Middleweight: Phil Hawes vs. Khadzhimurat Bestaev
Tale of the Tape
31-years-old
6’0″
Sanford MMA
Little Ferry, New Jersey, US
7-2
32-years-old
6’6″
American Kickboxing Academy
California
10-3
Pros and Cons
Phil Hawes
Pros
- Very athletic
- Excellent wrestling
- Good leg kicks
- Power in his hands
- Excellent ground and pound
- Big overhand right
- Good jab
- Fast starter
Cons
- Questionable striking defense
- Cardio drains after round one
Khadzhimurat Bestaev
Pros
- Fast starter
- Good knees
- Dangerous guillotine
Cons
- Poor TDD
- Lost off his back
- Holds hands low
- Poor cardio
Who has the advantage?
Striking: Hawes
Speed: Hawes
Output/Volume: Hawes
Knockout Power: Hawes
Chin: Even/Unknown
Kickboxing: Hawes
Footwork: Hawes
Wrestling: Hawes
Grappling: Hawes
Submissions: Bestaev
Cardio: Hawes
Prediction
This fight is tailor-made for Jackson-Wink MMA product Phil Hawes. Bestaev has nine of his ten finishes inside the first round. While that looks good on paper, the opponents he has beaten are 15-22 combined and four of those guys were 0-0 at the time.
While Phil Hawes hasn’t beaten any names you’ll recognize, at least he’s losing to opponents like Andrew Sanchez, Louis Taylor, and Julian Marquez. Names you probably will recognize, quite frankly. Although Hawes still has questionable cardio and gets hit a bit too much he’s just better in every aspect here. Hawes is also relatively competitive in his losses, while Bestaev seems to just crumble under any adversity. Hawes should roll here.
