Rivalries: Shamil Abdurakhimov

Shamil Abdurakhimov has left himself little room for error.

The 40-year-old sanshou stylist will try to hit the reset button in the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight division when he butts heads with Sergei Pavlovich as part of the UFC Fight Night 204 undercard on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London. Abdurakhimov enters the Octagon on the heels of back-to-back losses for the first time as a pro. He last appeared at UFC 266, where he was on the receiving end of a second-round technical knockout from Chris Daukaus on Sept. 25.

As Abdurakhimov pores over the remaining details associated with his forthcoming showdown with Pavlovich, a look at some of the rivalries that have shaped his career to this point:

Timothy Johnson

The North Dakota-based Minnesotan disposed of Abdurakhimov with ground-and-pound from the mount in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 63 heavyweight prelim on April 4, 2015 at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia. The end came 4:57 into Round 1. Johnson marched forward, chipped away with punches and slowly wore down his counterpart. Abdurakhimov scored with straight punches, many of them while moving backward, but a point deduction for grabbing the fence seemed to disrupt his rhythm. Johnson countered a kick in the waning moments of the first round, executed a takedown in the center of the cage, advanced immediately to mount and dropped unanswered rights and lefts until the stoppage was called.

Walt Harris

Abdurakhimov utilized efficient punching combinations and a stout chin to claim a split decision over the monstrous American Top Team rep as part of the UFC Fight Night 96 undercard on Oct. 1, 2016 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28: Marcos Rosales for Harris, Sal D’Amato and Dave Hagen for Abdurakhimov. Harris struggled to string together his punches and kicks, too often settling for single strikes. Against Abdurakhimov, it was a recipe for disaster. The Dagestani brute leaned on better output, freed himself from a second-round guillotine choke and withstood thudding kicks to the body and head from Harris. While neither man established a real foothold in the fight, Abdurakhimov outlanded “The Big Ticket” by narrow margins in all three rounds.

Derrick Lewis

“The Black Beast” bounced back from a slow start to dispatch Abdurakhimov with ground-and-pound in the fourth round of their UFC Fight Night 102 main event on Dec. 9, 2016 at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York. Abdurakhimov met his end 3:42 into Round 4. Lewis struggled to get out of neutral. Abdurakhimov banked two rounds on the strength of his takedowns, as he repeatedly countered leg and body kicks by dragging the former Legacy Fighting Championship titleholder to the ground. Lewis started to turn the corner in the third round—he rattled his counterpart with several right uppercuts—and continued to progress in the fourth. There, the New Orleans native secured a takedown, softened Abdurakhimov with ground-and-pound and advanced to mount, finishing him with unyielding lefts and rights from above.

Marcin Tybura

Abdurakhimov continued his quiet but steady climb on the heavyweight ladder when he buried the former M-1 Global champion with punches in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 149 prelim on April 20, 2019 at the Yubileyny Sports Complex in St. Petersburg, Russia. Tybura checked out 3:15 into Round 2. Superior output carried Abdurakhimov through an otherwise competitive first round and provided him with an anchor in the decisive second. There, he staggered Tybura with a clean left hook in the center of the cage, gave chase with ill intent and backed the dazed Pole to the fence, unleashing his hands until referee Herb Dean had seen enough.

Curtis Blaydes

The Elevation Fight Team standout turned away Abdurakhimov with crushing ground-and-pound in the second round of their UFC 242 heavyweight showcase on Sept. 7, 2019 at Du Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. His nose having been obliterated by a devastating elbow strike, “Abrek” succumbed to blows 2:22 into Round 2. Blaydes offered the former Abu Dhabi Fighting Championship titleholder no refuge, as he secured repeated takedowns, moved to dominant positions and unleashed hell from above. Abdurakhimov survived a lopsided first round but not the second. There, Blaydes dumped him to the mat once again, shifted to half guard and planted an elbow in the middle of the Dagestani kickboxer’s face. Aburakhimov reacted immediately, covered his nose and turned away to avoid further contact.