UFC APEX, Las Vegas. USA
On the evening of September 4, another UFC tournament will take place in Las Vegas. A fighter from Ukraine, Liudvik Sholinian, will take on Jack Shore from Wales in one preliminary card.
The fight will take place in the lightest weight class. None of the fighters are in the top 15 of the official UFC contenders rankings.
Liudvik Sholinian is out on super short notice in place of Said Nurmagomedov, who dropped out due to injury.
Liudvik Sholinian: Making his debut on short notice
Sholinian has lived in Ukraine and made his sporting career there, although he is Armenian by nationality.
Liudvik has been dreaming of the UFC for a long time, and before he got the offer, he competed on the TUF 29 show, where he won one fight but lost in the semi-finals to Ricky Turcios by unanimous decision.
Sholinian’s only defeat came at Bellator, where he only had one fight. And he talks about it without pleasure:
I fought once in Bellator, and that’s my only defeat. I came on as a replacement one day before the fight, made the weight, and had a brilliant fight, but unfortunately, due to my condition, I couldn’t show everything I was capable of. I think anyone involved in the sport can understand what it means to lose six kilos in one day without getting ready for a fight and going into the cage. And they did not offer me any more fights. I don’t want to give all the details, but this league has no respect for fighters, and I no longer desire to fight there. If they offer me a contract? I don’t know, it’s possible. I’m a fighter, and this is what I do for a living. But hopefully, things will work out so that I won’t have to fight for this organization.
Rankings positions:
- 19th ranked of 244 active Europe Eastern Pro Bantamweights;
- 7th ranked of 111 active Ukraine Pro Bantamweights;
- 63rd ranked of 712 active United States Pro Bantamweights;
- 12th ranked of 112 active California Pro Bantamweights;
- 15th ranked of 200 active US West Pro Bantamweights.
Jack Shore: No defeats so far
Jack Shore enters the octagon with a perfect 15-0 record and has only hit the judges’ card twice in his career. In April against Hunter Azure, for the first time since 2018, Shore won by decision, and he was heartbroken that his fate was in the hands of the judges. That fight certainly gave him a lot to overcome.
Shore is confident that he can once again showcase his skills this weekend against Liudvik Sholinian, a recent TUF graduate.
He has a lot to work on. He’s probably not the most technical fighter in the world, but he likes to fight to succeed, and I think wrestling is his bread and butter. That’s where he shines. He likes to humiliate guys and torment them. He’s a dangerous opponent, but I think as long as I stick to my fight plan that my coaches require of me, I think I’ll be fine on Saturday night.
Shore is known for his technique and versatility. He has four wins by knockout and eight by submission while finishing his opponents six times already in the first round.
I want to put on a show this time, and I want to get back to finishing. I want to kill it, but I’m not going to rush into it. If I have to knock him out in the second or third round, I’ll do it. If the opportunity presents itself to take him out to the parterre, I’ll take him there.
Expert Betting Tips
It’s hard to imagine that Sholinian will be able to put up a decent resistance against Shore. In my opinion, they are fighters of entirely different levels. Liudvik’s chance is in a lackey punch or a gross mistake by his opponent. Either way, the fight won’t last long, and you can bet on Fight To Go The Distance - No for 1.66.
Other predictions
