Mairon SantosvsMuhammad Naimov

Muhammad Naimov is riding a three-fight win streak that's got people paying attention. The Tajikistan native has been grinding out decisions lately - he outworked Bogdan Grad in Baku back in June, then took a unanimous nod over Kaan Ofli in February. Before that run, he bounced back from a tough submission loss to Felipe Lima with a nasty first-round finish of Erik Silva in Mexico City, where Silva couldn't continue due to a leg injury just 44 seconds in. Mairon Santos is coming in hot too, riding his own three-fight win streak. "The Legend" just beat Sodiq Yusuff by decision in May at lightweight, showing he can hang with legit competition.

Before that, he edged Francis Marshall in a split decision at UFC 313, then knocked out that same Kaan Ofli guy back in August 2024 with a second-round punch. So Santos has the finish over Ofli while Naimov had to work three rounds for the decision - that's an interesting wrinkle. Here's the thing about this matchup: both guys are orthodox strikers who've been winning, but in different ways. Naimov's been patient, landing volume and mixing in takedowns when he needs them - he hit 2-for-2 on takedowns against Ofli and controlled over five minutes.

Santos has shown more finishing power lately, especially with that knockout of Ofli. The question is whether Naimov's grinding style can neutralize Santos' power, or if "The Legend" catches him clean like he's been doing.