Preview: UFC Baku ‘Hill vs. Rountree’

Lightweights
Nazim Sadykhov (10-1-1, 3-0-1 UFC) vs. Nikolas Motta (15-5, 3-2 UFC)
UFC Baku Betting Odds: Sadykhov (-470), Motta (+360)

Azerbaijan’s Sadykhov was an obvious addition to this card, and it’ll be interesting to see if “Black Wolf” can keep his momentum going. Sadykhov’s undefeated UFC run has been partially due to skill and partially due to luck, as he’s an obvious talent that’s had to thread a few needles to avoid a loss. Sadykhov’s approach is built around constant aggression, leaning on his durability as he cycles through ideas, even though it seems he’d be at his best leaning more on his wrestling and grappling skills. Sadykhov usually winds up taking over fights by the end of things, whether it’s through landing on something that consistently works or just tiring out his opponents, but his willingness to eat offense has led to him skating by in three of his four UFC fights. He needed a massive round to earn a draw against Viacheslav Borshchev, and wins over Evan Elder and Ismael Bonfim weren’t entirely going Sadykhov’s way up until the point he was able to earn a doctor stoppage victory. While Motta has some clear issues, the Brazilian could be a surprisingly stiff test for Sadykhov in his homecoming.



Motta had a brief showing on Season 4 of “The Ultimate Fighter Brazil” back in 2015, after which he seemed to eternally be on the verge of a UFC call-up. Motta’s power striking game could earn him some brutal knockouts, but his lack of defensive awareness also meant he had a knack for getting countered and finished himself at the most inopportune times career-wise. But Motta eventually strung together enough success to get a shot on the Contender Series and earn a contract in 2020, at which point he went right back to fighting in kill-or-be-killed affairs. Motta does seem to have gotten a bit more patient in recent years, even if he still can hunt for the finish at points, and that patience should serve him well here. But given the chin that Sadykhov has shown to date along with the fact that he has his wrestling in his back pocket, this looks like another matchup that the Azerbaijani fighter can grind through. The pick is Sadykhov via third-round submission.

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Hill vs. Rountree
Bahamondes vs. Fiziev
Blaydes vs. Kuniev
Orolbai vs. Musayev
Sadykhov vs. Motta
Naimov vs. Grad
The Prelims