Ali Bagautinov: MMA Prospects Report 2013

Flyweight Division

#8 Prospect: Ali Bagautinov

a-bagautinov

*Ali Bagautinov has been signed by the UFC

Profile:

Not much is known about Ali Bagautinov’s background besides him hailing from Moscow, Russia. Bagautinov is a Combat sambo world champion, which you can see some highlights of in one of the embedded videos below. Watching some of that footage, shows off Bagautinov’s explosive striking, power, and submissions.

Bagautinov made his MMA debut in 2009. After struggling to a 2-2 record, Bagautinov has run off 8 straight wins. During the winning streak, he was able to avenge one of his previous losses and win the Fight Night Flyweight Championship. Bagautinov has started to step up his competition level as the Fight Nights promotion has sought out some of Europe’s other top flyweight prospects, which Bagautinov has easily defeated. He got the biggest test of his career when he squared off with 30-fight Japanese veteran Seiji Ozuka. Bagautinov won the fight via TKO in just 0:25 seconds.

Camp/ Country:

Bagautinov’s camp, Fight Nights Team, is home to Bellator’s recent signings Vitaly Minakov and Murad Machaev. The promotion, Fight Nights Team, must sponsor the camp in which Bagautinov is the champion of, similar to how KSW runs their ship in Poland. The UFC has not put much effort into tackling the Easter European market, but they are starting to make some recent strides.

Career Forecast

Bagautinov could be a force in the UFC flyweight division. He is a Sambo Champion and is very well-rounded. Bellator has struck gold with some of Eastern European prospects they have unearthed. Since Bellator does not have a Flyweight Division, Bagautinov’s big break will have to come from the UFC.

The UFC strangely signed a lesser known Eastern European flyweight in Azamat Gashimov, but that was likely due to his close ties with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Rustam Khabilov. If the UFC is truly looking to make a splash in the Russian market, Bagautinov should be at the top of their list for the Flyweight Division. He is still rough around the edges, but he shows flashes of the aggressive fighting style that could bring some excitement to the division.

Statistics

abagautinovstats abagauintochart

Videos

Video 1: Bagautinov vs. Vitaliy Panteleev (2011)

Video 2: Bagautinov Sambo Highlights

Other Links

Twitter: None
Sherdog Profile: http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Ali-Bagautinov-81198

The 2013 MMA Prospects Report

My 2013 Prospects Report started on June 1, 2013. All statistics, news, and info are reflected up to that date.
*Introduction/FAQ
Fighters marked with a "+" after their name have since signed with a major promotion.
FlyweightBantamweightFeatherweightLightweight
1. Darrell Montague +
2. Sergio Pettis +
3. Josh Sampo +
4. Sean Santella
5. Danny Martinez +
6. Mamoru Yamaguchi
7. Dileno Lopes
8. Ali Bagautinov +
9. Rafael de Freitas +
10. Jose Maria +


* Honorable Mentions
1. Henry Cejudo
2. Bibiano Fernandes +
3. Aljamain Sterling +
4. Marlon Moraes +
5. Sheymon Moraes
6. Josh Hill +
7. Chris Holdsworth +
8. Brandon Bender +
9. Kyoji Horiguchi +
10. Sirwan Kakai +


* Honorable Mentions
1. Lance Palmer +
2. Doo Ho Choi +
3. Chas Skelly+
4. Rick Glenn +
5. Jim Alers+
6. Ande Fili +
7. Gleristone Santos
8. Tom Niinimaki +
9. Goiti Yamauchi +
10.Chris Gruetzemacher +


* Honorable Mentions
1. Bubba Jenkins +
2. Justin Gaethje +
3. Gilbert Burns
4. Tony Martin +
5. Katsunori Kikuno +
6. Joe Ellenberger +
7. Carlos Ferreira+
8. Ivan Jorge +
9. Yui Chul Nam +
10. Nick Newell +


* Honorable Mentions
WelterweightMiddleweightLight HeavyweightHeavyweight
1. Alex Garcia +
2. Dhiego Lima +
3. Yan Cabral +
4. Cathal Pendred +
5. Rashid Magomedov +
6. Assan Njie
7. Myung Ho Bae
8. Mike Rhodes +
9. Hernani Perpetuo +
10. Chidi Njokuani


* Honorable Mentions
1. Mamed Khalidov
2. Elvis Mutapcic +
3. Michal Materla
4. Ramazan Emeev
5. Joseph Henle
6. Ricardo Abreu+
7. Bubba Bush
8. Jeremy Kimball +
9. Tim Williams +
10. Sean Strickland+


* Honorable Mentions
1. Robert Drysdale +
2. Tyrone Spong +
3. Patrick Cummins+
4. Jan Blachowicz+
5. Steve Bosse+
6. Kyle Cerminara
7. Viktor Nemkov
8. Max Nunes
9. Francimar Barroso +
10. Jake Butler


* Honorable Mentions
1. Steve Mocco +
2. Jared Rosholt +
3. Tony Johnson +
4. Guram Gugenishvili
5. Magomed Malikov
6. Satoshi Ishii
7. Derrick Lewis +
8. Chris Birchler
9. Walt Harris +
10. Ante Delija


* Honorable Mentions
Categories
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