Preview: UFC 288 Prelims

Flyweights

Rafael Ramos Estevam (11-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov (14-8, 1-5 UFC)

ODDS: Estevam (-180), Zhumagulov (+155)

His UFC career has mostly been an exercise in heartbreak, but it is good to see Zhumagulov walk back his retirement and come back to the cage since he is a fun fighter who has been figuring some things out. A highly successful regional competitor, Zhumagulov had built out the type of style made to succeed as a champion on those circuits. Given five rounds with which to work, Zhumagulov could lay back, gather information and find some defensive openings to slowly take over the fight and walk away with a decision win. When “Zhako” hit the UFC in 2020, it immediately became apparent that his approach was not going to work, at least not to any great level of success. Consensus was that he won his UFC debut against Raulian Paiva in a close scrap, but Zhumagulov let his counterpart put together enough success that the Brazilian walked away with all three scorecards. Zhumagulov’s next few fights saw him clearly attempt to break his old habits and fight with a round-winning pace, and a December 2021 match against Manel Kape clearly saw him turn that corner. Unfortunately, it still has not actually gotten Zhumagulov into the win column. Kape was the rare flyweight with enough power to knock Zhumagulov out, and fights against Jeff Molina and Charles Johnson saw him put together some of the best performances of his career, only to lose a controversial split decision both times. Zhumagulov was so frustrated with the hand he had been dealt that he briefly retired, but he is now back in the hopes he can finally right his luck against Estevam. Unfortunately for Zhumagulov, the UFC newcomer looks pretty stout. An undefeated prospect and Nova Uniao product, “Macapa” is massive for the division and fights with a great deal of aggression, particularly looking to score a takedown and get to some impressive ground-and-pound. Zhumagulov has cobbled together enough veteran tricks over the years that he could stall Estevam out at times, but given how things have gone, it is also hard to favor him to take a decision against what might be his most potent opponent in a while if this turns into a firefight. The pick is Estevam via decision.

Jump To »
Dober vs. Frevola
Nzechukwu vs. Clark
Williams vs. Bedoya
Rodriguez vs. Jandiroba
Porter vs. Smith
Aliskerov vs. Hawes
Estevam vs. Zhumagulov
Ribeiro vs. Holmes
Santos vs. Munoz Jr.