Paul Abraham
IMMAF will once again be represented inside the Octagon this weekend. At UFC Abu Dhabi: Ankalaev vs. Guskov, Abdul Hussein and Magomed Tuchalov will both make their UFC debuts. The two fighters have very different careers, but they share one thing: both won gold on the amateur circuit before turning professional.
Abdul Hussein was one of IMMAF’s top bantamweights during the mid-2010s. Representing Finland, he won the European Championships in 2015 after four victories. In the final, he defeated Marco Zannetti to claim the gold medal.
One year later, Hussein did even better. At the 2016 World Championships, he once again won four fights and became world champion. He defeated Alexander Pereira, Lath Stevens, Hughie O’Rourke before beating David Evans in the final.
Those two titles made him one of the top amateur bantamweights of his generation. But unlike many prospects, Hussein did not reach the UFC quickly. He spent several years fighting in different organizations and building his record.
The Finnish fighter now enters the UFC with a 15-2 record. One of his defeats came against fellow alumni Muhammad Mokaev in 2021. Since then, Hussein has put together a long winning streak and has finished several opponents. For his UFC debut, he will face Cody Gibson. The American has more than 30 professional fights and has already spent many years in the UFC. It is a difficult first matchup, but Hussein has more experience than most debutants.
Magomed Tuchalov arrives with a different profile. The Russian won the 2019 IMMAF Junior World Championships in the 185-pound division. He defeated Mehdi Taki, Lukas Kaplan and Matej Hrkal to claim the gold medal. Since turning professional, Tuchalov has not lost a fight. He enters the UFC with a 6-0 record and has finished five of his six opponents. His style is aggressive, and most of his fights do not reach the final bell. Tuchalov has won by submission, elbows, ground and pound and even a flying knee. In his most recent fight, he stopped former UFC fighter Caio Machado in the first round. That win showed he was ready for a bigger opportunity.
He will now face Brendson Ribeiro in his UFC debut. The Brazilian has already fought several times in the organisation and is known for his power. Tuchalov will have to be careful, but a win would immediately make him an interesting name in the middleweight division.
Hussein and Tuchalov did not take the same road to the UFC. Hussein spent years gaining experience before finally earning his chance, while Tuchalov reached the organisation after only six professional fights. Still, both first made their names in the IMMAF. This weekend, they will try to show that their amateur success can also translate to the UFC.
