Year-End UFC Card Gains Nurmagomedov vs. Kakhramonov, Vlismas vs. McKenna

The last Ultimate Fighting Championship event of 2022 is growing fast.

Per Instagram account Red Fury MMA on Thursday morning, Said Nurmagomedov (16-2) will square off with Saidyokub Kakhramonov (10-2) at bantamweight on UFC Fight Night 216. This event will serve as the final UFC card of 2022, and it will post up inside of the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The 135-pound scrap between these rising fighters has since been confirmed by multiple outlets.

Nurmagomedov, who is unrelated to UFC names Khabib Nurmagomedov or his cousins Umar Nurmagomedov and Abubakar Nurmagomedov, debuted in the UFC in 2018. The Dagestan native claimed a split decision against Justin Scoggins, and went on to clock Ricardo Ramos with a spinning back kick the following year. After losing to Raoni Barcelos in 2019 by decision, Nurmagomedov has not looked back, rattling off three straight wins. In 2020, the 30-year-old wrecked Mark Striegl in 51 seconds, and a pair of 2022 victories over Cody Stamann and Douglas Silva de Andrade – the former a speedy submission win – have placed Nurmagomedov in prime contention for a ranked spot should he get his hand raised.

Winner of his last four, Kakhramonov snagged the Cage Fury Fighting Championships title right before signing with the UFC in 2021. The Uzbekistan-born Chicago native made a splash by putting Trevin Jones to sleep in his promotional debut. Near a year later, Kakhramonov returned to battle Ronnie Lawrence, and he outworked his opponent to pick up a clear-cut decision win. While his foe’s finish rate sits at an even 50%, Kakhramonov has procured finishes in seven of his 10 pro victories.

Earlier in the week, MMA Mania brought forth the booking news between Cheyanne Vlismas (7-2) and Cory McKenna (7-2) at strawweight on this same card. Vlismas celebrated this matchup on her Instagram while stating, “It’s been quite a year and I plan to finish it on a good note.”

In the final UFC card of 2022, Vlismas will be making her first walk to the Octagon in the calendar year. The Invicta Fighting Championships and Legacy Fighting Alliance vet had a previous pairing with Tabatha Ricci fall through before it could materialize in early October, but she comes into this matchup the winner of her last two. Still one of the youngest fighters on the roster at 23, McKenna rebounded from a split decision loss to Elise Reed in March by putting Miranda Granger away with a Von Flue choke in August. Of note, “Poppins” became the first female fighter in organizational history to land that specific submission.

UFC Fight Night 216 will be held on Dec. 17 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, with a middleweight striker’s delight in the main attraction. Ex-title challenger Jared Cannonier will face Sean Strickland, and the victor will look to remain in the championship picture. Other key matchups on the card include a thrilling lightweight scrap between Damir Ismagulov and Arman Tsarukyan, a flyweight collision of Alex Perez and Amir Albazi and a 185-pound encounter between Michal Oleksiejczuk and Albert Duraev.