements since his loss to Henderson. Martins is probably not going to beat Khabilov on volume; the Dagestani should be the better clinch fighter and wrestler; and unless Martins can somehow make his way to top position, which is unlikely, Khabilov holds the edge on the ground. The pick is Khabilov by dominant decision, with a strong possibility of a finish.

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