The UFC tenure for Tajikistan-based Gafurov (20-6, 2-2 UFC) has not
gone swimmingly thus far, and a five-pound weight miss will not
help matters when it is time to renegotiate a contract. Despite his
opponent Wiklacz (17-3-2, 1-0 UFC) beating a highly touted
ex-Bellator champ in Patrick Mix his last time out, he takes a
giant step down in competition according to FightMatrix, going from
the #12 135er in Mix to the 46th in Gafurov. Ranks don't matter
when the cage door closes, and referee Chris Tognoni will be there
every step of the way. There is an offered fist bump by the heavy
man, accepted as the two are still glad to be getting paid
today. Wiklacz introduces himself with a fierce combination, knocking
Gafurov back to the wall in a hurry. He settles himself down rather
than hunting for a finish, allowing Gafurov to reset so that he can
stick to his game plan. After whiffing with a back fist, he goes
for a high kick, and he slaps one off the lead thigh after it.
Gafurov crashes the pocket with a few punches, and he slides back
as Wiklacz fires off a kick that makes him topple to the mat.
Gafurov allows him to stand back up, and the two trade big right
hands. Wiklacz chops with a leg kick and misses the mark with a
spinning wheel kick, and his footwork keeps him safe from a looping
right hand aimed at his mug. Wiklacz stabs the body with front
kicks from both legs, and he tries to go high with them but does
not get there. Gafurov answers with an inaccurate wheel kick of his
own, resulting in the two clash together in a clinch. Wiklacz jams the body with knees until Gafurov hits a trip, who
lets the Polish fighter right back up. Wiklacz surges forward with
a long string of punches, and he stays in place too long and gets
caught with a counter. This happens again, except Gafurov works the
body to open up head shots. Wiklacz resets after getting dinged to
further strike the body with his foot, and Gafurov breaks up the
kicking game by rushing in for a level change. Wiklacz shuts it
down before anything comes of it, leaning his back to the wall and
setting up a Thai clinch. Gafurov swings his way out of it, and the
two slug it out in one fierce exchange. Wiklacz scores a heavy
right, and Gafurov smiles at him and rushes at him to go for a
single-leg entry. Wiklacz leaps up in the clinch to skim the face
with a double jump knee, and he defends with a guillotine choke
that makes Gafurov think twice about the shot. Gafurov drills the
midsection with a hefty kick, turning on the jets with wild swings
that at least partially connect until the close round ends. Gafurov
grins like a banshee after that opening five-minute stretch. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Gafurov Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-9 Gafurov Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Gafurov

The second round starts fast and furiously, with Wiklacz swarming
forward and knocking Gafurov off his feet with an initial flurry.
Gafurov counters with a takedown shot, in which Wiklacz wraps up a
guillotine choke to lower the Tajik fighter to his back. Wiklacz
settles himself down in side control, rapping his elbow off
Gafurov’s face repeatedly. Wiklacz switches to knees, and Gafurov
complains that he was struck in the spine when turning. A confusing
moment is dispelled when Wiklacz drops down a few more elbows, and
he sets up a guillotine when Gafurov scrambles to fight back to his
feet. Gafurov shakes it out and breaks off, where he walks Wiklacz
down and busts him in the chops with two hooks. Wiklacz stays on
his bike and jabs out a front kick, and he is out of the way when
Gafurov whiffs on a spinning wheel kick that makes him fall to the
ground. Wiklacz hunts for a guillotine during this moment, but he
bails on it and uses a knee shield to defend another spin. Gafurov goes after a takedown, and the moment the two hit the mat,
Wiklacz rolls his man over and winds up in full mount. The Polish
athlete wraps his right arm behind the head to set up an
arm-triangle choke, and he lets it go to strike down upon a bucking
bronco that is Gafurov. Wiklacz postures up to deliver elbows down,
and he lands a few and then smothers his foe and prevents him from
escaping. Wiklacz hooks his legs around Gafurov’s to further keep
him stuck, and when Gafurov scrambles, Wiklacz takes his back and
snatches up a rear-naked choke. Gafurov continues sitting up, and
he leans back to put Wiklacz’ back against the fencing and take his
leverage away. Wiklacz hacks with elbows until he sees an opening
for another rear-naked choke, and the round ends with Gafurov
surviving, getting up and loudly cursing. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Wiklacz Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-9 Wiklacz Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Wiklacz

It takes mere seconds for Wiklacz to engage in the final frame,
pegging Gafurov with distant strikes and probing kicks. Gafurov’s
responses are largely winging hooks, hoping that he can hurt
Wiklacz with his power. Wiklacz jabs and puts his guard up,
expecting the hurled right hand that comes. Gafurov walks his foe
down and looks for his home run punch, while Wiklacz skips around
from side to side prodding him with jabs. Wiklacz kicks when
Gafurov is coming at him, and he sets up a clinch to knee Gafurov
in the face. Gafurov punches his way out of it, banging his fists
into both sides of Wiklacz’ temple to briefly sting him. Gafurov
chains body shots together, digging them heavily until Wiklacz
answers with a pair of strong step-in knees. Wiklacz pushes off the face, and Gafurov complains of an eye poke
but waves Tognoni off. He starts headhunting, looking to put
Wiklacz away, who is tough as nails but getting pounded. Gafurov’s
sheer aggression pushes the two into the fencing, with Wiklacz
offering short knees to the gut until they split apart. Gafurov
knocks his foe to the wire, but Wiklacz bounces back and lobs a
head kick at him. Gafurov tanks it and swings mercilessly, and he
sets up a spinning back fist that clubs Wiklacz in the chin. He
connects with his huge right hand, and Wiklacz is struggling and
fatiguing as his back is against the wall. Gafurov walks him down
and slugs him in the chops, and he goes for a double-leg entry.
Wiklacz jumps guard for a guillotine choke, using the submission
setup to roll Gafurov to his back. When Gafurov sells out for the takedown, Wiklacz wraps up the
guillotine and rolls him over to full mount. Wiklacz squeezes with
all his might, and Gafurov signals a thumbs-up. With seconds on the
clock, the Tajikistani fighter’s expression changes. After trying
to adjust his mouthpiece, Gafurov frantically taps on both sides of
Wiklacz’ backside right before the final horn. Gafurov
gets up and motions that the fight ended before he surrendered, and
it will go to replay. The fighters do not know what to do, as one
team celebrates what they expect to be a submission victory while
the other knows that Gafurov did tap but hopes that he beat the
clock. The officials and some UFC staff crowd the review booth,
where they come to a conclusion. Tognoni goes to inform the
fighters that Gafurov did in fact tap out before time elapsed. The
buzzer-beater goes in the books as the second time Gafurov had been
finished. His previous stoppage defeat? A guillotine choke.

What a difference a year makes. One year (and a few months) ago,
Mix (20-2, 0-1 UFC) was riding high having defended his throne
against rival Magomed Magomedov. Now he finds himself coming into
his sophomore UFC appearance having lost his last fight, and he is
on the ESPN prelims. He will meet debuting former KSW champ Wiklacz
(16-3-2, 0-0 UFC), who is hoping that in 2026 he does not have the
same experience looking back. Referee Jason Herzog draws the charge
for what should be an entertaining bantamweight affair, and he
steps back as the combatants touch ‘em up. Wiklacz takes a step back and delivers a crisp front kick to the
body, and he follows with a right hand that makes Mix make a face.
Wiklacz continues to stay busy with right hands and body kicks, and
he digs a right to the midsection and fires off a kick to the same
spot. Mix tosses low kicks to slow him down, but Wiklacz splits the
guard with a right hand. When they clinch up, Mix lifts Wiklacz off
the ground with an uppercut, and they break off and trade kicks.
Mix blocks a kick and Wiklacz falls over, and he pounces. When
Wiklacz wall-walks, Mix elevates and slams him down to the floor.
Wiklacz scrambles and even briefly threatens with a guillotine, but
Mix ignores it and even thinks about a Von Preux before stepping
over to shut the sub down. Wiklacz keeps him from advancing thanks
to butterfly hooks, and he closes his guard around the waist. Mix smacks him around with short ground strikes, and he releases it
as chants for “USA” rain down. Wiklacz reverses the position with a
butterfly sweep, and he jumps up and wraps up a guillotine choke
while standing. The submission surprises the Angola, New York,
native, who has to turn over and give up his back to escape.
Wiklacz welcomes this by repositioning himself to full mount, and
he laces his legs around Mix’ to pin him flat. Wiklacz smothers his
man and delivers a few right hands, and he gives up mount to move
to side control. The Polish fighter maintains heavy shoulder
pressure and jams down a nasty elbow, developing some swelling
above Mix’ right eye. Mix sits up to get out of danger, and Wiklacz
threatens with a guillotine before the bell. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Wiklacz Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-9 Wiklacz Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Wiklacz

Between rounds, the eyebrow of Mix swells up badly. Mix goes right
after him, and he walks directly into a pair of big hooks. Mix
fires back with a kick and a body shot, and he gets up close and is
kneed for his handiwork. Wiklacz escapes out the side, but not
before getting jabbed. The Polish fighter chambers and fires a
thumping body kick, and he tosses aside a front kick from Mix.
Wiklacz doubles up on body kicks, and Mix thwacks him with an elbow
and shoots for a double. Wiklacz snatches up a guillotine off his
back, and he turns Mix to the side even with an arm in on the sub.
Mix stands up, and Wiklacz clings to him with the submission and
works his way back up. Mix stands and takes a pair of right hands
down the middle, and he takes a deep breath. Mix walks straight
into a left hand and a knee to the liver, and Wiklacz elbows him as
he continues throwing. Mix takes a clean elbow on the eye socket,
and he times a spinning Wiklacz to counter him with a left. Mix
tries to take the fight down, and Wiklacz jumps guard for a
guillotine. The American is able to shake Wiklacz off of him and dump him to
his back, where he slows Wiklacz down and drills him with a right
hand or two. Wiklacz’ butterfly hooks force Mix off of him just
long enough to stand, and they nail one another with heavy right
hands. Wiklacz delivers a hard body kick, and he sharply inhales as
Mix walks him down. Wiklacz goes to the body with a kick and then a
right hand, and he loops a left over the guard. Punches are traded,
and when they clinch, Mix lands a right hand and a left elbow.
Wiklacz pounds the body with a kick, and he does it a second time
as it appears to go a little low and brush the cup. Herzog calls
time and reviews the kick, which was legal and on the belt line, so
he resumes the action. Wiklacz kicks the same spot, right above the
belt, and Mix grimaces and absorbs it a third time when Wiklacz
darts in kicking. Wiklacz knees the body and then head, and Mix
answers with a number of uppercuts. The horn sounds to end the
round, with Mix leaking a bit out of his nostrils. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Wiklacz Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-9 Mix Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Mix

The fighters high-five to get going in the final frame, and Wiklacz
goes right to the kick that has done well the previous round. Mix
powers through it to lift Wiklacz up, and Wiklacz instantly goes
for his guillotine and snatches it up before they even hit the
ground. Mix bucks and shakes Wiklacz off of him, and he establishes
top position but has to fight butterfly hooks shortly thereafter.
The Polish fighter kicks Mix off of him for a moment, and Mix leaps
back on top of him and starts landing ground strikes. Wiklacz
frames off with elbows on his back, and he sits up but finds a
135-pound weight on his chest. Mix drives down a single elbow that
draws blood above the left eyebrow, and Wiklacz uses a heel hook
try to force himself up. As red liquid streams down his face,
Wiklacz turns to the side so it does not pool in his eye
socket. Mix maintains heavy control without landing much, and the fans
start to turn on him. Wiklacz hacks with a couple elbows to the top
of the dome, and Mix continues to embrace the grind. Mix lands one
or two strikes before Wiklacz bucks, and Wiklacz strikes back with
more elbows. Wiklacz bursts back to his feet with seconds to spare,
and Mix is quick to mat return him and take his back. Mix drives
home some right hands to punctuate his performance. It could go
either way, likely depending on how the judges saw the second
stanza. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Mix (29-28 Wiklacz) Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-9 Mix (29-28 Mix) Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Mix (29-28 Mix)

Jakub Wiklacz

Fight History

Fighter Skills Radar

Key Insights

Striking Profile

Key Insights

Grappling Profile

Key Insights

Conclusions Summary