Prospect Exclusive: Muhidin Abubakar

Flyweight, Muhidin Abubakar (9-1)

Pros

-Submission threat
-High work rate/Always working
-Scrambles effortlessly
-Strong kickboxing base
-Good cage wrestling
-Fluid hips
-Dynamic
-Excelling jiu-jitsu
-Explosive takedown entries
-Intelligent ground and pound
-Solid positional grappling

Cons

-Can be flat-footed at times
-Can lack useful feints

A lot of times you don't really know how good of a fighter someone is until you dive into their fights deeply. With Abubakar that is the case because he's a top flyweight prospect and I wouldn't have said that yesterday. Abubakar doesn't have any weaknesses but instead, things he could work on.

The fight starts on the feet, so let’s begin there. Abubakar is a very kick-heavy striker—perhaps too reliant on them. That’s not to say he doesn’t use his hands, because he does. He has a solid jab and even holds a one-punch knockout on his record. However, I’d like to see him incorporate more volume with his hands, especially targeting the body, which he has shown effectiveness in before.

That said, his kicking game is impressive—fluid, quick, explosive, and dynamic. He mixes up his targets well, attacking low, high, and straight down the middle with teeps. He also switches stances seamlessly, throwing kicks from both sides. At times, he flashes his versatility with spinning attacks to keep opponents guessing.

Early in the fight, Abubakar moves well laterally, sticking and moving with ease. As the fight progresses, however, his footwork becomes more stationary, allowing opponents to let their strikes go before he’s forced to respond. I don’t believe this is a cardio issue but rather an effort to conserve energy.

Where Abubakar truly shines is on the mat. His wrestling is explosive and effective, particularly from the inside. He excels at body-lock takedowns and knee traps, as well as shooting in on the legs and angling off for the finish. The one thing I’d like to see more of is setting up his takedowns with strikes or feints instead of simply exploding forward. Even a feint before committing would elevate his wrestling game significantly.

His grappling is relentless, and it’s clear how much effort he puts into it. He’s constantly working to improve his position and hunt for finishes, even off his back. When taken down, he’s never complacent—he creates space with butterfly hooks, works his hips to the outside, and uses the openings he creates to threaten submissions or force scrambles.

Offensively, his top control is strong, and he uses his legs well to pass guard and maintain control. He’s fundamentally sound in transitions, applying pressure, pushing down on the knee, and using other tricks to advance. His ground-and-pound is especially dangerous, particularly when using the Dagestani handcuff, securing a wrist ride to control one arm while striking with the other.

Abubakar is also a legitimate submission threat, even though he has as many decision wins as finishes and more knockouts than subs. He’s particularly dangerous when attacking the neck, with a slick rear-naked choke and guillotine, and his flexibility allows him to threaten armbars and triangles. Even when he doesn’t secure the finish, he keeps opponents constantly defending.

His only loss came against Luthando Biko, who was able to control him from top position for extended periods. That’s not a bad loss by any means—Biko is incredibly strong and has long been underrated. That said, I’d pick Abubakar to win that fight more often than not.

Currently, he’s riding a five-fight win streak, with three of those being title fights. He holds a notable victory over Gift Walker, who was once highly touted. From when I first scouted him as a 3-0 pro to now, he has made tremendous strides in his game. He’s confident wherever the fight goes and never looks uncomfortable in any area. With more seasoned cage time and continued development, he’s going to be a serious problem for years to come.