The Russian’s title in Bellator and the historic UFC tournament. The 7 best fights of the week
Sergey Sorokin June 17, 2024, 08:15 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
The focus is mainly on our guys in Saudi Arabia.
Another week begins that will feature a large number of fights in the world of mixed martial arts and professional boxing. Of course, fans are looking forward to the historic UFC tournament, the first in Saudi Arabia. The grand event will gather under its wing a large number of fighters from Russia. And what’s more, mixed martial arts fans can look forward to major events in the PFL and Bellator. There is a slight pause in professional boxing. But there are also very interesting fights there.
The main tournaments of the month fell apart before our eyes:
Total failure of the UFC. McGregor and Chimaev ruined their fights
The night of June 20 to 21. Gadzhi Rabadanov – Alvin Espinosa
The PFL 5: 2024 Regular Season tournament will be held on the night of June 20 to 21 at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City (USA). Of particular interest is the confrontation between Gadzhi Rabadanov (21-4-1) and Alvin Espinosa (9-1). The Russian’s rival is on a nine-win streak. After a failed debut in MMA, he completely rebooted himself and began to demonstrate a completely different level. But Rabadanov also gained considerable momentum. His winning streak reached seven fights. Therefore, both hope to reach the PFL championship belt. And this fight will greatly affect the chances and prospects.
Let’s take a look at the last PFL tournament:
PFL 4: Moldova lost to the British again! And Goltsov beat the UFC veteran without a chance
June 21. Lyndon Arthur – Liam Cameron
A great evening of boxing will take place in London on June 21. The main attention will be on the fight between Lyndon Arthur (23-2, 16 KO) and Liam Cameron (21-5, 9 KO). Dmitry Bivol’s former opponent will try to overcome the defeat of the Russian boxer. He has some serious knockout power, which he will try to demonstrate again. Cameron prefers to work by points. He is unlikely to force things, but with great pleasure he will try to extend the fight for the maximum number of rounds.
Lyndon Arthur and Dmitry Bivol
Photo: Richard Pelham/Getty Images
June 22nd. Jason Jackson – Ramazan Kuramagomedov
Bellator Champions Series 3 will take place on June 22 at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. The main event attracts particular interest. Undefeated Russian Ramazan Kuramagomedov (12-0) is going for the organization title. He will fight for the Bellator welterweight championship belt (up to 77.1 kg) with Jason Jackson (18-4). The Russian rarely takes his fights to a judge’s decision. Plus, he literally wins for everyone, both through submissions and by knocking out his opponents. Therefore, he has excellent chances of becoming the organization’s champion and making a serious bid to enter the UFC.
Ramazan Kuramagomedov
Photo: Chris Unger/Getty Images
June 22nd. Robert Whittaker – Ikram Aliskerov
A historic UFC tournament will take place on June 22, the first in Saudi Arabia. True, the main fight was initially supposed to pit other fighters against each other. Khamzat Chimaev was going to enter the cage against Robert Whittaker. But in the end the Chechen fighter was forced to withdraw due to being hospitalized. And now the Russian Ikram Aliskerov will fight Whittaker. It seems that for Ikram this test will be the main test of his career. And a victory can significantly increase the chances of entering the title race.
Khamzat withdrew from another high-profile fight due to health issues:
Is Chimaev’s path to greatness closed? Borz’s career heading into the abyss
June 22nd. Sergei Pavlovich – Alexander Volkov
The situation is the opposite with the main event of the tournament in Saudi Arabia. Initially, no one believed this fight would take place. But the organizers managed to reach an agreement with the Russians, so they will meet in the cage. Pavlovich returns from the loss to Tom Aspinall. He fully understands that a second consecutive failure could seriously harm his chances of winning the title in the near future. But Volkov is on the move: he has achieved a series of three victories. And now Drago will try to take the most important step towards the battle with Aspinall. He gives the feeling that if Alexander wins, he will become one of the favorites in the race for the belt.
Most experts believe that Alexander will surprise:
“Pavlovich doesn’t have a smart shot.” Is Volkov the favorite in the battle between the best Russians?
June 22nd. Rinat Fakhretdinov – Nicholas Dalby
Russian Rinat Fakhretdinov’s fight is also attracting more and more attention. Gladiator burst into the UFC with three straight wins and looked great. And in the last fight he took a risk, which led to a draw. But the fighter is definitely ready to show everyone that he can get back on the winning wave. The new opponent will be the experienced Nicholas Dalby. Unexpectedly, the Dane achieved a streak of four consecutive victories. Three times his fights ended in decisions, and in the last fight Dalby knocked down Gabriel Bonfim early. Now the Gladiator faces a very serious test of strength.
Rinat Fakhretdinov
Photo: Pedro Vilela/Getty Images
June 22nd. Sharabutdin Magomedov – Joylton Lutterbach
The highlight of the tournament should be a fight in which Sharabutdin Magomedov will be the first Russian to enter the cage. Shara Bullet will fight Joylton Lutterbach. Our compatriot broke into the UFC very brilliantly and remains undefeated. And Joylton Lutterbach, with a professional record of 38-9, has plenty of experience. That is why the fight could become a test for Shara. But Bullet received quite a bit of criticism after his first UFC fight. And now he intends to clear up all doubts about the fairness of his inclusion in the best promotion on the planet.
