A high quality match up between UFC debutant Siyar Bahadurzada and welterweight top dog Paulo Thiago. Both fighters are willing to go toe-to-toe so it is reasonable to predict that this fight will deliver fireworks for the crowd at the Globen arena.
Betting odds by NordicBet.com:
Siyar Bahadurzada 2.75 (+175)
Paulo Thiago 1.4 (-250)
Siyar “the Great” Bahadurzada (20-4), Netherlands
Basic info: Bahadurzada was born and lived his childhood in the violent Afghanistan from where he moved as a teenager to Netherlands. As a kid Bahadurzada’s hot temper lead him to many scraps on the streets. Neighbourhood kids were probably happy when he decided to focus his energy to combat sports and begun to train at the famed Golden Glory gym under legendary coach Martijn de Jong. After training at Golden Glory for more than a decade, Bahadurzada announced in February of 2012 that he had resigned his management contract with Golden Glory due to “trust issues”. 27 year old Bahadurzada is a normal sized welterweight at 180 cm. He was also known as The Afghan Killer but that nickname has now been replaced with the more politically correct The Great that is a better fit for the North American market.
Career: For a UFC newcomer Bahadurzada is a true veteran of the sport: he has been fighting professionally since 2002. He fought the first five years exclusively in the Netherlands with most of the fights taking place under the Shooto promotion. Shooto was also the connection that lead him to fighting in Japan for the promotion’s light heavyweight belt. Bahadurzada won the championship by decision over Japanese Shiko Yamashita. Since then he has gone 10-2 with notable wins over John Alessio, Cyborg Santos, Leandro Silva and Carlos Alexandre Pereira. Both of the losses have come via submission: guillotine choke by Misaki and heel hook by Santiago. Due to his contract disputes with Golden Glory and injuries Bahadurzada hasn’t fought since May of 2011 when he TKO’ed Belgian Tommy Depret in the United Glory tournament final.
Strengths and Weaknesses: the former middleweight is a refreshingly violent fighter in the modern MMA scene. He likes to come out guns blazing and is always looking for the knock out. Bahadurzada packs mean power in his looping punches and especially his overhand right has put a lot of folks to sleep. For a product of the Dutch Muay Thai culture he kicks quite rarely. Usually he just goes berserk and overwhelms his opponents with a barrage of heavy punches. Bahadurzada’s grappling has come a long way since his early fights and while his recent training in the US has probably improved his skills in this area even more, submission defence is still his weakest point. Bahadurzada’s predictable and often over-aggressive striking style also opens up opportunities for his opponents to counter.
Keys to Victory: Put the pressure on Thiago right away by moving forward and throwing leather. Look for an opening for a counter left hook when Thiago loads up on his favourite right uppercut. In the clinch keep your neck safe because Thiago is always looking to sink in a choke.
Siyar “the Great” Bahadurzada Highlight
Paulo Thiago (14-3), Brazil
Basic info: Paulo Thiago is a 31 year old fighter who still works as a police in his home country of Brazil. Thiago serves in the police’s special force team BOPE that gained fame in the Brazilian hit movie Troppa Elite. He holds black belts in both Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo. Thiago is a midsized welterweight at 180 cm with his reach being 189 cm.
Career: Fighting since 2005 Thiago fought his pre-UFC career in the well-known Brazilian promotions like Storm Samurai and Jungle Fight. Before he got signed by the UFC he won eleven fights in a row and scored notable wins over Brazilian Luis Dutra and Frenchman Ferrid Kheder. In his UFC debut Thiago rocked the world when he knocked out welterweight title challenger Josh Koscheck in the first round. Jon Fitch immediately avenged for his teammate Koscheck and outgrappled Thiago to a decision. In his latest bout Thiago completely outclassed David Mitchell at UFC 134.
Strengths and Weaknesses: Thiago is a well-rounded welterweight with many good qualities and very few weaknesses. On the feet he has knock out power in his both hands and as seen on the Mitchell fights also his kicks are coming along too. Thanks to his background in Judo he has slick takedowns from the clinch. Once on the ground his opponents better be careful where they stick their heads as the Team Constrictor fighter is always hunting for a choke. Thiago has a granite chin and he doesn’t mind eating a punch in order to land his own.
Keys to Victory: Feel out in the beginning and stay light on the feet. Use sideways movement when Bahadurzada bullrushes forward. Try to duck under the opponent’s looping punches, secure clinch and trip him to the floor. On the ground Bahadurzada will try to create scrambles to get back on the feet so focus on getting dominant position before going for submissions.
Paulo Thiago Highlight
