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Hakeem Dawodu has broken down the undefeated Movsar Evloev’s strengths and weaknesses ahead of UFC 263.
The 29-year-old Hakeem Dawodu is scheduled to face the 27-year-old Movsar Evloev in a featherweight bout at UFC 263 on June 12th, 2021. Ahead of his pivotal clash against the undefeated Evloev, Sportskeeda caught up with Hakeem Dawodu.
We spoke to the rising featherweight star regarding his upcoming fight and its stylistic clash. Hakeem Dawodu (MMA record: 12 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw) also opened up about potentially becoming the first fighter to defeat Movsar Evloev (MMA record: 14 wins, 0 losses) in professional MMA competition.
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Hakeem Dawodu is confident about emerging victorious against Movsar Evloev at UFC 263
Hakeem Dawodu claimed that Movsar Evloev is, in fact, a less dangerous opponent than his previous fight, the one against Zubaira Tukhugov.
‘Mean’ Hakeem had the following to say about Evloev's weaknesses:
“Yeah, you know definitely. I think he has a little bit of strengths. And he has a little bit of weaknesses. Like, for example: I find this less of a dangerous fight than Zubaira (Tukhugov). ‘Cause Zubaira – still even though he wasn’t a high-level striker – he did have knockout power though. There was a few people he did, you know, end up putting away. So, I think I ended up giving him a bit too much respect. But there was a bit of power that you had to be aware of. As on this guy (Movsar Evloev), I don’t feel like he has much power at all.”
Dawodu also spoke about his opponent's strengths:
“I’m not saying I’m gonna go in there, eat his punches, and brawl with him. But I feel like there’s less of a risk with the punches. That may be his weakness. What he has as his strength is – I definitely think he's gonna have more cardio than Zubaira.”
“I think he’s definitely got good cardio. That’s something I’ve noticed. So, he’ll definitely have more cardio than (Zubaira). But I see it going the same way. I see him, you know, standing up with me for a little bit. And then, you know, feeling a shot that he doesn’t like, and then, yeah, shooting (for takedowns) all night.”
Evloev has competed at bantamweight and featherweight over the course of his career. He recently moved back up to featherweight and has competed in the division in his last four fights. Hakeem Dawodu shed light upon this and indicated that Evloev would have a tough time against “a real featherweight” like him.
“He hasn't had too many fights at featherweight. This is only his fifth fight at featherweight. So, you know. Yeah, he's got good cardio, but I think, you know, when he deals with a real featherweight, he's gonna realize.”
Another intriguing insight offered by Hakeem Dawodu came when Sportskeeda asked him about Evloev's preference to go the distance in his fights.
Read the conversation between Sportskeeda and Hakeem Dawodu below:
Sportskeeda: “Yeah. You know all of this, obviously, going into the fight. So, I would imagine that it goes like it plays a big part in your strategy and your game management. How much does the game management aspect of the fight change because of the opponent being so adept at going the distance? He has seven wins by unanimous decision.”
Hakeem Dawodu: “Yeah, you know, he likes to go the distance, and there's nothing wrong with that. But look, I've gone the distance too plenty of times on my resume, you know. I've got seven KOs, but I’ve also got decisions as well. So, it was a, you know, being in shape that just, that goes without saying no matter who you are fighting. Yes, I definitely get to recognize his cardio and his pace. And we implemented it in my training. But me being in really good shape, that’s just the norm anyways. So, it's just sticking to the game plan and being able to implement my game plan the best way, and making this a ‘Mean’ Hakeem fight.”
Which fighter do you see getting their hand raised in the Hakeem Dawodu vs. Movsar Evloev matchup at UFC 263? Sound off in the comments.
