Liverpool’s Chris Fishgold utilized his impressive ground game at UFC Prague, earning his first UFC win with a second round submission victory over Daniel Teymur.
Chris Fishgold is an English fighter who defended the Cage Warriors lightweight championship three times after winning gold in 2016. He dropped to featherweight for his UFC debut against Calvin Kattar, which he lost by first-round knockout in October. Fishgold is a submission specialist with a 17-2 record with 14 of those wins coming via tapout.
Daniel Teymur, the older brother of UFC lightweight David Teymur, will be looking for his first victory with the promotion at UFC Prague. The former Swedish Muay Thai champion started his MMA career at 6-0, earning him a shot at the biggest promotion in the world. Teymur was on the losing end of a Fight of the Night in his promotional debut, then was submitted by Julio Arce in his second appearance.
Fishgold shot for a takedown in the opening seconds, forcing Teymur against the cage and grabbing onto the Swede’s leg. Teymur then grabbed the fence egregiously, forcing referee Herb Dean to deduct a point. Once placed back into their position against the fence, Fishgold took control and took Teymur to the ground. The Liverpool native wasn’t able to do much damage on the ground, and Teymur was able to work the fight back to the feet.
Fishgold continued to shoot for takedowns and pressure Teymur consistently throughout round one. After a near-takedown, Fishgold had Teymur’s back, but again was unable to take advantage of the position. Teymur showed impressive strength, eventually getting some ground strikes from top position of his own on Fishgold. With less than 90 seconds left, the duo traded hard shots, with Fishgold getting the better of Teymur. Shortly thereafter, the fight was once again on the ground, with Fishgold on top after yet another takedown. Fishgold worked for an armbar that looked sunk-in, but Teymur managed to escape that as well, hearing the bell with Fishgold on his back.
Fishgold had Teymur on his back within the first 30 seconds of the second round, landing yet another takedown. After passing guard and eventually taking Teymur’s back, Fishgold flattened his opponent out and finished the fight with a clinical rear-naked choke.
Chris Fishgold earned his first career UFC win in impressive fashion at UFC Prague, submitting Daniel Teymur early in round two. It’s as great a performance the submission specialist could’ve hoped for, while the Swede will go back to the drawing board after his third consecutive loss.
Chris Fishgold def. Daniel Teymur by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) in Round 2 (1:10)
