Mike Davis called his lopsided loss to unbeaten Nurullo Aliev frustrating and said he wants striking matchups instead. What actually happened on the mat makes the case for the opposite.
Reviewed by BJJ Gyms · Updated 2026-07-29
Results and records per UFC Abu Dhabi coverage from LowKick MMA and BJJ Eastern Europe.
The Aliev-Davis bout opened on the preliminary card at Etihad Arena, well before the Ankalaev-Guskov main event, and the shape of the fight was set almost immediately. Aliev went for takedowns from the opening minute, using the fence and clinch work to control Davis and prevent him from finding any real striking rhythm.
Round two followed the same pattern, another early takedown from Aliev, though Davis did have a brief window of offense late in the round. His best moment came when he locked up a triangle choke, but Aliev worked free before it became dangerous and reestablished control. By round three, Davis was attempting scrambles from butterfly guard without much success, and the fight went to the scorecards with Aliev's dominance never seriously in question.
In his post-fight comments, Davis made his frustration with the style of opponent clear, saying flatly, "I just want to bang, bro," while expressing a broader preference for facing strikers rather than wrestling-heavy fighters like Aliev going forward.
It's an understandable reaction after three rounds spent mostly on the receiving end of takedowns, but it also sidesteps the actual lesson of the fight. Aliev, an unbeaten Dana White's Contender Series graduate now 4-0 in the Octagon, didn't out-strike Davis. He simply never let the fight become a striking contest in the first place.
This is the part of the fight that's worth studying if you train, regardless of what discipline you lean on. Once Aliev got a takedown and settled into top position, Davis's hands stopped being relevant to the outcome of that exchange entirely. The fight was decided in the transition, not in an exchange of punches.
That's the core argument for why every fighter, striker or grappler, needs real grappling defense in their training: not necessarily the ability to win from the bottom, but the ability to get back to a neutral position before a round's worth of control time adds up on the scorecards.
This is exactly why good MMA gyms, and honestly good jiu-jitsu gyms, spend real time on wall walks, guard retention, and getting back to your feet, not just on submissions from the top. If you can't stop a takedown, the next best thing is being able to functionally get back up before three rounds of control time pile up against you.
Whether you're training for competition or just want to be able to handle yourself, this is the kind of live skill you only build by rolling with people who can actually take you down and hold you there. Find a gym near you that puts real emphasis on grappling defense, not just offense, and try a class to see where your own game actually holds up.
The quick rundown if you missed the prelim card at UFC Abu Dhabi.
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Nurullo Aliev, by unanimous decision, 30-27 on all three cards.
12-0 overall and 4-0 in the UFC.
He attempted a triangle choke in round two, but Aliev escaped before it threatened the fight.
He said he wants to fight strikers rather than wrestling-heavy opponents.