Preview: UFC 321 Prelims

Middleweights

Ikram Aliskerov (16-2, 3-1 UFC) vs. Jun Yong Park (19-6, 9-3 UFC)

BETTING ODDS: Aliskerov (-258), Park (+210)

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Perhaps this fight provides some answers as to exactly where Aliskerov stands in the UFC’s middleweight division. A 2022 alum of the Contender Series, Aliskerov was clearly ready to hit the ground running. He could be a bit awkward as a striker but landed with obvious power to complement a crushing wrestling and grappling game. Indeed, the UFC quickly rushed Aliskerov up the ladder. After two quick wins, he found himself in a main event against Robert Whittaker, only to get knocked out in a shade over two minutes. As it stands, Aliskerov is mostly only proven as a one-round fighter whose best wins are good but not great. In terms of level of opposition, his best win is probably his most recent one against Andre Muniz, a grappler who offered him little resistance on the feet. Aliskerov also has yet to suffer what could be considered any sort of bad loss. His two professional defeats are blowouts, but there’s no shame in losing to either Whittaker or Khamzat Chimaev. At this point, that makes a perennial divisional dark horse like Park just about the perfect litmus test to try and force Aliskerov to show some new wrinkles. Park came to the UFC in 2019 as a dedicated counterstriker, but after that approach quickly proved unsustainable, he rounded out his skills with a surprisingly effective wrestling and grappling game. That has made him a tough and consistently entertaining fighter, as “The Iron Turtle” is willing to eat a lot of offense and dish it out in return while pressuring his opponents. However, he has come up against his ceiling a few times, typically against opponents who can wrestle with him and take away those weapons. Aliskerov seems to fit that bill, though this fight does become absolutely fascinating if it goes past a round, given how little he has been forced to show in deeper waters. With that said, the fight needs to get that far, and the lean is that Park’s willingness to take one to give one proves to be a losing proposition out of the gate. The pick is Aliskerov via first-round knockout.


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