Prediction: Nick Klein via Submission
This comes down to commitment and intent. Pulyaev’s striking is clean, no doubt. He’s got a solid understanding of range, knows how to pick his shots, and he’s sharp at managing distance with his strikes. But for all that range control and composure, he’s still very much hittable, and more importantly—he can be taken down.
That’s where Klein comes in. Klein doesn’t play around when he wants the fight on his terms. He’s not one of those guys that half-commits to a takedown and just clinches to stall. When Klein shoots, he’s in deep and going through the hips. And once he gets on top, he’s a dog—squeezing, grinding, searching for the neck or the back with real killer instinct. Pulyaev might have decent takedown defense, but we’ve seen him get planted when opponents go all in on the entry—and Klein is absolutely that type.
Pulyaev might win the technical exchanges on the feet early, but that’s not the whole fight. Klein knows he can’t stay at range and get touched up for three rounds. He’s gonna pressure, make it ugly, and drag this thing into the trenches. And when it gets there, Pulyaev hasn’t shown enough off his back to make you feel confident he can stop Klein from grinding out rounds or threatening subs.
Even if Klein doesn’t get the first takedown, he keeps coming. And the moment he feels Pulyaev starting to slow or hesitate, that’s when he takes over. He’s not just shooting—he’s shooting to finish, and when he sees the opening, he’s the kind of guy who will squeeze like his paycheck depends on it.