UFC Fight Night 168: Felder vs. Hooker - Predictions and Picks

#6 Kevin Aguilar vs. Zubaira Tukhugov

Zubaira Tukhugov is a training partner of Khabib Nurmagomedov

A training partner of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Tukhugov has been in the UFC for a long time now; he debuted back in 2014, which makes it amazing that he’s only had 5 fights in the Octagon thus far. Of course, that’s because his run has been controversial. ‘Warrior’ has struggled to obtain a Visa at times, and has also been suspended twice – once for a positive PED test, and once for his part in the wild brawl that took place after Nurmagomedov’s win over Conor McGregor.

A real all-rounder, Tukhugov has excellent skills in all areas, just as you’d expect from a product of Dagestan. He’s an excellent wrestler capable of taking most of his opponents down, and he’s also got considerable talent on the feet, as evidenced by his 2014 KO of Ernest Chavez.

Where ‘Warrior’ has struggled has been with his gas tank, primarily. He was all over Lerone Murphy at UFC 242 before running out of steam, and while a draw was perhaps unfair to the Dagestani – who appeared to clearly take two rounds – had he displayed better cardio, he almost definitely would’ve picked up a win if not a finish.

The question then is whether Aguilar – a hard-nosed fighter who graduated from Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018 is the kind of fighter who can take a bit of a beating in the early rounds before coming back to outwork ‘Warrior’ for a decision. ‘The Angel of Death’ is a pretty heavy hitter, but in all honesty he’s not a classic KO puncher at the UFC level and his toughness appears to be his greatest asset.

This one feels like a tough one to pick purely because I don’t trust Tukhugov down the stretch; he’s not the best finisher and Aguilar has only lost twice, with the lone finish coming at the hands of a notable heavy puncher in Leonard Garcia. I think the Dagestani should have enough skills to be able to outpoint Aguilar, but if he gasses out again, ‘The Angel of Death’ will almost certainly take advantage.

The Pick: Tukhugov via unanimous decision