Sean Strickland defeats Abus Magomedov via TKO at 4:20 of round 2
Abus Magomedov was touted as the new-comer who nobody wanted to fight, and Sean Strickland just took him out with ease.
After an Abus eye-poke halted the action early in the first, Magomedov poured on the offense with some serious snap on his shots. Strickland remained composed, successfully blocking much of the onslaught. However, the second round was that of a completely different fight.
Abus was noticeably drained after his high-action offense in the opening frame, and Strickland sensed it right away. After rocking Abus with a punch early on, Sean swarmed him against the fence, unloading his own high-octane attack. Eventually, Sean put him down with a clean right hand, followed up with some ground and pound, until Mark Smith was forced to step in and stop the fight; good enough for a $50,000 bonus.
Those those little Peter Pan kicks stun a little bit but, all we gotta do is get in there and box like a man, do the man dance
Grant Dawson defeats Damir Ismagulov via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Grant Dawson arguably just had the best win of his career.
After facing some adversity on the feet early in the first, Dawson was able to drag Damir to the ground and control him entirely. It turned out to be a dominating, smothering performance that saw virtually zero offense from Damir after the opening minutes. The most impressive part of Grant’s performance was his ability to take the back and hold Damir there. As soon as they hit the mat, Grant would routinely be working his was to the back and locking in a tight body lock. Even as Damir was doing the right things to defend, Grant would just adjust every time. I have a feeling Grant Dawson got his pre-fight wish:
When people talk about me on Sunday, the only thing I want them to say is, ‘Man, that kid is good’
Michael Morales defeats Max Griffin via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
The highly talented 24-year-old Michael Morales impressed yet again tonight.
Max Griffin was able to land cleanly on Morales in the first round, but not much after that. After a close first, Morales took control of this fight in the second. Morales had Griffin hurt badly multiple times, flexed/showboated a bit, and patiently picked him apart to end round two. The final round looked quite similar, just a tad more taunting and some continued attacks that hurt Max multiple times. Morales ended the fight with a big slam, earning a solid unanimous decision victory. Keep an eye on Michael Morales.
Benoit Saint Denis defeats Ismael Bonfim via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:48 of round 1
Ismael Bonfim vs Benoit Saint Denisplayed out as advertised, incredible back and forth action. The only blemish, it didn’t last long enough.
Both men were throwing full power punches and landing clean early, until Saint Denis was able to get a takedown and transition directly into mount. Bonfim did manage to roll over on top position, but found himself defending a takedown soon again as he stood back up. Ismael was able to sprawl but Benoit quickly hopped on the back on his way up, attacked the rear naked choke, and got the finish.
Nursulton Ruziboev defeats Brunno Ferreira via KO at 1:17 of round 1
Nursulton Ruziboev has arrived, and in a big way.
Ruziboev had a lot of pressure coming into his UFC debut, and boy did he deliver. After a brief exchange that saw both men get their shots off, Ruziboev caught Ferreira’s body kick and floored him to the mat with a straight right. Some follow-up ground and pound shots were all that was needed for Mark Smith to step in and stop this fight, just 1:17 into the first round. Not only did he get a first round knockout in his UFC debut, he also received a $50,000 bonus for the finish.
Rinat Fakhretdinov defeats Kevin Lee via submission (guillotine) at 0:55 of round 1
It turned out to be an unceremonious return to the octagon for Kevin Lee, who was choked unconscious by Rinat Fakhretdinov less than a minute into the fight.
Fakhretdinov started this fight like a bat out of hell. He got right on Kevin Lee, landing a solid leg kick with heavy straights before dropping Lee with a right hand. Dazed and hurt, Lee was not able to properly fend off Fakhretdinov’s submission attempt, and shortly after was rendered unconscious. While many of the eyeballs on this fight were for Kevin’s return, Rinat Fakhretdinov may have just earned himself some new fans/respect.
Joanderson Brito defeats Westin Wilson via KO at 2:54 of round 1
Joanderson Brito had a huge finish over Westin Wilson tonight as well. Despite Brito landing flush early with a right hand, Wilson kept his hands low in his traditional karate stance. Brito was able to capitalize and land again, this time hurting Wilson. He was able to get the takedown on Wilson and go into side control immediately. While on bottom, Westin went for a leg lock a few times, but was ultimately ground and pounded until the referee pulled Brito off of him.
Elves Brener defeats Guram Kutateladze via TKO at 3:17 of round 3
The second fight of the night featured a potential comeback of the year candidate. Elves Brenner cashed in as a huge +500 underdog with a late stoppage victory over Guram Kutateladze in a high action bout.
Brener began the fight slightly ahead of Guram, landing some in-tight shots early and getting a quick takedown. Elves then took Guram back down as soon as he got up, they returned to the feet, and Brenner was rocked by a devastating elbow that led to a knockdown. All of a sudden, Guram had stolen the first round.
The second round was the most clear of the fight. Guram had Brenner rocked multiple times on the feet, and rained down some vicious ground and pound shots. The elbows from Guram cut Elves open badly, covering nearly his entire face in blood, seemingly muddying his vision.
Somehow, Brenner seemed quite refreshed heading into the third round, despite the amount of damage he had incurred. He tagged Guram early with a combination that shifted the momentum completely; now Guram was the one covering up against the cage looking to survive. Brenner was hurt by a few of Guram’s shots shortly after, but he then threw a flying knee that seemed to land partially to Kutateladze’s body. A short time later, Elves hit Guram with a short elbow, causing him to slowly collapse to the ground and the fight ending. While it is unclear whether the elbow at the end or the flying knee shot caused Guram to fall, Elves Brenner proved he can not only gut out a win, but he can also do it against elite competition. This bout was awarded the Fight of the Night bonus, both men will be receiving $50,000.
Massachusetts native currently writing for Severe MMA. Former writer for Neutral Zone LLC. Follow me on Twitter @lander_theo, LinkedIn and Youtube @ Theo Lander for articles and event coverage.
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