An injury on the UFC Prague main card has opened the door for Brazilian prospect Klidson Farias to make his promotional debut.
UFC on ESPN+ 3 will be happening in Prague, Czech Republic, in the O2 Arena on February 23. In a light heavyweight bout, Magomed Ankalaev was set to take on Darko Stosic. Stosic then pulled out due to injury and the UFC brought in top Brazilian prospect Klidson Farias for his debut against Ankalaev.
Klidson Farias
6’1″
Light Heavyweight
26-years-old
Curitiba, Parana, Brazil
Evolução Thai MMA
14-2
4 KO/TKO
10 Submissions (6 Rear-Naked Chokes, 2 Armbars)
What to Expect from Klidson Farias:
Farias has proved he’s a top-level talent for a long time as he’s won the Brave CF title and has beat stiff competition such as current UFC fan-favorite Johnny Walker. On the feet, Farias isn’t much of a threat as his ground game is where he excels. What he lacks on the feet are just fundamentals. His movement, head position, explosiveness, and technique could all be better. He does do a good job striking to close the distance. It takes time for Farias to be able to complete takedowns, as early in the fight, he isn’t nearly as accurate. Once Farias gets the fight down, he’s fantastic all-around. The Brazilian has wound-up on his back a few times, but with fluid hips, he’s very dangerous when attacking the armbar and can easily sweep his opponent. I believe his BJJ is one of the best in the light-heavyweight division, and looking at the UFC’s division, I think Farias has the best BJJ among their 205ers. I do believe Farias is a top-15 talent, and will likely be ranked by next year. With that said, he’ll have to improve his stand-up.
How He Matches Up with Magomed Ankalaev:
On the feet, Ankalaev has the advantage with his Muay Thai and slipping counters. Both aren’t really comfortable on the feet though, so I see this fight hitting the mat. I do think both can take each other down but it’s the battle once it gets there that will tell the tale of this fight. Ankalaev has excellent ground-and-pound while Farias has excellent jiu-jitsu. Ankalaev will have to be in top position to unload on his ground-and-pound but that puts Farias in his wheelhouse. Paul Craig was able to catch Ankalaev off his back, and with all due respect to Craig, Farias has much better jiu-jitsu. This is a very close fight, but I personally always favor the strong wrestler over the BJJ guy so I’m leaning Ankalaev.
