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UFC simulation vs. the market Bout Simulator
Blagoy Ivanov
Heavyweight · “Baga”

Blagoy Ivanov

19-7-0 (1 NC) UFC 3-5-0
Granite Chin Durable
5'11"Height
73"Reach
SouthpawStance
40Age
0KO wins
0Sub wins
0%Finish rate
16:15Avg fight

Skill profile

Rated 0–100 · where 138 MMA has read him, his grades and tags set each axis and the stats only nudge inside his band · stats alone where he is silent · the rim is reserved for specialists
Striking — Average, rated 50 of 100 · 138 MMA: striking good · Jun 2023 · stats read 36 → nudged -8 inside the band · claims striking volume -1, striking technique +1, pressure +1 (+1) Accuracy — Below avg, rated 25 of 100 · claims striking technique +1 (+2) Striking D — Below avg, rated 28 of 100 · stats only — nothing in his reads bears on this axis Durability — Above avg, rated 78 of 100 · 138 MMA tag chin: durable · Jun 2023 · stats read 73 → nudged -0 inside the band · claims chin +2 (+4) Wrestling — Average, rated 48 of 100 · 138 MMA: wrestling good · Jun 2023 · stats read 28 → nudged -10 inside the band · claims clinch +1 (+1) TD Defense — Above avg, rated 75 of 100 · 138 MMA tag td defense: good · Jun 2023 · stats read 61 → nudged -3 inside the band · claims td defense +2 (+4) Grappling — Below avg, rated 34 of 100 · 138 MMA: grappling decent · Jan 2023 · stats read 26 → nudged -5 inside the band Control — Below avg, rated 25 of 100 · claims top control +2 (+8) Striking Accuracy Striking D Durability Wrestling TD Defense Grappling Control
striking good
1 analyst read graded this phase
  • good UFC Fight Night Strickland vs Magomedov Full Card Breakdown & Predictions (UFC Vegas 76) · June 27, 2023 watch ↗
grappling decent
1 analyst read graded this phase
  • decent UFC Vegas 68 Full Card Breakdown (Road to UFC Finals) · January 31, 2023 watch ↗
wrestling good
2 analyst reads graded this phase
  • good UFC Fight Night Strickland vs Magomedov Full Card Breakdown & Predictions (UFC Vegas 76) · June 27, 2023 watch ↗
  • good UFC Vegas 68 Full Card Breakdown (Road to UFC Finals) · January 31, 2023 watch ↗
cardio not yet read
durability not yet read
striking good 1 read
grappling decent 1 read
wrestling good 2 reads
cardio not yet read
durability not yet read

138 MMA anchors Striking, Durability, Wrestling, TD Defense, Grappling · his tags and claims adjust Accuracy, Control · stats alone on Striking D.

Granite Chin never dropped in 130 minutes of cage time · 0 losses by knockout
Durable above avg durability — rates 78 of 100 · 138 MMA tag chin: durable · Jun 2023
Career rates — the raw numbers behind the chart
Sig. strikes landed / min3.25
Sig. strikes absorbed / min4.2
Striking accuracy40.5%
Striking defense53.5%
Knockdowns / 15 min0.12
Takedowns / 15 min0.69
Takedown accuracy40.0%
Takedown defense61.5%
Sub attempts / 15 min0.12
Control time8.5%
Record vs .500+ opponents3-5

Insider info

2 analyst reads · 138 MMA · our paraphrase, never his words
vs Alexandr Romanov coinflip UFC Fight Night Strickland vs Magomedov Full Card Breakdown & Predictions (UFC Vegas 76) · June 27, 2023
strikinggood wrestlinggood grapplingdecent

He repeatedly says anyone confident in this fight is lying, calls it a horrible fight to pick, and only leans Ivanov for a decision; this is the standing stay-away idiom plus an explicit outcome hedge, not just a price comment.

A good, hard-to-take-down wrestler with good top pressure, decent power and a very durable chin, but criticized for doing too little with his advantages: low output, no finishing instinct, and a tendency to just be 'there.' The analyst's own stronger conviction in this bout is actually a prop bet on the fight going the distance rather than on either man.

StrengthDifficult to take down
StrengthGood top-pressure grinder
StrengthVery durable, can absorb a shot from anybody
WeaknessLow output / little volume
WeaknessLittle finishing instinct even with good skills
td defense · goodchin · durableko power · decent
vs Marcin Tybura clear UFC Vegas 68 Full Card Breakdown (Road to UFC Finals) · January 31, 2023 · 1 read since
grapplingdecent wrestlinggood

The analyst picks Tybura on the cage-push matchup and takes him straight up, though the price is not great value.

A heavyweight with a steady, unchanging pace. He has slightly better boxing than Tybura, though still low volume, and decent-or-better grappling that has not been seen used at a high level in a long time, leaving its current sharpness uncertain. His takedown defense is good, and he is a good offensive threat when pushing an opponent to the cage, but he tends to tire and end up with his own back against the cage, a bad spot against an opponent like Tybura. He is also described as extremely tough.

Strengtha bit better boxing than Tybura, though still low volume
Strengthdecent-or-better grappling when he uses it
Strengthgood takedown defense
Strengtha good offensive threat when pushing an opponent to the cage
Strengthvery tough, hard to drop
Weaknessgrappling has not been seen at a high level in a long time, current sharpness uncertain
Weaknesstends to tire and end up pinned against the cage, a bad spot for him
td defense · goodchin · durable

Striking trend

Sig. strikes/min, last 8 fights · green = win
July 14, 2018 vs Junior Dos Santos — 2.04/min (L) Jul '18 March 9, 2019 vs Ben Rothwell — 4.8/min (W) Mar '19 June 8, 2019 vs Tai Tuivasa — 4.87/min (W) Jun '19 November 2, 2019 vs Derrick Lewis — 1.33/min (L) Nov '19 May 30, 2020 vs Augusto Sakai — 4.4/min (L) May '20 May 7, 2022 vs Marcos Rogerio de Lima — 4.13/min (W) May '22 February 4, 2023 vs Marcin Tybura — 2.27/min (L) Feb '23 July 1, 2023 vs Alexandr Romanov — 2.93/min (L) Jul '23

Fight history

8 UFC bouts · newest first · opponent records as of fight night
L Alexandr Romanov 16-2 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00 — UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Magomedov · July 1, 2023
44/108Sig. strikes
85/154Absorbed
0/0Takedowns
0:00Control
0Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
L Marcin Tybura 22-7 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00 — UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivac · February 4, 2023
34/113Sig. strikes
40/103Absorbed
0/0Takedowns
0:00Control
0Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
W Marcos Rogerio de Lima 19-7-1 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00 — UFC 274: Oliveira vs. Gaethje · May 7, 2022
62/128Sig. strikes
68/133Absorbed
0/4Takedowns
3:52Control
0Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
L Augusto Sakai 14-1-1 walk-in Decision - Split · R3 5:00 — UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs. Burns · May 30, 2020
66/125Sig. strikes
78/161Absorbed
1/3Takedowns
1:08Control
0Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
L Derrick Lewis 21-7 walk-in Decision - Split · R3 5:00 — UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz · November 2, 2019
20/38Sig. strikes
31/68Absorbed
3/6Takedowns
3:22Control
0Knockdowns
1Sub attempts
W Tai Tuivasa 9-1 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00 — UFC 238: Cejudo vs. Moraes · June 8, 2019
73/123Sig. strikes
64/144Absorbed
2/2Takedowns
2:38Control
1Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
W Ben Rothwell 33-10 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00 — UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Dos Santos · March 9, 2019
72/178Sig. strikes
70/163Absorbed
0/0Takedowns
0:00Control
0Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
L Junior Dos Santos 17-5 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R5 5:00 — UFC Fight Night: Dos Santos vs. Ivanov · July 14, 2018
51/229Sig. strikes
110/248Absorbed
0/0Takedowns
0:02Control
0Knockdowns
0Sub attempts

Walk-in records count UFC bouts in this database. For the pre-UFC career, see the record breakdown below or the Tapology button up top.

Record breakdown

Full pro career (Wikipedia, results only)
19-7-0 (1 NC)Pro record
Combat Sambo - Bulgaria, American Kickboxing AcademyGym / team

Wins by method

KO/TKO 6
Submission 6
Decision 7
Other 0

Losses by method

KO/TKO 0
Submission 1
Decision 6
Other 0

No contests: 1

Fights by organization

UFC 8
Bellator 7
WSOF 4
Real Pain Challenge 3
PFL 2
Chekhov MMA Tournament 1
World Victory Road Presents 1
Fitness Mania 1
Full career — 27 fights, every organization
OpponentMethodEventOrg RdTime
L Sergei Bilostenniy Decision (unanimous) PFL 1 (2024)
April 4, 2024
PFL 3 5:00
L Alexander Romanov Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Strickland vs. Magomedov
July 1, 2023
UFC 3 5:00
L Marcin Tybura Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivac
February 4, 2023
UFC 3 5:00
W Marcos Rogério de Lima Decision (unanimous) UFC 274
May 7, 2022
UFC 3 5:00
L Augusto Sakai Decision (split) UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns
May 30, 2020
UFC 3 5:00
L Derrick Lewis Decision (split) UFC 244
November 2, 2019
UFC 3 5:00
W Tai Tuivasa Decision (unanimous) UFC 238
June 8, 2019
UFC 3 5:00
W Ben Rothwell Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. dos Santos
March 9, 2019
UFC 3 5:00
L Junior dos Santos Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Ivanov
July 14, 2018
UFC 5 5:00
W Caio Alencar Decision (unanimous) PFL: Fight Night
November 2, 2017
PFL 3 5:00
W Shawn Jordan TKO (punches) WSOF 35
March 18, 2017
WSOF 1 1:43
W Josh Copeland Decision (unanimous) WSOF 31
June 17, 2016
WSOF 5 5:00
W Derrick Mehmen TKO (punches) WSOF 24
October 17, 2015
WSOF 2 4:33
W Smealinho Rama Submission (guillotine choke) WSOF 21
June 5, 2015
WSOF 3 1:17
L Alexander Volkov Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 120
May 17, 2014
Bellator 2 1:08
W Lavar Johnson Submission (Americana) Bellator 116
April 11, 2014
Bellator 1 4:08
W Rich Hale Decision (unanimous) Bellator 111
March 7, 2014
Bellator 3 5:00
W Keith Bell Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 109
November 22, 2013
Bellator 1 3:59
W Manny Lara Submission (standing guillotine choke) Bellator 99
September 13, 2013
Bellator 1 1:17
W Ricco Rodriguez TKO (retirement) Chekhov MMA Tournament
December 24, 2011
Chekhov MMA Tournament 3 3:33
W Zak Jensen Technical Submission (guillotine choke) Bellator 52
October 1, 2011
Bellator 2 2:35
W William Penn TKO (punches) Bellator 38
March 26, 2011
Bellator 1 2:58
W Svetoslav Zahariev Submission (rear-naked choke) Real Pain Challenge 9
October 9, 2010
Real Pain Challenge 1 3:33
W Kazuyuki Fujita Decision (split) World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 9
August 2, 2009
World Victory Road Presents 3 5:00
NC Ilir Latifi NC (ring broke) Real Pain Challenge 2
May 17, 2008
Real Pain Challenge 1 0:55
W Yancho Dimitrov TKO (punches) Real Pain Challenge 1
March 9, 2008
Real Pain Challenge 1 2:31
W Kamen Georgiev TKO (corner stoppage) Fitness Mania
October 13, 2007
Fitness Mania 1 5:00

Career history from the fighter's Wikipedia record table (Blagoy Ivanov) — results only, no strike stats; UFC bouts are marked and carry full stats in the fight history above.

Division context

vs. 100 qualified Heavyweight fighters · tick = division mean
Striking volume /min 3.2 avg 3.4
Strikes absorbed /min 4.2 avg 3.3
Striking accuracy 40.5% avg 49.5%
Striking defense 53.5% avg 52.1%
Takedowns /15 min 0.7 avg 1.2
Takedown accuracy 40.0% avg 37.6%
Takedown defense 61.5% avg 61.8%
Sub attempts /15 min 0.1 avg 0.4
Control time 8.5% avg 21.4%
Finish rate 0.0% avg 63.7%

Headshot of Blagoy Ivanov by UFC · Official UFC athlete photo (copyright UFC; not freely licensed) · Wikimedia Commons · flattened onto dark background, cropped/resized