The MMA Daily

The curtain jerker comes in the Bantamweight division, as Ronnie Lawrence takes on Saidyokub Kakhramonov. A winner of five straight, two of which have come inside the octagon, Lawrence comes into this bout with excellent momentum. Known for his wrestling abilities, Lawrence has landed an astonishing twenty-six takedowns at a 78% accuracy over his last three fights. With one more victory, Lawrence could find himself in a main card spot. Meanwhile, Kakhramonov returns to the octagon looking to replicate his successful debut over Trevin Jones. A fight that Kakhramonov took on short notice and won via submission with twenty-one seconds remaining in the fight. The stoppage was his seventh in nine victories.

This is an excellent fight and probably should of been featured on the main card. Lawrence is a solid chain wrestler, who as I mentioned previously, has landed twenty-six takedowns in his last three fights. Backed by a solid gas tank, Lawrence is relentless in his pursuit to ground his opponent. While he lacks a submission game, his ability to control foes and land ground-and-pound have aided him to victory. Where Lawrence’s concerns lie, is on the feet. Despite being able to hold his own, it’s an area where opponents have seen success. In Lawrence’s last fight, he was dropped twice by Mana Martinez. Something in which Kakhramonov probably is eyeballing. A well rounded fighter, with a Judo background, Kakhramonov is a bright prospect in this Bantamweight division. With good pop in his hands and a menacing submission game, Kakhramonov is dangerous wherever the fight goes. Needing to shore up his striking defense, Kakhramonov sometimes has taken more punishment than necessary.

As for a prediction, I have Kakhramonov winning. In what is bound to be an exciting fight, I believe that Kakhramonov can withstand Lawrence’s wrestling. Backed by Judo, grappling and a dangerous submission game, Kakhramonov has several avenues to escape positions and give Lawrence fits. While on the feet, Kakhramonov is not only the more dynamic of the two, but has the power to disrupt the fight. With that said, I predict that Kakhramonov wins via knockout.