Saygid Izagakhmaev (0-1 UFC) has been booked as a replacement for Magomedrasul Gasanov and will meet Abubakar Vagaev at UFC Abu Dhabi on July 25. The bout is scheduled for welterweight.
Saygid Izagakhmaev has stepped in on short notice to take on Abubakar Vagaev at UFC Abu Dhabi, with the welterweight bout set for July 25. Izagakhmaev replaces Magomedrasul Gasanov, who was removed from the card.
Izagakhmaev, 31, enters the fight carrying a professional record of 22-3-0, though he is yet to register a win inside the UFC octagon, sitting at 0-1 in the promotion. The Russian fights out of the Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov School and stands six feet tall with a 74-inch reach. His statistical profile leans heavily on the grappling side, with four takedowns per 15 minutes — a rate that marks him as a persistent threat on the ground. His striking accuracy of 58 percent is notably high, though his output of 1.33 significant strikes landed per minute suggests he is selective rather than volume-oriented on the feet. No submission attempts are recorded per 15 minutes, indicating his ground work centers on control and positioning rather than finishing from the bottom or top.
Data for Vagaev was not available at the time of publication.
Why it matters
- Izagakhmaev needs a statement win to establish himself at welterweight after dropping his UFC debut
- A late replacement role adds difficulty, giving him less time to prepare a tailored game plan
- The bout adds another welterweight contest to what is shaping up as a significant summer card in Abu Dhabi
