Heavyweight, Azamat Nuftillaev (17-1-1) vs. Jovan Leka (10-2)
Notable Notes
- Nuftillaev is 2-0 to the decision
- Leka is 1-2 to the decison
- Both have won by decision, submission, and KO/TKO
- Leka has fought six guys over the age of 30
- Nuftillaev has eleven first-round stoppages
- Most of Nuftillaev’s wins come against journeymen or losing records
- Leka has a mix or finishes in rounds one and two
Azamat Nuftillaev
-Heavy top position
-Naked kicks
-Poor cardio
-Poor TDD
-Gives up his back
-Sloppy striking
-Rushes in blind
Nuftillaev has one of the most misleading records you’ll ever see at heavyweight. Watching his skill set, I’d have guessed his record was barely above .500. Honestly, it’s hard to pinpoint what Nuftillaev is truly good at. His safest path seems to be getting the takedown, sitting in guard, and landing short ground-and-pound.
On the feet, he just runs in blindly, swinging looping overhands. His reach is too short to land effectively down the middle, so he has to get messy and bully his way in—and that leaves him open to getting hit. His wrestling is weak. He’ll attempt body locks and drop his hips to throw, but anyone physical in the clinch can nullify him, as he lacks the technique to consistently get the fight down.
He does throw some heavy elbows from the top, but he’s content sitting in guard without advancing position. Nuftillaev isn’t a fighter to get excited about, regardless of what his record says.
Jovan Leka
-Good ground and pound
-Good leg kicks
-Clinch elbows
-Low volume
-Lacks cage control/Easily backed up
-Slow
-Poor cardio
-TDD lacks
-Hands low
Leka was tough to get through on tape for a lot of reasons. He lacks the qualities you’d expect from most heavyweights—no power, no aggressiveness, and zero explosiveness. At the same time, he does share some traits common to heavyweights: poor cardio, slow movement, and minimal defensive awareness.
His best weapon is probably his leg kicks, but he fails to set them up properly, leaving him open to counters and getting his leg caught. The same goes for his jab. He has solid ground-and-pound, but he lacks the wrestling to consistently get the fight there. His takedown defense looks slightly improved, but that’s mostly against weak competition, so it’s not convincing.
Prediction: After watching Nuftillaev, I was ready to be against him, but Leka doesn’t do anything to inspire confidence either. If Nuftillaev comes out aggressive, I believe he can likely run through Leka. Leka isn’t a sniper and will let opponents push him against the cage. He may be the better striker, but nothing about his style will keep Nuftillaev at bay.
Nuftillaev has no reason to respect Leka on the feet, so he should be able to bully his way in. If he gets a takedown, he’s likely to stay there. I really dislike this fight and hate picking a winner, but I’ll go with Nuftillaev because his style matches up well against Leka. I expect a very boring, messy decision win.
