The last Ultimate Fighting Championship event of 2022 is
growing fast.
Per Instagram account Red Fury MMA on
Thursday morning, Said
Nurmagomedov (16-2) will square off with Saidyokub
Kakhramonov (10-2) at bantamweight on
UFC Fight Night 216. This event will serve as the final UFC
card of 2022, and it will post up inside of the UFC Apex in Las
Vegas. The 135-pound scrap between these rising fighters has since
been confirmed by
multiple outlets.
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Nurmagomedov, who is unrelated to UFC names Khabib
Nurmagomedov or his cousins Umar
Nurmagomedov and Abubakar
Nurmagomedov, debuted in the UFC in 2018. The Dagestan native
claimed a split decision against Justin
Scoggins, and went on to clock Ricardo
Ramos with a spinning back kick the following year. After
losing to Raoni
Barcelos in 2019 by decision, Nurmagomedov has not looked back,
rattling off three straight wins. In 2020, the 30-year-old wrecked
Mark
Striegl in 51 seconds, and a pair of 2022 victories over
Cody
Stamann and Douglas
Silva de Andrade – the former a speedy submission win – have
placed Nurmagomedov in prime contention for a ranked spot should he
get his hand raised.
Winner of his last four, Kakhramonov snagged the Cage Fury Fighting Championships title right
before signing with the UFC in 2021. The Uzbekistan-born Chicago
native made a splash by putting Trevin
Jones to sleep in his promotional debut. Near a year later,
Kakhramonov returned to battle Ronnie
Lawrence, and he outworked his opponent to pick up a clear-cut
decision win. While his foe’s finish rate sits at an even 50%,
Kakhramonov has procured finishes in seven of his 10 pro
victories.
Earlier in the week, MMA
Mania brought forth the booking news between Cheyanne
Vlismas (7-2) and Cory
McKenna (7-2) at strawweight on this same card. Vlismas
celebrated this matchup on her Instagram while
stating, “It’s been quite a year and I plan to finish it on a good
note.”
In the final UFC card of 2022, Vlismas will be making her first
walk to the Octagon in the calendar year. The Invicta Fighting Championships and Legacy Fighting Alliance vet had a previous
pairing with Tabatha
Ricci fall through before it could materialize in early
October, but she comes into this matchup the winner of her last
two. Still one of the youngest fighters on the roster at 23,
McKenna rebounded from a split decision loss to Elise Reed
in March by putting Miranda
Granger away with a Von Flue choke in August. Of note,
“Poppins” became the first female fighter in organizational history
to land that specific submission.
UFC Fight Night 216 will be held on Dec. 17 at the UFC Apex in Las
Vegas, with a middleweight striker’s delight in the main
attraction. Ex-title challenger Jared
Cannonier will face Sean
Strickland, and the victor will look to remain in the
championship picture. Other key matchups on the card include a
thrilling lightweight scrap between Damir
Ismagulov and Arman
Tsarukyan, a flyweight collision of Alex Perez
and Amir
Albazi and a 185-pound encounter between Michal
Oleksiejczuk and Albert
Duraev.