Paul Abraham
IMMAF will as soon as once more be represented contained in the Octagon this weekend. At UFC Abu Dhabi: Ankalaev vs. Guskov, Abdul Hussein and Magomed Tuchalov will each make their UFC debuts. The two fighters have very completely different careers, however they share one factor: each received gold on the newbie circuit earlier than turning skilled.
Abdul Hussein was one in all IMMAF’s prime bantamweights through the mid-2010s. Representing Finland, he received the European Championships in 2015 after 4 victories. In the ultimate, he defeated Marco Zannetti to say the gold medal.
One yr later, Hussein did even higher. At the 2016 World Championships, he as soon as once more received 4 fights and turned world champion. He defeated Alexander Pereira, Lath Stevens, Hughie O’Rourke earlier than beating David Evans in the ultimate.
Those two titles made him one of many prime newbie bantamweights of his technology. But in contrast to many prospects, Hussein didn’t attain the UFC shortly. He spent a number of years combating in completely different organizations and constructing his document.
The Finnish fighter now enters the UFC with a 15-2 document. One of his defeats got here towards fellow alumni Muhammad Mokaev in 2021. Since then, Hussein has put collectively a protracted profitable streak and has completed a number of opponents. For his UFC debut, he’ll face Cody Gibson. The American has greater than 30 skilled fights and has already spent a few years in the UFC. It is a troublesome first matchup, however Hussein has extra expertise than most debutants.
Magomed Tuchalov arrives with a special profile. The Russian received the 2019 IMMAF Junior World Championships in the 185-pound division. He defeated Mehdi Taki, Lukas Kaplan and Matej Hrkal to say the gold medal. Since turning skilled, Tuchalov has not misplaced a battle. He enters the UFC with a 6-0 document and has completed 5 of his six opponents. His type is aggressive, and most of his fights don’t attain the ultimate bell. Tuchalov has received by submission, elbows, floor and pound and even a flying knee. In his most up-to-date battle, he stopped former UFC fighter Caio Machado in the primary spherical. That win confirmed he was prepared for an even bigger alternative.
He will now face Brendson Ribeiro in his UFC debut. The Brazilian has already fought a number of instances in the organisation and is thought for his energy. Tuchalov should watch out, however a win would instantly make him an fascinating title in the middleweight division.
Hussein and Tuchalov didn’t take the identical highway to the UFC. Hussein spent years gaining expertise earlier than lastly incomes his probability, whereas Tuchalov reached the organisation after solely six skilled fights. Still, each first made their names in the IMMAF. This weekend, they may attempt to present that their newbie success can even translate to the UFC.
