Nurullo Aliev vs. Mike Davis
UFC Fight Night · July 25, 2026 · Etihad Arena
Nurullo Aliev def. Mike Davis — Decision (unanimous), R3 5:00
This one followed the script almost to the letter. Aliev leaned on his wrestling as he always does, constantly closing distance and dragging Davis to the mat, and Davis's power never got the sustained standing exchanges it needed. Davis scrambled well in spots and chased submissions off his back, but Aliev defended everything and kept control, sweeping the scorecards 30-27. Ten of Aliev's twelve wins have now gone the distance — the grinding decision was the pre-fight lean, and the grinding decision is what everyone got.
The breakdown below was written before the fight.
Aliev has never needed a judge he didn't like, and this sets up as another patient, positional fight from him: close distance behind minimal striking, chain takedowns against the fence, and heavy top control. Davis will have windows — Aliev's striking is still developing, and one clean counter changes everything — but he tends to fade positionally against relentless wrestlers, as the Ziam fight showed. Expect Davis to win the exchanges he gets and lose the minutes in between. Nine of Aliev's eleven wins have gone the distance, and this one likely joins the list.
The Matchup
This is the oldest story in modern MMA: an undefeated wrestler from the East against an American power striker who needs the fight to stay vertical. Aliev averages nearly three and a half takedowns per fight and gives up almost nothing defensively, while Davis lands over four significant strikes a minute with real hurt behind them. Davis's 52 percent takedown defense is the swing stat — if that holds up, his speed and power advantage on the feet is significant. If it doesn't, Aliev is exactly the kind of grinder who can turn fifteen minutes into a one-sided wrestling clinic. Davis's underrated submission game means the mat is not a total dead zone for him, but living there is a losing proposition.
Tale of the Tape
| Nurullo Aliev | Mike Davis | |
|---|---|---|
| 11-0 | Record | 12-3 |
| 25 | Age | 33 |
| 5'10" | Height | 6'0" |
| 72" | Reach | 72" |
| Orthodox | Stance | Orthodox |
| Tajikistan | Country | United States |
| Kaizen MMA | Team | Fusion X-Cel |
The Numbers
Career UFC averages. Red bar = statistical edge.
Nurullo Aliev
“Tajik Eagle”
Aliev is an undefeated lightweight from Dushanbe, Tajikistan, who earned his UFC contract with a first-round knockout on the 2022 Contender Series. Now training out of Kaizen MMA in Virginia, he has gone 3-0 inside the Octagon the old-fashioned way — takedowns, top control, and suffocating grappling, with nine of his eleven wins going to the scorecards. He absorbs barely a strike and a half per minute, one of the stingier defensive profiles at 155. At 25, he is quietly building toward the lightweight rankings one grinding decision at a time.
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Mike Davis
“Beast Boy”
Davis is a Florida-based lightweight with legitimate finishing pop — eight knockouts and two submissions across twelve career wins, and only three men have ever beaten him: Sodiq Yusuff, Gilbert Burns, and Fares Ziam. His 2021 war with Mason Jones produced over 100 landed strikes apiece, and his 2019 comeback knockout of Thomas Gifford remains a highlight-reel staple. Long injury layoffs have kept him from stringing together momentum, but he reminded everyone of the power last July by flattening Mitch Ramirez in the second round. At 33, he is fighting to prove he still belongs in the divisional conversation.
- WMitch Ramirez · KO/TKO (punches)UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Teixeira · July 12, 2025
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