Light Heavyweights
Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev (7-0; 0-0 UFC) vs. Raffael Cerqueira (11-3; 0-3 UFC)The undefeated 24-year-old Yakhyaev makes his promotional debut on Saturday against Cerqueira, who is still under the gun to prove he belongs in the UFC after three tries.
Yakhyaev is an obvious talent, with athleticism to spare and a diverse, sometimes spectacular offensive arsenal. However, with just seven professional bouts under his belt, all of which have been against grossly overmatched opposition and only two of which have made it out of the first round, it is an open question whether he is ready for the step up to even low-level UFC light heavyweights. He is a pressure striker, moving forward and forcing his opponents to react. He delivers big power in just about everything, with his right cross and overhand being particularly favored weapons.
Yakhyaev is a capable offensive wrestler, and despite his relative inexperience, he is already adept at deciding when to bring the action to the ground. Once there, he offers heavy ground-and-pound, and is capable of locking up a choke from a variety of positions. Considering his experience and the level of his competition, it is valid to wonder how his cardio will hold up, but that remains to be seen.
Cerqueira looks the part of a solid UFC light heavyweight—until the fight starts, that is. The 35-year-old Brazilian arrived last fall as an undefeated knockout machine, but his shortcomings have been brutally exposed in three straight losses. While Cerqueira is a big, powerfully built fighter, he is not a particularly fast or explosive athlete, and while he offers big power out of his side-on, southpaw stance, his poor head movement and low hands made him a sitting duck for Ibo Aslan and Modestas Bukauskas, both of whom hit him cleanly, nearly at will.
Yakhyaev’s upside is up for debate. He might be the next Khamzat Chimaev—unlikely, but bear with me here. Still, there is also a lot about him that reminds me of Edmen Shahbazyan, another very young prospect who annihilated his first few UFC foes on sheer speed and talent before running into stiffer competition, suffering a couple of bad losses and having to retool his game. Even if Yakhyaev has that kind of wake-up call in his future, however, we are still in the “annihilating his first few UFC foes” phase here, and it should play out that way. He is simply too quick and Cerqueira too hittable. Yakhyaev by Round 1 knockout is the call.
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