UFC Vegas 47 this Saturday is headlined by Jack Hermansson and Sean Strickland. Also on the card are several fighters looking to go 2-0 in the UFC, like Nick Maximov, Bryan Battle, and Carlston Harris. There are also a few up-and-comers with a lot of hype like Shavkat Rakhmonov and Miles Johns. Plus a few Contender Series Season Five fighters making their debut and Tresean Gore making his debut following his time on TUF 28. A guy finally making his UFC debut is Ukraine’s Denys Bondar. He was supposed to fight in the octagon three times last year, and will finally do so this time against Canada’s Malcolm Gordon (13-5, 1-2 UFC).
Denys “Psycho” Bondar
5’6″
Flyweight
29-years-old
Kharkiv, Ukraine
Kharkov Top Team
14-2
5 KO/TKOs
9 Submissions’
How will Bondar fare in the UFC:
Bondar is a credible fighter who is a good signing for the UFC flyweight division. Not the best striker but he does come forward. His offense isn’t too bad but he will get stuck on the outside against longer guys and he needs to move his head more. In the clinch, Bondar throws good knees, and he holds a finish by the way of a knee. Bondar is a grappler and a big submission threat. His wrestling is suitable. All of his takedowns come from body locks and using a lot of trips.
On the mat is where he wants to be; it’s where he’s a proven finisher and ultimately where he shines. Bondar has good top positioning and is always working to improve the position and work for the finish. Bondar has excellent ground and pound being very active and the IQ is there. He does a great job hitting the body and going to the head and generates a lot of power and speed in short spaces. Bondar transitions well and has shown once he gets into the mount his chances of finding a submission are high.
On the other side, Bondar does have bland takedown defense. At space, he does sprawl well and that’s where he will use a lot of d’arce traps to get the top position. On the other hand, Bondar does get taken down against the cage and seems to accept going to his back at times. He is dangerous off his back but at a higher level, it’s ambiguous. Bondar, in my opinion, will do well in the UFC but I don’t see him in the top ten.
- Striking: C
- Kickboxing: C
- Clinch: B-
- Wrestling: C+
- Grappling: B+
- Striking Defense: C+
- Takedown Defense: C
- Cardio: B-
- Biggest Strength: Jiu-jitsu
- Biggest Weakness: Striking defense
How does Bondar match up with Gordon?
Gordon like Bondar is primarily a grappler with limited upside while on the feet. We’ve seen a fragile chin from Gordon in the UFC so he is easily vulnerable while striking. It’s going to come down to who has the better grappling and who is scoring takedowns. Bondar is more aggressive and fights with a lot of tenacity and that could be the difference. I believe Bondar will be the one coming forward and getting takedowns. Even if he’s taken down I still see him being the aggressor. The pick is Bondar and I think he takes it on the scorecards.
