UFC Fight Night 265: Nicolas Dalby vs Saygid Izagakhmaev Preview & Prediction
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A fascinating welterweight matchup lands on the prelims, pairing Denmark’s battle-tested grinder Nicolas “Danish Dynamite” Dalby against the returning Russian standout Saygid Izagakhmaev.
Nicolas Dalby vs Saygid Izagakhmaev facts
What time are Nicolas Dalby and Saygid Izagakhmaev expected to walk out?
Where is UFC Fight Night: Tsarukyan vs Hooker? Ali Bin Hamad al-Attiyah Arena, Al Rayyan, Qatar
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night: Tsarukyan vs Hooker? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night: Tsarukyan vs Hooker
What TV channel is UFC Fight Night: Tsarukyan vs Hooker on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night: Tsarukyan vs Hooker? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC Fight Night 265: Tsarukyan vs Hooker main card
Arman Tsarukyan vs Dan Hooker (Lightweight)
Belal Muhammad vs Ian Machado Garry (Welterweight)
Volkan Oezdemir vs Alonzo Menifield (Light Heavyweight)
Jack Hermansson vs Myktybek Orolbai (Welterweight)
Serghei Spivac vs Shamil Gaziev (Heavyweight)
Alex Perez vs Asu Almabayev (Flyweight)
UFC Fight Night 265: Tsarukyan vs Hooker prelims
Bogdan Grad vs Luke Riley (Featherweight)
Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev vs Rafael Cerqueira (Light Heavyweight)
Tagir Ulanbekov vs Kyoji Horiguchi (Flyweight)
Bekzat Almakhan vs Aleksandre Topuria (Bantamweight)
Ismail Naurdiev vs Ryan Loder (Middleweight)
Nurullo Aliev vs Shaqueme Rock (Lightweight)
Nicolas Dalby vs Saygid Izagakhmaev (Welterweight)
Marek Bujlo vs Denzel Freeman (Heavyweight)
Nicolas Dalby: Durable Danish veteran looking to rebound after brutal knockout loss
Nicolas “Danish Dynamite” Dalby (23-6-1, 2 NC) enters this bout as one of Europe’s most experienced welterweights, returning after suffering a vicious knockout loss to Randy Brown in June 2024. That defeat snapped his momentum and raised questions about how much more punishment the 41-year-old can absorb at this stage of his career. Dalby has built a reputation on grit, high output and relentless forward pressure, often dragging opponents into attritional, gruelling contests where he thrives in the clinch and overwhelms with cardio. His comeback wins over Gabriel Bonfim and Muslim Salikhov showed he can still compete with high-level talent, even when labelled the underdog.
Despite his age, Dalby’s durability and pace remain standout traits. He rarely allows opponents space or time to settle and forces them to match his intensity across every minute of the fight. However, the Randy Brown knockout was one of the heaviest losses of his career, and it occurred against a sharp striker known for precision and timing. The question now is whether that damage has lasting effects. Even so, Dalby brings the advantage of recent activity, big-cage UFC experience, and the ability to weaponise cardio against opponents who struggle later in fights.
Saygid Izagakhmaev: Highly skilled Russian grappler returning from extreme inactivity
Saygid Izagakhmaev (22-2) makes his UFC debut carrying serious credentials from ONE Championship, where he earned victories over respected names such as Shinya Aoki, James Nakashima and Raimond Magomedaliev. A long-time affiliate of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s coaching circle, Saygid is a composed, technically disciplined grappler with excellent chain wrestling, strong back takes and a smothering top game. On paper, he brings the kind of elite ground skill set that traditionally translates well into the UFC, especially in the welterweight division where pressure wrestlers often thrive.
However, Izagakhmaev’s biggest issue cannot be ignored: he has not fought since November 2022. Nearly three years of inactivity is a glaring red flag, particularly for a fighter making his UFC debut on a major card. While his talent is undeniable, the lack of recent cage time raises questions about timing, conditioning and how he handles the unique pace and intensity of UFC welterweights. Additionally, he has never fought under UFC lights or in a UFC-sized cage, which significantly changes grappling dynamics. Against a veteran like Dalby — someone who pushes a frantic pace and thrives in physical, exhausting exchanges — that long layoff could be a decisive factor.
Nicolas Dalby vs Saygid Izagakhmaev Prediction
This matchup sets up a fascinating contrast between activity and inactivity, pressure and control, and proven UFC experience versus elite talent returning from a prolonged layoff. Izagakhmaev is the cleaner technician and the superior grappler on paper, but nearly three years outside the cage is an enormous disadvantage against someone like Dalby, who never allows opponents to ease into a fight. The Dane’s pace, durability and willingness to play spoiler could force Saygid into uncomfortable exchanges, especially if the ring rust shows early in the fight.
Dalby has survived and won against higher-calibre UFC opposition than Izagakhmaev has ever faced, and his ability to drag opponents deep into rounds could expose conditioning gaps caused by Saygid’s inactivity. While the Russian remains a dangerous threat if he gets his grappling going, the combination of cage rust and Dalby's relentless work-rate may tilt the fight towards the veteran. Expect Dalby to press forward, work the body, clinch consistently and turn this into a high-volume, high-pressure contest that Saygid struggles to match over three rounds.
Prediction: Nicolas Dalby to win by decision
