Preview: UFC Fight Night 163 ‘Magomedsharipov vs. Kattar’

Light Heavyweights

NR | Magomed Ankalaev (11-1, -300) vs. NR | Dalcha Lungiambula (10-1, +250): Ankalaev came into the UFC in 2018 with plenty of hype, and rightfully so. In a light heavyweight division barren of top-flight prospects, Ankalaev showed enough skill in all aspects of the game -- especially some particularly brutal ground-and-pound -- that he figured to be the rare talent that could quickly move up the ranks. The good news is that Ankalaev has continued to show off everything that made him so highly regarded over the course of his UFC career, but it will still be a while until he is remembered for more than his UFC debut, which saw him tap to a miracle triangle choke against Paul Craig with just one second left in the fight. Ankalaev has won his two fights without much issue and looks to make it three straight victories against Lungiambula. A fascinating fighter who became a two-division champion on the South African scene, Lungiambula is an absolute tank of an athlete, but it remains to be seen how much his horsepower can translate to success at this level of competition. Ankalaev is more than willing to kickbox, which could cause him some trouble. Lungiambula fights strictly in bursts, but he can quickly cover ground in a way that might shock Ankalaev’s lackadaisical approach. However, as soon as Ankalaev decides to turn on his wrestling, his vicious top game should take care of things quickly. The pick is Ankalaev via second-round stoppage.

Welterweights

NR | Rustam Khabilov (23-4, -165) vs. NR | Sergey Khandozhko (26-5-1, +145): Remember when Khabilov was exciting? He was part of the initial wave of Dagestani prospects to make its way to the UFC and quickly gained notice due to his impressive suplex game, as he quickly ended bouts with Vinc Pichel and Yancy Medeiros by lifting his opponents first and worrying about how they fell later. However, along the way, Khabilov eventually morphed into a slow-paced neutralizer, enough so that he put together a six-fight winning streak that still kept him strictly on the deep prelims. Khabilov continued to chug along with uninspiring decision win after uninspiring decision win until he ran into Diego Ferreira in February. After losing that bout, Khabilov has surprisingly decided to move up to welterweight, where he faces one of his countrymen. Khandozhko is a fun mid-tier welterweight, and while he is prone to giving up control of a fight, he has competed often enough that he basically stays in every bout behind a solid range kickboxing game. Khabilov’s climb to 170 pounds is an odd one, if only because so much of his success relied on disincentivizing his opponents through strength and power advantages he may not have at a higher weight class. This move up may mean he can finally fight at a faster pace, but if he fails to do so, it is easy to see Khandozhko not particularly caring about what Khabilov has to offer and keeping him at range. If Khabilov can get in on his wrestling, this becomes his fight to lose, but in a bit of a flier, his decision to move to welterweight proves to be misguided. Khandozhko by decision is the pick.

Middleweights

NR | Roman Kopylov (8-0, -120) vs. NR | Karl Roberson (8-2, +100): This fun middleweight scrap serves as one of the highlights of this preliminary card. After a bit of a delay due to injury, Kopylov finally makes his UFC debut and immediately becomes a prospect to watch at 185 pounds. Kopylov has a background in combat sambo, but to date, he has gotten things done almost purely as a striker, as he has managed to consistently turn away a strong slate of opposition without much trouble. It will be interesting to see how Kopylov does working his way up the middleweight ranks. He has some pop, but he is the type of fighter who is better equipped to break down his opponent over five rounds rather than take care of things quickly, raising some concerns now that he has less time with which to work. Roberson serves as a solid first test inside of the Octagon, coming from a kickboxing background that remains the strongest part of his game. Roberson is stuck in an odd spot at the moment, given how raw he was coming into the UFC. He is obviously trying to be well-rounded, but he has also found himself getting into clinch and wrestling exchanges that wind up making his fights closer than they need to be. If this takes place purely on the feet, it could go either way, but this could be the fight where Kopylov finally shows off some of his grappling skills, even if it is Roberson who starts pressing those exchanges. The pick is Kopylov via decision.

Welterweights

NR | Abubakar Nurmagomedov (15-2-1, -270) vs. NR | David Zawada (16-5, +230): After a few false starts, Nurmagomedov -- cousin of current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov -- makes his long-awaited UFC debut. Nurmagomedov is obviously good at what he does, even if the overall package is not particularly exciting, as he consistently looks to turn things into a grind, succeeding more often than not. There is the worry that Nurmagomedov can be sparked by someone willing to commit to aggression and press the action, which makes this bout against Zawada interesting. Those traits describe Zawada to a T. Since his late-notice debut in 2018, Zawada has made a name as one of the most consistently exciting fighters on the roster due to his constant willingness to move forward and attempt to make something happen. That may cause some issues for Nurmagomedov, but more likely than not it, just means that Zawada will be charging right into a clinch or a takedown. The pick is Nurmagomedov via decision.

Lightweights

NR | Roosevelt Roberts (8-1, -165) vs. NR | Alexander Yakovlev (25-9-1, +145): During the UFC’s last jaunt to Russia, Yakovlev’s win over Alex da Silva was one of the more pleasant surprises. After a two and a half-year layoff, Yakovlev unexpectedly returned down a class at lightweight and scored a submission over the younger Brazilian prospect. For now, it looks like “Thunder of the North” is back in the UFC rotation, as he returns here for an interesting matchup. Roberts has been one of the more highly touted alums of Season 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series, though he is obviously in a position where he is learning on the job. The lanky Roberts has typically managed to overpower foes with a creative clinch game, but Thomas Gifford and Vinc Pichel both caused issues by being large and powerful themselves; Pichel even earned a decision win. Yakovlev figures to be another tough fight for Roberts, given that he is a creative grappler in his own right with some veteran savvy. However, as long as Roberts does not grow overconfident and get caught in a submission, the American figures to be the much more physically powerful fighter and should be able to control things as a result. The pick is Roberts via decision.

Women’s Bantamweights

NR | Jessica-Rose Clark (9-5, -115) vs. NR | Pannie Kianzad (11-5, -105): The first fight between Clark and Kianzad was a one-sided affair -- Kianzad won -- under the Invicta Fighting Championships banner, but now seems as good a time as any for a rematch. Clark has done well to improve over the course of her MMA career. She is not much of an athlete, which puts a clear ceiling on things, but she has managed to round out her game over time, going from someone who was a complete liability against quicker fighters or stronger wrestlers to someone who has managed to hang tough in each of her three UFC bouts. Unfortunately, Clark’s biggest struggles have come on the scale. She initially missed weight for her flyweight debut against Bec Rawlings and was pulled from her December bout with Andrea Lee due to a botched weight cut, causing her to return to bantamweight on a full-time basis. As for Kianzad, she has experienced something of an opposite career path, going from a blue-chip prospect to hitting the skids after she earned an Invicta title shot against Tonya Evinger. Kianzad’s aggressive and creative grappling game can still work against the right opponents, but over time, she has developed an allergy to larger and more aggressive fighters, which has cost her in her two UFC bouts against Macy Chiasson and Julia Avila. Despite the twists and turns these two have seen since their first fight, the dynamic remains the same: Kianzad should be able to outwrestle the Aussie, and Clark does not seem capable of offering much to throw the Swede off track. The pick is Kianzad via decision.

Bantamweights

NR | Grigory Popov (13-3, -190) vs. NR | Davey Grant (10-4, +165): Popov’s signing was a bit of an odd one, given that the Russian was a 35-year old kickboxer who had spent his career feasting on low-level competition. However, he has proven to be an intriguing addition to the roster for at least one fight, as he enjoyed a fun scrap with Eddie Wineland before getting finished in the second round. He will look for a better result this time around against England’s Grant, who has had a star-crossed UFC career to say the least. Grant was a finalist on “The Ultimate Fighter” all the way back in 2013, but injuries have limited him to only three fights since. Grant’s aggressive approach could get him starched, but Popov does not have much of a grappling game. If Grant can get this to the ground, this should be over in short order. The pick is Grant via first-round submission.