Lightweights
Nurullo
Aliev (9-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Joe Solecki
(13-5, 5-3 UFC)
ODDS: Aliev (-425), Solecki (+330)
Tajikistan has suddenly become a going concern in mixed martial
arts over the last few years, and Aliev is one of the more
interesting prospects to come out of the country. Aliev’s approach
is fairly simple, as he has been a pure grinder for most of his
career. Yet there are some reasons to believe he could wind up as a
potential contender. He’s still quite young at 24 years old, and
his Contender Series win in 2022 saw him open things up and score
an impressive ground-and-pound finish. While his UFC debut against
Rafael
Alves wasn’t the most exciting bout, he did well to control a
particularly strong athlete in the toughest test of his career.
That win over Alves marked Aliev as one of the UFC’s better
under-the-radar prospects, but he sadly hasn’t been able to
capitalize on that momentum, with injuries forcing him out of
action for almost two years. Aliev gets a chance to re-announce
himself against Solecki, who provides a stout test despite stepping
in on about a week’s notice. Solecki should be a willing dance
partner on the mat. Since his UFC debut in 2019, Solecki’s clear
best skills have been as a wrestler and a grappler. While Solecki
has rarely been an easy out, he has struggled against opponents who
can match him on the mat, particularly if they can take the
initiative. Solecki has had his fair share of close fights where he
has been able to lock down opponents while on top, but he also
winds up fruitlessly hunting for submissions if opponents can get
him on his back. It’s an open question how Aliev looks after such a
long layoff, but if he’s in good shape and doesn’t seem
particularly rusty, he should be able to grind out at least two out
of three rounds. The pick is Aliev via decision.
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Aliev vs. Solecki
