ACA Divisional Roundup: Lightweight
Photo courtesy of Absolute Championship Akhmat
In general, the perceived strength of the field outside the UFC has rested on how much UFC talent has migrated there; Bellator has only gained prominence with their inclusion of fighters like Gegard Mousasi and Rory MacDonald (and they have generally accepted any former UFC talent, no matter how old or irrelevant), and promotions like ONE Championship and RIZIN have also gained repute with their additions of well-known talent such as Eddie Alvarez, Demetrious Johnson, and Kyoji Horiguchi.
The MMA community’s orientation toward the UFC explains why Absolute Championship Berkut (ACB) went under the radar for so many years; despite creating talents such as Petr Yan and Zabit Magomedsharipov, the talent pool in Russia’s strongest promotion is massively undervalued to this day.
In late November of 2018, the promotion went from unknown to something of a public enemy in the MMA sphere due to its merger with World Fighting Championship Akhmat; ACB’s transformation into ACA justifiably drew the ire of the media due to their new affiliation with the dictator of Chechnya, Ramazan Kadyrov (who can lightly be described as not being particularly appreciative of the concept of human rights).
Regardless of the newfound and odious politics of the situation, the Russian pool has long been a staple of strong fighting talent, and ACA has remained no exception; the Dagestani fighter-market has been introduced to the UFC largely through lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, but the entire country’s strongest talent is featured prominently by the Grozny-based promotion.
While the platform is far from optimal, the fighters deserve the attention of the MMA world, and nowhere is this truer than 155. Widely acknowledged as the best division in MMA, ACA’s talent more than pulls the weight. If we take non-UFC fighters into account in rankings, ACA has at the very least two of the world’s top five Lightweights in Ali Bagov and Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov. If we permit ourselves to judge more on performance than record, Eduard Vartanyan’s performance in a clear robbery loss to Abdulvakhabov, as well as his elite wins over Alexandr Shabliy and “Frodo” Khasbulaev make it difficult to deny him a spot as well.
Along with their three foremost fighters who are clearly operating at a championship level, ACA’s Lightweight division has talent in the lower rungs. Khusein Khaliev and Yusuf Raisov are both excellent fighters who would be more than competitive with top 10 fighters in the UFC and stand a good chance of breaking into that next level. Alexander Sarnavskiy provides the kind of solid if unspectacular veteran talent necessary to test up-and-comers without exposing them to too much danger too early, and Denis Kanakov is the division’s premiere prospect, poised to step up and face a test like Sarnavskiy soon.
The fights between the top lightweights of ACA are not lacking in quality one bit compared to the elite-level fights of the UFC (and far exceed the talent of a promotion like Bellator). A look through their rankings supports this position nicely.
Lightweight champion Ali Bagov has recently announced a move to Welterweight which is unsurprising given his struggles with making 155. However, we’re treating him as a Lightweight in this article as the title is still vacant, he hasn’t yet made his debut at Welterweight, and coverage of Bagov is necessary to understand the division’s history and talent.
Note: The top fighters in ACA’s Lightweight division will be the subject of more in-depth articles over the course of this month.
Champion - Ali Bagov *
LINK: FULL ARTICLE
With respect to UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, Ali Bagov has a definite argument to being the most smothering grappler at 155 pounds; he has a loss to “The Eagle” very early in his career, but in the last five years (through his ACA/B tenure), Bagov has only lost to one man. That man is current #1 contender Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov, who was able to outlast Bagov through their first two bouts, but Bagov got (to date) the last laugh; in their third bout in late 2018, “Hulk” got his vengeance in a barnburner of a majority decision, and very few other fighters have even challenged him in the time surrounding that trilogy.
They aren’t wins that have gotten much acclaim from the wider MMA audience, but there’s no question that Bagov is among the very best that 155 has to offer.
Bagov is one of the best grapplers in MMA, with a top game that resembles UFC Lightweight Champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov. His wrestling is elite everwhere, whether he’s hitting reactive takedowns in the open or chaining clinch takedowns on the cage. While his striking is far less developed, his grappling alone is enough to strike fear into the hearts of even the most well-prepared opponent.
*Bagov has since vacated his 155-pound title, heading up to welterweight for the first time later this month.
#1 - Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov
LINK: FULL ARTICLE
An all-rounder like few else at 155 across the globe, Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov has enjoyed a great deal of success in a shark tank like none other; with the exception of two true top lightweights in Ali Bagov and Eduard Vartanyan, “The Lion” (or, if you prefer, “Triple A”) has dominated everyone else in front of him. Even against his fellow cream-of-the-crop, Abdulvakhabov has amassed a stellar record; in five total fights against those two, Abdul-Aziz is officially 4-1 with 3 knockouts, and even if the contentious decision in the Vartanyan rematch had swung the other way, it only brings him to an even record with “Lionheart” where he holds the finish. Back on a two-win streak after the close loss to Bagov, Abdulvakhabov is still one of the scariest lightweights in MMA.
One of the best all-rounders at 155, Abdulvakhabov is primarily a striker if he can help it; he possesses extremely stout takedown defense and a genuinely vicious clinch game, to the point where even the aforementioned Ali Bagov went through hell trying to take him down without the cleanest of entries. Of course, as with virtually every elite ACA lightweight, even Abdulvakhabov’s backup skills are as good as anyone’s; if he ends up on top, AAA is a menace. Brian Foster found this after pulling a guillotine and ending up in an arm-triangle literal seconds after Abdulvakhabov escaped, but (shockingly enough) so did Bagov himself; in their second fight, Abdulvakhabov reversed Bagov and ended up on top, and his battering through the second half of round 1 left Bagov unable to get off his stool.
On the feet, Abdulvakhabov is similarly hard (if not even harder) to get around; an imposing athlete and a tank of a pressurer, Abdulvakhabov is one of the better counterpunchers at 155 as a whole. The first Vartanyan fight showcased this nicely; Vartanyan’s formidable skillset is lower down the page, and it should suffice to say that absolutely bombing him every time he jabs is something that very few fighters can manage. For all his power, Abdulvakhabov is a terrific combination-puncher, and this is not just on the counter but on the lead; he has perhaps the best body-head combinations in the sport as his opponent is backed to the fence (as Ali Bagov learned), and he’s defensively aware enough not to be punished consistently in exchanges.
The Vartanyan rematch and the third Bagov fight both saw some more vulnerability in AAA, but not a whole lot; either way, anyone not elite has gotten precisely nowhere against “Lion”, and even the elite have found limited success.
#2 - Yusuf Raisov
Ed Gallo: The young “Chechen Wolf”, or “Borz”, is likely one of ACA’s most exciting fighters on paper for the casual observer. Since going pro in 2014, Raisov is 15-1, having avenged his one loss to former featherweight champion Marat Balaev - an ageless wonder. Since winning the title at 145 in that very rematch, Raisov is 3-0 at lightweight, putting him in position to hopefully challenge the likes of Eduard Vartanyan or Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov in the near future.
In terms of style and skill, Raisov is as mean as he is talented in all facets of mixed martial arts. A stalking pressure boxer, Raisov works behind a consistent jab to bait reactions. His counter combinations are absolutely ruthless, Raisov always makes sure to dig to the body while attacking both sides of his opponent. Against his best opposition, we’ve mostly seen Raisov’s wrestling and grappling come through defensively, but in both phases he’s constantly attacking with hooks around the guard and frame-off elbows, giving him opportunities to pass and smash further as his opponents move to avoid further punishment. An opportunistic submission artist, Raisov’s opponents have to choose whether they want to absorb damage or risk setting up a choke for Borz.
It’s wild to think that a former featherweight is one of 155’s most physical operators, but Raisov appears to be up to the challenge of tangling with ACA’s lightweight kings in all phases.
#3 - Khusein Khaliev
LINK: FULL ARTICLE
Ryan Wagner: Khaliev entered his first (and as of yet only) ACA fight as the incumbent WFCA Lightweight champ, but it was Ali Bagov who successfully unified the belts with a fourth-round kimura victory. Khaliev is an exceptionally skilled all-rounder. He is a sound striker on the feet, working with an adept arsenal of kicks and quick blitzes, but he lacks nothing in comfort on the ground. His clinch game is solid from the perspective of both striking and grappling - as likely to fold you with a flurry of knees as he is to toss you on your back. His ground game is incredibly sound, with both a skilled passing/riding game and an intelligent, careful bottom game to counter wrestling specialists. Khaliev can do everything to a high standard.
#4 - Alexander Sarnavskiy
Ed Gallo: At 19-0 and in his early 20s, Alexander “Tiger” Sarnavskiy was being touted as the next big thing at lightweight by his handlers at Bellator in the Bjorn Rebney era. Then, in his debut, he lost to Rich Clementi, of all people. His striking was a bit wild and he appeared unprepared to deal with a fighter focused on outlasting and out positioning him on the ground.
He’d go on to win five out of seven Bellator fights, his losses being to the red-hot Will Brooks (at the time), and submission ace Marcin Held, but the hype was largely gone.
Seven years removed from his Bellator stint, at 31 years old, Sarnavskiy is a fighter worthy of your attention in this ACA lightweight division.
Early in his career, Sarnavskiy’s appeal was due to his athletic striking offense (the turning side kick has always been a specialty) and active submission attack on the ground, but his game lacked depth. It still does, but age has brought about a patience and shift toward a slower pace and counter-striking, which suits him. On the lead, he’s largely focused on long punching and setting up single kicks, but the speed and placement is often something to behold. Sarnavskiy can jab in, retreat at the sight of the counter and lean back on his round kicks, targeting all three levels.
Defensively, he’s tough to get through on the first layer, but in extended exchanges he can fall apart a bit, in terms of both striking and grappling. This shows more immediately when Sarnavskiy fails to exit the pocket quickly after his entries.
Sarnavskiy is best operating in bursts between a generally slow pace, he’s deeply uncomfortable when pressed. However, considering how dangerous his offense can be at any range, it takes a crafty fighter like Eduard Vartanyan to force those types of sequences and make the fight ugly.
“Tiger” certainly can wrestle, but typically does not look to enforce that game against other strong wrestlers, mostly using his takedown attempts as a tool to create advantages over strikers who may trouble him.
Overall, Sarnavskiy is a fighter who can make a fight dangerous in all phases, but he’s not put-together the way the top athletes in the division are.
#5 - Denis Kanakov
Ryan Wagner: Kanakov is ACA’s answer to Paul Felder. A physically imposing distance striker with a strong positional and damage-dealing clinch game, Kanakov is a nightmare for grapplers who struggle to take him down and end up drowning in his clinch. Relatively new to MMA, Kanakov has only been competing since 2015 and likely has a lot of room to grow.
Kanakov has two separate areas of strength that combine fairly well. He’s a deft striker on the outside, and a grinder in the clinch. At distance, he controls fights with a sharp jab and shrewd feints, using his strong kicking game to score. Kanakov has a dexterous lead leg (which is rarely seen in MMA). He throws step-up and skip-up round kicks to the leg and body, slotting in sharp body and head kicks after punching combinations. He uses a powerful rear leg kick to pick away at opponent and knock them out of stance. His jab is layered and consistent, set up with feints and often played off a left hook. He will dip off his jab in order to make opponents miss, draw out counters, and set up clinch entries.
The pocket is a notable weak spot for Kanakov, as his composure breaks down and he tends to resort to flurrying. His game is designed to mitigate that disadvantage, however. When he can use his jab to convince opponents to shell up, he will tee off with body-head combinations. If opponents are aggressive, he uses punching exchanges to enter the clinch. Kanakov has a smart eye for clinch entries - a rare skill in such a young fighter. He will enter the clinch proactively through his dipping jab, or reactively after slipping an opponent’s punch or landing a short counter to disrupt their rhythm. His focus on proactively entering the clinch allows him to smother his opponent’s work, flowing seamlessly from strength to strength - outside to clinch - without first getting hit in the pocket.
Although he does his best work at range, Kanakov’s clinch is a strong point as well. He has excellent positional awareness, finding and maintaining underhooks consistently, and is diligent about using his head to post under his opponent’s forehead, giving him greater leverage and distance to strike. When he has his opponent on the cage, he prefers to hold a left underhook and use his right arm for alternately striking and framing. In the open, his clinch is more versatile, transitioning between collar ties and underhooks while striking in transition.
Kanakov will prove to be a handful for all but elite grapplers. His first stage takedown defense is excellent - shots are immediately interrupted with an underhook or whizzer, and Kanakov uses his ties to pull opponents up into his clinch. He is somewhat more vulnerable against the cage. Kanakov fights grips well when opponents are in on his hips along the cage, but he has a puzzling habit of abandoning his whizzer and crossing his arm over for an ill-advised switch. When he is taken down, he tends to recover immediately. He has great balance and is excellent at building a base and standing up, aided by his impressive physicality.
Kanakov is a decent offensive wrestler himself. He has an array of trips in the clinch which flow nicely from his entries. He’s capable of hitting double legs on the cage as well, although they benefit much more from strength than craft. He possesses little in the way of chain wrestling, however, and opponents who can match his physicality shouldn’t need to worry too much about the takedown. When he gets opponents down, he quickly goes to work with consistent, punishing ground strikes.
As one of ACA’s most interesting prospects, look for Kanakov to continue climbing the Lightweight ladder as he develops.
#6 - Amirkhan Adaev
Ed Gallo: Adaev’s impressive win-streak over familiar names like Efrain Escudero and Brian Foster may inspire some confidence, and while I certainly rate him, I don’t like his chances against the top of this division.
He’s an incredibly disciplined striker, working hard to maintain mid-range where he can stay behind his jab and draw out responses for tight, controlled counters. He’s best when he is allowed to maintain that range, his preferred fight is picking his man apart over three rounds.
While Adaev is competent in all phases, his defensive wrestling is an area of concern (he was taken down off the cage by Brian Foster - a definite striker) but his bottom game is typically strong enough to create space or sweep. Grappling generally is not his strength, he does not hold solid position and can be disrupted by enthusiastic maneuvers, it’s where his average physical strength and athleticism come back to bite him.
Adaev is a neat fighter to have on the roster, and I think he’d do just fine in the UFC, but I don’t see him climbing these rankings without the right matchup.
#7- Aurel Pirtea
Ed Gallo: Pirtea isn’t an awful fighter, but his game is not even remotely put together. He’s stiff on his feet, sometimes building head movement into his strikes, but mostly winging aimlessly. This could be forgiven if Pirtea’s game as a wrestler and grappler were sufficiently threatening and effective, making him a bit of poor man’s Bagov, but even those skills are not on the level they need to be to succeed in this organization.
Against Alexander Sarnavskiy, a bit of a gatekeeper for the top ACA lightweights, the flaws in his game were apparent. Shooting from the outside, supreme discomfort defensively, and irresponsible pressure led to a brutal knockout loss in the third round.
#8 - Hacran Dias
Ryan Wagner: Dias is in many ways a poor-man’s Jose Aldo with a heavier focus on grappling. His striking emulates Aldo’s - heavy leg kicks and 1-2 combinations, as well as a defensive temperament, although his defensive skill isn’t great. His takedown defense is nearly impenetrable, frustrating capable wrestlers such as Ricardo Lamas and Darren Elkins in his prime. Dias is a grinding clinch wrestler with solid body-lock takedowns and a strong double leg on the cage. On top, he possesses smothering top control and a capable submission game. At this point Dias is past his prime and not skilled enough in any area to compete with the best ACA has to offer, but he will provide a good test for prospects who are looking to break into the division’s upper ranks.
#9 - Eduard Vartanyan
LINK: FULL ARTICLE
Ryan Wagner: Don’t let Vartanyan’s #9 ranking fool you. Not only is he easily one of the 3 best fighters in ACA’s Lightweight division, he’s arguably one of the best fighters in the world. It’s difficult to even ascertain Vartanyan’s background, as he does everything with an incredible degree of comfort and fluidity. His footwork is impeccable, whether he’s shifting around the outside to lead his opponent into punches, hitting side-stepping counters in the pocket, or picking with his jab and pivoting out of harm’s way. He has versatile striking as an orthodox boxer, but is also capable of playing a nuanced double-attack game from southpaw.
He can grapple just as well as he strikes. Vartanyan has some of the craftiest takedown setups I’ve ever seen in MMA. He’s a master of transitional work as well, converting failed takedowns and clinch entries into strikes, which then serve to set up further takedowns. His tops game lacks slightly compared to the rest of his skillset, but it’s still very good, with solid riding and guard passing skills. He attacks in transitions on top, allowing his opponent to move underneath him in order to land strikes.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Vartanyan isn’t any discreet skill, but the unbelievable coherence and intelligence behind his game. His striking, wrestling, and clinching work in marvelous tandem, each serving as setup for the other and bolstering all. He has a brilliant mind for the sport, and any opening that opponents exploit early is likely to be closed off soon. He’s excellent at picking up on his opponent’s habits and exploiting them ruthlessly. After doing some clean work in his southpaw stance early in his rematch against Abdulvakhabov, he went back to if often, spending more time in prolonged open-stance engagements than he has in any fight before.
There’s a lot more that makes Vartanyan special that I don’t have the space to cover here, and I’m eager for the chance to expand on my thoughts in a long-form article. Until then, I’ll leave you with his impressive performance in the second Abdulvakhabov fight, in which Vartanyan was clearly robbed of the ACB Lightweight title.
#10 - Artem Reznikov
Ryan Wagner: Reznikov is a pure grappler and top control specialist. His wrestling, while not terrible technically, is based mostly on strength, but he lacks the athleticism to play that kind of game at a high level. His takedown entries are shaky and his finishes lack nuance. He is solid if unspectacular on top, and a competent guard passer. The only particularly notable skill Reznikov possesses is a penchant for the north-south choke, as four out of his six submission finishes have come by way of the uncommon choke.
At 28 years of age and with 9 years of professional competition under his belt, Reznikov is likely not going to make any large improvements to his game. With only one fight in ACA - a submission win over the 3-2 Khasan Khaliev (not to be confused with the excellent Khusein Khaliev) - I am not sure why Reznikov is ranked in ACA’s top 10, and I expect him to quickly wash out as new talent emerges and the division stabilizes after the merger.
NR - Joshua Aveles
Ryan Wagner: Joshua Aveles isn’t going to set the world on fire, but he’s consistently entertaining and talented. A lovely little pocket boxer, Aveles works inside with complex combinations, building level-punching, rhythm breaks, and body work into his attacks. He’s also a crafty counter-puncher, both inside extended pocket exchanges and on the outside as his opponent enters. Even the incredible Eduard Vartanyan had some trouble jabbing Aveles without getting countered. While his defensive boxing is slightly less crafty than his offensive boxing, it serves to make his fights all the more entertaining.
While Aveles is vulnerable to kicks, he possesses some sharp kicks himself, with a thudding outside leg kick and sneaky, dexterous head kicks. His takedown defense is decent enough that he’s difficult to wrestle for anyone but the division’s elite. Where Aveles falters is in the athleticism and strategy department. He’s not enough of an athlete to compete with the elite fighters in ACA’s Lightweight division. When his clearly-defined areas of strength are working, he’ll keep pushing them relentlessly, but he lacks an ability to adjust to different threats and doesn’t show much strategic variance between fights. Aveles is somewhat of an IQ test for the elites, but he’ll always be a tough out for anyone who can’t comfortably control him on the ground.
Aveles deserves a spot in the top 10 as a mainstay in ACB, but as his only fight after the merger was loss to Eduard Vartanyan, he’ll need a couple more fights to work his way back up. He’s already beaten solid talent, however, including #6 Amirkhan Adaev and UFC veteran, Leandro Silva.
NR - Marcin Held
A former UFC lightweight who found moderate success against the well-known gatekeepers of the division (such as Joe Lauzon), Held left for ACA after his win over the bright prospect Nasrat Haqparast; while that win wasn’t necessarily deserved, he proved in ACA to be an asset for any promotion that would have him. Held has rattled off three straight wins in ACB/A, and is only 28 years old despite having 12 years of experience under his belt.
Marcin Held can do some basic jab-straight things and isn’t particularly uncomfortable as a striker, but he isn’t a particularly strong one either; his forte is as a grappler, and he knows it. The win over Haqparast hinged on his ability to find pivotal takedowns but his top-game didn’t look as strong as his previous (formidable) grappling experience suggested it would be; in ACA, it’s been a different story, with two straight heel-hook finishes and a decision over the dangerously aggressive Diego Brandao. Held’s affinity for leg-attacks isn’t as viable in MMA as other sorts of attacks tend to be, but he does them well; here’s his minute-long win over Callan Potter, now in the UFC.
The win over Brandao, a better grappler than Potter, came from Held just getting very early takedowns in each round and keeping him on the ground; a strong positional top-player, Held isn’t high-damage but he also isn’t easy to get out from under. Despite not being anything defensively, Held can time strikes to shoot underneath, and his occasional running flurries disguise his entries to some degree. It isn’t a pretty way to fight, but he’ll likely function as a stout gatekeeper for stronger talent the way he did in the UFC.
Conclusion
As the ranked (and even some of the unranked) talent proves, 155 is ACA’s crown jewel; while the UFC might have more recognizable talent in their top-15, very few of them can compete with the skills of ACA’s best. Stay tuned through the month for longer pieces on the top-contenders: Khusein Khaliev (on February 5), Ali Bagov, Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov, Yusuf Raisov, and Eduard Vartanyan.
If you’re looking to watch more footage of ACA’s best, friend of the site Dom (@Pommesbudenpate) is working on an excellent YouTube playlist.