Prior to each UFC card, Jay Primetown takes a close look at debuting fighters. In the latest installment, we look at Russian Magomed Mustafaev as he takes on Poland’s Piotr Hallmann at UFC Fight Night 69 in Berlin, Germany Magomed Mustafaev Hometown: Sochi, Russia Age: 26 Height: 5’9” Reach: N/A Weight Class: Welterweight Camp: American Top Team Career Record: 11-1 Key Wins: Abubkar Nurmagomedov Key Losses: None Background The latest Russian fighter coming from a combat sambo background, Mustafaev has a very solid record on the regional facing quality opposition. He’s shown to be a finisher with all but one of his fights ending inside the distance. He has the experience necessary to compete in the UFC right away. Strengths
- All-around fighter
- Good athlete
- Good stand up with power in his hands
- Has some flash in his striking mixing in spinning strikes
- Ability to score takedowns in a variety of ways
- Good ground and pound
- Great submission skill set that will threaten even experienced opponents
- Excellent in scrambles always finding a way to end up in the better position
Weaknesses
- Strikes tend to be singular as opposed to combinations
- Wrestling not the strongest of recent Russian UFC debutants
- Takedown defense needs to improve
- Not dominant in top control
Matchup with Piotr Hallmann This matchup has gone under the radar as one of the best fights on the Fight Night 69 card. Underrated Piotr Hallmann takes on the latest Russian prospect entering the UFC, Magomed Mustafaev. I expect this to be a competitive fight. Hallmann is tough, durable, physical, and has decent cardio. Mustafaev is the flashier striker with the better grappling skill set. It’s an interesting matchup on paper as Mustafaev certainly has holes in his defensive wrestling. Hallmann could certainly take the Russian down making it difficult to score for the judges. On the flip side, Mustafaev is excellent in scrambles and should be able to work for submissions both on his back and in the scrambles on the Polish fighter. In a close fight, I ever so slightly favor the Russian to come out with the win, but it won’t be easy. I think this is the perfect fight to sit back and watch as it will tell us a lot about both fighters. UFC Ceiling Magomed Mustafaev is the latest Russian to find his way into the world’s top MMA promotion. Like most of his fellow countrymen in the sport, he comes from a combat sambo background which more often than not translates to MMA success. While his striking tends to be a notch above other Russians, his wrestling has more holes. He’s an all-around solid prospect, but there’s not one discipline that is completely dominant. For that reason, I don’t think he will ever be a top five fighter in the lightweight division. He certainly can give a lot of guys problems with his variation, but will struggle against better wrestlers and more fluid strikers. I think the best he can hope for is to have a similar trajectory as Beneil Dariush. Fight Film Check out Magomed Mustafaev in some of his most recent fights: Magomed Mustafaev vs. Andrey Koshkin Magomed Mustafaev vs. Abubakar Nurmagomedov