Damir Ismagulov looked very good against Thiago Moises at UFC Shenzhen, turning in a clean three-round victory in China.
Damir Ismagulov attempted to stay undefeated in the Octagon at UFC Shenzhen against Thiago Moises.
Damir Ismagulov came to the UFC after defending the M-1 lightweight title three times. Looking to stop Ismagulov’s 13-fight win streak is Thiago Moises, who is 1-1 in the Octagon after an appearance on the Contender Series.
After a conservative start to the fight, Moises threw a front kick to the midsection that missed and Ismagulov landed a combination in return. Both fighters were establishing their range, with Moises favoring kicks and Ismagulov utilizing combinations. Ismagulov started to establish his leg kicks. The leg kicks were really landing heavily for Ismagulov, then a quick left hand dropped Moises. The Kazhakstani fighter stood over him and landed punches to the body to end the round.
Cageside Press scored the round 10-9 Ismagulov
Ismagulov caught Moises coming in#UFCShenzhen ▶️ https://t.co/8NI16K9JVN pic.twitter.com/8tTTVSOI4g
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 31, 2019
Ismagulov went back to his kicks to start the second round, starting low then going high. Moises really didn’t have much to offer Ismagulov on the feet, as Ismagulov was mixing up strikes very effectively. After eating a heavy leg kick, Moises shot for a takedown that Ismagulov defended against the cage. After the fighters broke apart, Moises immediately shot in deep for a takedown, but somehow, Ismagulov was able to defend. Moises landed a clean left hand then a combination, which was the most success Moises had seen on the feet to that point. A heavy right hand landed for Ismagulov, who looked great after two rounds.
Cageside Press scored the round 10-9 Ismagulov
Ismagulov started the final round with a pair of spinning attacks that didn’t land cleanly. A beautiful leg kick landed for Ismagulov, who continued to keep Moises on his toes with feints. An easy defense of a takedown for Ismagulov after Moises openly shot from far away. Ismagulov continued to mix it up and Moises just didn’t have an answer. While he didn’t have much going on, Moises was able to land a spinning back kick near the end of the fight before finally waking up and walking forward aggressively with punches. It wasn’t enough though, as Ismagulov was too good throughout.
Cageside Press scored the round 10-9 Ismagulov (30-27 Ismagulov)
Damir Ismagulov def. Thiago Moises by Unanimous Decision (30-27 x2, 30-26)
Check out all the results from UFC Shenzhen here!
