Bloody Elbow

Name:	Magomed Abdurahimov
Nickname:	--
Age:	28
Height:	6'2"
Location:	Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia

On December 24th in the Dagestani city of Makhachkala, a small, prestigious one-night mixed martial arts tournament took place at the Ali Aliev Sports Complex. No, this isn’t the cheap version of Warrior. Presumably, the event was a showcase of Makhachkala’s hometown hero and 2011 World MMA Scouting Report prospect Shamil Abdurahimov, who hadn’t fought for nine months since winning the Abu Dhabi Fighting Championships’ tournament crown, but it ended up being a coming-out party for his younger brother, Magomed Abdurahimov (2-0).

The 28-year-old Sanda specialist defeated Pro FC veteran Yuri Gorbenko in the semifinals of the four-man tournament, peppering the thirteen-fight veteran with strikes on the feet and cruising to a clear cut decision victory. The win wasn’t an eye opener by any stretch of the imagination, but it did give fans a sense of what Magomed brings to the table. Notably, he offers a style that is the converse of his brother’s focused ground attack.

Magomed’s Sanda roots were on full display, snapping off an extremely quick jab and a relentless mix of kicks to the legs and body. Gorbenko didn’t stand a chance, but his opponent in the finals, #3-ranked 2012 World MMA Heavyweight Scouting Report prospect Alexei Kudin, would provide a stiffer challenge. Shockingly, Magomed blasted Kudin with a couple of crisp combinations, nearly flooring Kudin with a three-punch combo that bloodied him in the first round. Kudin managed to make it a close contest on the scorecards, a split decision, but from my own perspective of the fight -- Abdurahimov clearly won two of the three rounds to win the tournament.

Magomed still needs to work on his defense, specifically on the feet. As his bout with Kudin dragged on, his hands got lazy, leaving his chin open for Kudin’s counters. His most glaring weakness could be his grappling chops, but we didn't get a sense of where he stands during his tournament run. His own brother Shamil could help him immensely in that department. With better wrestling and continued improvement of his takedown defense, there is no question that Magomed could continue his ascension and become the best prospect in Europe by the end of 2012.

All footage of Magomed Abdurahimov can be found at GFL.tv