Mamed Khalidov: Remember the Name

Whether the world knows it or not, Mamed Khalidov (20-3-1 MMA) is a top ten fighter. His win over Jorge Santiago (21-8 MMA, 1-2 UFC, #5 IWMMAR) opened a lot of eyes to a fighter no one knew about. A prohibitive underdog, Khalidov seemed to be the only person who knew he wasn’t supposed to win.

Stopping a top five middleweight in under two minutes is impressive, but what’s frightening about Khalidov is not the explosive finish of a top fighter. Many fighters with devastating strikes have appeared on the scene and shocked top ten fighters to establish themselves, and then faded from the spotlight (look at Rameau Sokoudjou). For Khalidov, though, it’s about one number.

That number is 18.

That’s the number of consecutive fights Khalidov has gone without a loss, and it comprises most of his career. Opening at 3-3 is not impressive for a professional fighter, generally speaking. However, to come back from that unimpressive start and rattle of 17 wins and a draw is impressive.

A deeper look at Khalidov’s record, though, delivers more insight into the potential of a fighter who’s skill seems to be growing on a fight-to-fight basis. The Polish middleweight (who, it’s worth noting, could probably cut down and become the second largest noteworthy welterweight behind Anthony Johnson) didn’t go to decision once in his 17 wins. His current streak includes eight (T)KO victories and nine submissions and demonstrates the ability to work off of his back, from both the closed and open guard and the ability to work from the top position.

Whether Khalidov will come over to fight in the states is a matter of pure speculation right now, but he’s certainly the kind of fighter that might get a warmer reception from a more submission friendly Japanese audience. That said, his ground-and-pound based top game might win him a lot of fans in the U.S. Since he’s working with World Victory Road, as opposed to Dream, the chances of him coming over for a fight or two in Strikeforce are much lower (Dream has a partnership with Strikeforce; World Victory Road does not).

What seems like a logical next step for Khalidov is a hype building fight against a figure recognizable to Japanese fans, but not a serious threat to Khalidov’s record. There are a few distinct possibilities (Sakuraba jumps immediately to mind, as does Minowaman), but not that really seem like excellent opponents. After a win that builds his support with Japanese fans, Khalidov ought to have a title shot against Jorge Santiago, since the last fight was non-title and Santiago remains the organization’s middleweight champion.

There’s not going to be a lot of talk about Khalidov, as he had the misfortune of establishing himself on a huge weekend for MMA, but it is worth noting that this guy became, over that huge weekend, a major player in an international middleweight division that continues to turn out solid matchups, and will see the return of one of its greatest enigmas, Cung Le, in December. Hopefully Khalidov will be a good preview to the impressive displays we can expect from similar fighters.