Magomed Gadzhiyasulov, a former amateur champion with an undefeated professional record, faces a confident Brendson Ribeiro in UFC Saudi Arabia, who believes his greater experience and well-rounded skills will secure him the victory.
Magomed Gadzhiyasulov had a good run as an amateur MMA fighter, winning two IMMAF championships in 2019. But his UFC Saudi Arabia opponent, Brendson Ribeiro, is unfazed by his professional achievements so far.
Since turning pro, Gadzhiyasulov has won eight straight fights. He scored knockouts in half of those matches and earned a decision over Jose Medina in his most recent bout on Dana White’s Contender Series to secure a UFC deal.
However, the combined record of his first seven opponents is 3-8. This is a stark contrast to the combined record (22-6) of his past two opponents, Medina and Mohamed Said Maalem.
“My team and I studied him,” Ribeiro said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “We saw his fights and everything, and we saw the mistakes he makes.” He added, “If we’re talking about experience, he has experience as an amateur and whatnot.”
Ribeiro made his professional MMA debut at age 15. “I have almost 20 fights on my Sherdog,” he noted, “not to mention the ones not listed there.” He’s very excited for this opportunity and believes he’s more well-rounded than Gadzhiyasulov.
Ribeiro also joined the UFC through the Contender Series. He admits he had no idea who Gadzhiyasulov was when first offered the bout but noted, “I don’t choose opponents.”
“I’ll fight whoever they send,” Ribeiro said. “I’m here for this. This is my work.” He’s confident he’ll do a great job Saturday night and bring home the win to represent his team well.
Ribeiro trains under veteran striking coach Andre Dida at Brazilian TKO team. He feels ready to stop Gadzhiyasulov on the feet but warns the Russian competitor that he has more secrets up his sleeve.
“He comes from a Muay Thai background,” Ribeiro said. “He’s a world champion and undefeated in MMA with some amateur bouts.” Yet Ribeiro doesn’t see him as a complete fighter.
“I see he prefers to fight on the feet, and so do I,” Ribeiro continued, “but I have jiu-jitsu as well.” He pointed out that Gadzhiyasulov couldn’t beat that guy on the Contender Series easily.
“He couldn’t knock him out in the first round,” Ribeiro explained. “So he came back with a completely different game in the second and third rounds, laying and praying.” Ribeiro is confident Gadzhiyasulov won’t be able to do that to him.
“If he tries to take me down, I can submit him too,” Ribeiro asserted. “And I can knock him out on the feet.”
“When you talk about MMA and mixing things up,” Ribeiro said confidently, “I’m one step ahead of my opponents.” This is MMA, not pure striking or pure jiu-jitsu.
“MMA is a double-edged sword,” he mused. “You can either finish or get finished.” By doing MMA there, putting his hand on Gadzhiyasulov’s face and taking him down for ground-and-pound…
“I’ve never seen him with his back on the ground,” Ribeiro concluded. “He only stalls when he’s on the ground, and I’ll put him in danger at all times there.”