Umar Nurmagomedov vs Bekzat Almakhan Prediction: Waiting for Long Bout and Tactical Tricks

On the night of March 3rd, the UFC Vegas 87 tournament will take place in the United States. In one of the main card bouts, undefeated Russian fighter Umar Nurmagomedov will share the octagon with Kazakh debutant Bekzat Almakhan. The bout will occur in the lightweight division.

Umar Nurmagomedov is arguably the strongest Russian fighter in the lightweight division, and it is far from certain that he will be the underdog against someone of the Petr Yan caliber, for example. As an amateur, he won the World Combat Sambo Championship. As a professional, he got the defunct Gorilla Fighting Championship title. Umar, rumored to be on Khabib's patronage, joined the UFC in 2021 and has lived up to expectations - now he has four fights in the world's strongest division, four wins, three early. He's been ready to fight the best for a long time, but there's a problem - the best don't want to fight him. It looks like Nurmagomedov will have to wait a while for an opportunity and a lucky break until one of them agrees. It's understandable why they're refusing - the likelihood of any fighter in the division losing a fight is high. Still, for now, Umar Nurmagomedov, one of the strongest fighters in the lightweight division, will share the cage with a debutant. 

Bekzat Almakhan is a tough puncher from Kazakhstan who has won all but two fights by knockout. His last fight was last November at Octagon 52 and he finished former Jungle Fight champion Ian Ferraz (15-5 record at the time) with a solid knockout.

It's unlikely that Nurmagomedov will be tasked with finishing his opponent at all costs. He also has long pauses - he needs to breathe and work and won't force things from the start. Umar is not known as a finisher, and his opponent is serious. Bekzat's defense and control are excellent. There is an opinion that Nurmagomedov will work tactically to earn points, with breaks from his own pressure, and will win confidently, but hardly ahead of schedule.