Fares Ziam vs Nazim Sadykhov
Men's Lightweight Bout • UFC 323
Saturday, December 6, 2025
Explore Detailed Fighter Profiles
Click on either the fighter's name or profile image for each fighter to access comprehensive UFC statistics including striking metrics, grappling data, clinch performance, complete fight history, offensive & defensive analytics, and round-by-round breakdowns.
Fares Ziam
Fighter Metrics
Victory Methods
Win Round Distribution
Last 5 Fights
| Date | Opponent | Result | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-02-01 | Mike Davis | W | Decision - Unanimous (R3, 5:00) |
| 2024-09-28 | Matt Frevola | W | KO/TKO - Knee to Head (R3, 2:59) |
| 2024-02-24 | Claudio Puelles | W | Decision - Split (R3, 5:00) |
| 2023-07-22 | Jai Herbert | W | Decision - Unanimous (R3, 5:00) |
| 2022-09-03 | Michal Figlak | W | Decision - Unanimous (R3, 5:00) |
Nazim Sadykhov
Fighter Metrics
Victory Methods
Win Round Distribution
Last 5 Fights
| Date | Opponent | Result | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-06-21 | Nikolas Motta | W | KO/TKO - Punches to Head (R2, 4:17) |
| 2025-02-15 | Ismael Bonfim | W | TKO - Doctor Stoppage (R1, 5:00) |
| 2023-11-11 | Viacheslav Borshchev | D | Draw - Majority (R3, 5:00) |
| 2023-07-15 | Terrance McKinney | W | Submission - Rear-Naked Choke (R2, 1:07) |
| 2023-02-18 | Evan Elder | W | TKO - Doctor Stoppage (R3, 0:38) |
📊 Technical Radar Comparison
Legend & Notes
- • SLpM, TD15, Sub/15 are normalized to 0–100 for plotting.
- • Percent metrics (StrAcc, StrDef, TDAcc, TDDef) are raw %.
- • Tooltip shows true raw values with units.
- • Colors: Blue = Fares Ziam, Red = Nazim Sadykhov.
📊 Detailed Statistical Comparison
Technical Score
Cardio Score
Overall Rating
🥊 Fight Analysis Breakdown
🏆 Fares Ziam Key Advantages
Elite striking defense (65%) paired with minimal damage absorption (1.62 SApM) creates a sustainable minute-winning profile. In the spacious 30ft cage, these defensive advantages compound—Ziam can control distance, deny clean entries, and accumulate scoring minutes without paying heavy offensive tolls. His ability to slip, parry, and counter effectively allows him to win rounds through defensive efficiency while maintaining offensive output, creating a low-risk pathway to victory that becomes increasingly valuable as rounds progress.
Height (6'1" vs 5'10") and reach (75" vs 69") provide the ideal platform for a jab–teep–low kick tempo. Ziam can intercept linear entries with knees, use frames to break clinch attempts, and reset along the center logo. These physical advantages are magnified in the 30ft cage where additional space allows for effective circling and angle creation. His ability to maintain distance while landing clean scoring shots gives him a significant edge in accumulating points without engaging in high-risk exchanges.
Strong cardio score (82/100) indicates Ziam can maintain consistent output and technical execution across three full rounds. His 13:21 average fight duration and ability to sustain pace without fading give him a clear advantage in the later minutes, where disciplined footwork and sustained defensive awareness become increasingly valuable. This cardio edge allows him to maintain his range-control game plan throughout the fight, preventing late-round breakdowns that could favor Sadykhov's pressure-oriented approach.
⚠️ Unfavorable Scenarios
📋 Likely Gameplan
🚀 Nazim Sadykhov Key Advantages
Aggressive striking output (5.55 SLpM—nearly double Ziam's 2.85) paired with a 91% finish rate creates legitimate early knockout danger. Sadykhov excels in hot starts with visible damage accumulation in R1–R2, leveraging power and volume when distance is closed. His recent performances show he can hurt opponents early and carry finishing threat throughout exchanges, making him particularly dangerous in the opening minutes when his explosiveness and power are at their peak.
Efficient takedown accuracy (56% vs 41%) and freestyle wrestling background enable Sadykhov to blend level changes with striking combinations effectively. By mixing takedown entries, he can muddy Ziam's defensive reads, open lanes for power shots, and create opportunistic submission windows during scrambles—his recent submission of McKinney demonstrates real finishing threat on the mat. This wrestling threat forces Ziam to respect level changes, creating openings for Sadykhov's power strikes.
Sadykhov's pressure-oriented style is most effective when cutting cage exits, forcing pocket exchanges, and initiating fence clinches where he can blend takedowns with dirty boxing. His ability to step across the lead leg and close distance disrupts range fighters' rhythm, and his recent wins over Motta and Bonfim showcase how pressure can overwhelm technical strikers when exits are denied. This pressure creates chaos that favors his aggressive style and finishing ability.
⚠️ Unfavorable Scenarios
📋 Likely Gameplan
🎯 Fight Prediction Analysis
Data-driven prediction model based on statistical analysis
📊Detailed Analysis Summary
🧭Matchup Dynamics
In the spacious 30ft cage, range control becomes the fundamental battleground. Fares Ziam leverages his physical advantages—height (6'1" vs 5'10") and a 6" reach edge (75" vs 69")—to establish a methodical jab–teep–low kick tempo that accumulates scoring volume while minimizing risk. His superior defensive metrics (65% StrDef, 1.62 SApM) create a minute-winning platform ideal for three-round fights. Conversely, Nazim Sadykhov thrives when geometry is compressed: his aggressive volume (5.55 SLpM), fence-driven pressure, and opportunistic takedowns (56% TDAcc) become most dangerous when he can cut exits, force pocket exchanges, and initiate clinch wrestling sequences. The cage's extra space favors Ziam's circling and resets; if distance is preserved through the early rounds, minutes accumulate in his favor. However, if Sadykhov successfully cuts angles early and sustains cage control, clinch time and dirty boxing can tilt scorecards and create finishing windows through accumulated damage or late submissions.
🧮Technical Breakdown
Defense emerges as the defining separator in this matchup. Fares Ziam's elite striking defense (65% vs 50%) combined with minimal damage absorption (1.62 SApM vs 5.89) creates a textbook minutes-based pathway to victory. His kickboxing background and measured output (2.85 SLpM) prioritize clean scoring over risky volume, allowing him to win rounds without sustaining cumulative damage. In contrast, Nazim Sadykhov brings explosive offensive metrics—5.55 SLpM output and 56% takedown accuracy—paired with genuine finishing ability across methods (8 KO/TKO wins, 2 submissions). However, his defensive vulnerabilities (50% StrDef, 5.89 SApM) mean he pays a price for his aggression, particularly at range where Ziam's counters and intercepting knees become effective. Critically, Sadykhov's wrestling volume (1.29 TD/15min) is efficient but not overwhelming; without securing extended top control or cage dominance, these takedown attempts score incrementally rather than decisively. Over three rounds, clean outside work at range typically outscores brief fence sequences on modern judging criteria, giving Ziam's defensive efficiency an edge in close-minute scenarios.
⚡Key Battle Areas
Early rounds (R1–R2): Nazim Sadykhov holds maximum finishing equity during this window, where his power volume (5.55 SLpM) and early knockout history create genuine danger. He must aggressively close distance, blend level changes off striking combinations to muddy defensive reads, and generate visible damage that builds momentum and influences judges. His path depends on denying Ziam clean resets and forcing prolonged fence or pocket exchanges. Middle phase (R2–R3): Footwork discipline and stance-kick execution from Fares Ziam become critical. By maintaining center-cage positioning, using teeps and low kicks to manage distance, and avoiding extended pocket trades when Sadykhov surges volume, Ziam can bank minutes through cleaner technical work. His ability to intercept entries with knees and use frames to break clinch attempts prevents Sadykhov from establishing sustained control. Late round (R3): Cardio differentials (82/100 vs 61/100) favor Fares Ziam for sustained minute-winning sequences and technical consistency. However, Nazim Sadykhov remains live and dangerous—fence breaks, scramble moments, and explosive bursts can still produce late finishes or swing close rounds. The final five minutes will test whether Ziam's defensive discipline holds or Sadykhov's relentless pressure finally breaks through.
💰 Betting Analysis: Model vs Market
Detailed value assessment in the betting market
📊Market Odds
🤖Analytical Model
Model Props (Fair Odds)
💎Value Opportunities
MAXIMUM VALUE
Model: 46%
GOOD VALUE
Model: 27%
SLIGHT VALUE
Model: 66%
🎯 Comprehensive Probabilistic Analysis
100 hypothetical fight simulation based on statistical data
🏆Outcome Distribution - Fares Ziam
💥Outcome Distribution - Nazim Sadykhov
🎯 Final Confidence Assessment
Confidence level and risk considerations
Confidence Level
Solid edge for Fares Ziam via defense and range control.
✅Supporting Factors
- • Elite striking defense (65%) and low SApM (1.62)
- • 6" reach advantage suits large cage
- • Strong late-minute profile (cardio 82/100)
⚠️Risk Factors
- • Nazim Sadykhov's early KO threat (27% route)
- • Fence pressure and chain wrestling mixing
- • Lightweight volatility