Diggin’ Deep on UFC 239: Early prelims preview

Peer beneath the surface of the early contests from UFC 239, featuring a welterweight scrap between rising prospect Ismail Naurdiev and gritty Chance Rencountre.

It’s no surprise there aren’t any contests of major consequences on the early prelims of UFC 239. The UFC did away with the featured Fight Pass prelim a while ago. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any youngsters who look like they could be in contests that have heavy consequences in them. Edmen Shahbazyan and Ismail Naurdiev have both shown significant promise in their short UFC stints, while Pannie Kianzad and Julia Avila have done so outside of the organization. If you’re into finding future stars before they become stars, these fights are for you. If you just like fights, these fights are for you. If you only care about big names, tune in later; these fights aren’t for you.

The early prelims begin on either Fight Pass or ESPN+ at 6:15 PM ET/3:15 PM PT on Saturday.

Edmen Shahbazyan (9-0) vs. Jack Marshman (23-8), Middleweight

Let’s get the obvious criticism out of the way. Yes, Shahbazyan trains at the Glendale Fight Club. You know, where Ronda Rousey trained. Coached by Edmond Tarverdyan. There’s no doubt Shahbazyan would benefit from a competent coach, but it’s also a testimony to the 21-year old’s physical talents. It isn’t like a supremely gifted talent isn’t capable of succeeding under subpar coaching. Rousey did.

Thus far, Shahbazyan’s explosion has been his most notable characteristic. He has several finishes in less than a minute, a result of his natural power and burst. Most of those finishes have come against subpar competition, but he showed he’s capable of going into deep waters in his debut by going the distance with a tough Darren Stewart. He accomplished that on the back of his dogged wrestling. As Shahbazyan continues to climb the middleweight ladder, he’s going to struggle to find success in that endeavor as his wrestling isn’t exactly technical nor are his shots well timed. Has he reached that ceiling?

Against Marshman, there is a strong likelihood Shahbazyan’s success will continue. Marshman is an exciting brawler when given the opportunity to stand and trade with proficient power. He’s even been making strides to tighten up his technique, though it has come at the cost of the slugging nature that has made him a fan favorite. However, it’s his poor wrestling that makes him unlikely to overthrow Shahbazyan in this one. Marshman has traditionally been difficult to submit, but that hardly makes him a threat on the mat. Shahbazyan’s superior physical gifts should ensure he walks out of this contest with another W. Shahbazyan via decision

As for the rest….

• It’s more than likely you haven’t heard of Ismail Naurdiev before. You should be aware of him. He snapped the 8-fight win streak of Michel Prazeres earlier this year. Say what you want about Prazeres, but he isn’t a scrub. What made Naurdiev’s performance all the more impressive is the manner in which he beat Prazeres, outpointing the Brazilian grappler on the feet with ease and quickly getting back to his feet every time he was taken down. He gets a completely different kind of test in Chance Rencountre, a large welterweight with limited athletic ability. However, he does know how to use his size and has shown improvements in his ground game. Naurdiev has struggled with larger opponents in the past, but he’s looking better in every contest. Still just 22-years old, I’d be shocked if Naurdiev isn’t the one with his second UFC win under his belt. Naurdiev via decision
• It’s easy to forget that Pannie Kianzad was once one of the hottest young prospects in the sport. Most were willing to forgive her losses to the likes of Tonya Evinger and Sarah Kaufman… but Raquel Canuto? Kianzad has been prone to mental errors and has trended more towards engaging in striking battles as she has grown more comfortable on the feet. Not that improving her striking is bad, but she has abandoned her ground game in some contests. She may want to return to her wrestling and grappling roots as her opponent, Julia Avila, has fast hands and packs a hell of a punch. Avila’s ground game has held up well too, but her bread and butter is without a doubt her striking. Kianzad provides a better challenge than Avila’s original opponent, Melissa Gatto. However, given the short notice of the contest and her other shortcomings, I’d be surprised if the Swede comes out on top. Avila via TKO of RD2