Nurullo Aliev defeats Mike Davis by unanimous decision
Davis vs Aliev — Lightweight · Ankalaev vs. Guskov
What happened
The result, the defining moments, and what the verdict means.
Aliev repeatedly dragged Davis to the mat with his wrestling.
Davis scrambled and chased submissions, but Aliev defended and returned to his control game.
Aliev won the unanimous decision.
- Official UFC resultsUFC Abu Dhabi — Preliminary Card Results
Who Called It?
How the analysts' picks held up once the cage door closed.
Analyst picks: DFS By The Numbers Hit; AJ Hit; Bedtime MMA Hit; We Want Picks Hit; Michael Chiesa Miss; JakeGerberMMA Miss; HopperoMMA Miss.
All 7 analyst scorecardsWinner, method and round results7 scored · 4 hits · 3 misses
| Predicted by | Pick | Actual | Winner | Method | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Historic market Favourite call, market price 67.5%. Aliev · Dec | Aliev · Dec | Hit | Hit | Not called | |
| Takes Aliev to bank takedowns and control against Davis over three rounds. Track record: winner called in 77 of 112 resolved picks. | |||||
| Historic market Favourite call, market price 67.5%. Aliev · to win | Aliev · Dec | Hit | Not called | Not called | |
| Backs Davis as the more complete and proven fighter, expecting his striking and grappling to test Aliev beyond the latter's previous opposition. Track record: winner called in 75 of 109 resolved picks. | |||||
| Historic market Favourite call, market price 67.5%. Aliev · Dec | Aliev · Dec | Hit | Hit | Not called | |
| Picks Nurullo Aliev by decision, expecting his takedown-led control to edge a dangerous Mike Davis. Track record: winner called in 83 of 126 resolved picks. | |||||
| Historic market Favourite call, market price 67.5%. Aliev · to win | Aliev · Dec | Hit | Not called | Not called | |
| Picks Nurullo Aliev for his controlling wrestling against Mike Davis. Track record: winner called in 79 of 121 resolved picks. | |||||
| Historic market Underdog call, market price 32.5%. Davis · to win | Aliev · Dec | Miss | Not applicable — the winner call missed | Not applicable — the winner call missed | |
| Backs Davis as the more technically complete fighter if he stays mobile and keeps Aliev's grappling from dictating the bout. Track record: winner called in 29 of 42 resolved picks. | |||||
| Historic market Underdog call, market price 32.5%. Davis · to win | Aliev · Dec | Miss | Not applicable — the winner call missed | Not applicable — the winner call missed | |
| Names Mike Davis as the full-card pick in this preview. Track record: winner called in 60 of 90 resolved picks. | |||||
| Historic market Underdog call, market price 32.5%. Davis · to win | Aliev · Dec | Miss | Not applicable — the winner call missed | Not applicable — the winner call missed | |
| Names Mike Davis as the full-card pick in this preview. Track record: winner called in 58 of 92 resolved picks. | |||||
4 of 7 called the winner.
The experts above are a lens, not credentials we conferred — analyst, fighter or betting desk.
Archive Pre-fight material — kept for transparency.
- 12-3-0
- Record
- 11-0-0
- 4-1 last 5
- Recent formRecent formWin–loss record over the fighter’s last five bouts, newest first, as carried in their UFC/FightMetric career stats.
- 5-0 last 5
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- StanceStanceWhich side a fighter leads from — a striking term, not a religious one. Orthodox: right-handed, left foot and hand forward (the common default). Southpaw: the mirror image, right side forward (usually a left-hander). Switch: changes between the two during a fight.
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- Not published
- Sig. strikes landed / minStrikes / minSignificant strikes landed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter lands for every minute of fight time — a read on striking output and pace. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
- 2.72
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- Sig. strikes absorbed / minAbsorbed / minSignificant strikes absorbed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter takes for every minute of fight time. Lower is better — it means they get hit less often. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
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- Striking defenseStrike def.Striking defenseThe percentage of opponents’ significant strikes that do not land — strikes slipped, blocked or evaded. Higher is better. Not the same as striking accuracy, which counts your own strikes that land. From UFC/FightMetric.
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- Takedown defenseTD def.Takedown defenseThe percentage of opponents’ takedown attempts that are stuffed. Higher means harder to put on the mat. From UFC/FightMetric.
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- Avg. fight timeAvg. timeAverage fight timeThe mean length of the fighter’s bouts (minutes:seconds) — a rough read on whether they tend to finish early or go the distance. From UFC/FightMetric.
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- United States
- Nationality
- Tajikistan
- Fusion X-Cel
- Team
- Kaizen MMA
Career stats per UFC.com; recent form is each fighter's last five bouts. Numbers reflect records coming into fight night. Bars compare each stat on a fixed scale; the “Edge” marker flags the leading corner where the gap is meaningful. The snapshot plots five career rates — output, striking defense, durability (strikes absorbed, inverted), takedown defense and finish rate — each normalised on its own scale.
Pre-fight analysis — how we saw it going in
Case for Davis
Davis is the proven UFC lightweight in the matchup. The UFC preview credits him with a 5-1 run at 155 pounds, three finishes and a Fight of the Night bonus with Mason Jones, with Fares Ziam the only defeat in that stretch.
Case for Aliev
Aliev remains unbeaten through three UFC starts after his strong Contender Series showing. The same UFC preview frames this as a chance for him to regain momentum after a less active stretch, so a composed performance against a veteran would be a meaningful next step.
What We Were Watching For
- Davis's UFC experience against an opponent who has won all three of his UFC starts.
- Whether Aliev can turn an unbeaten record into sustained momentum after limited activity.
- The pace Davis establishes early, given his proven lightweight run.
- How the prospect handles a veteran whose recent UFC résumé includes finishes and a Fight of the Night.
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