A fight that many predicted would be over early went the distance to open the UFC 247 card on Saturday night in Houston, TX.
Opening up the UFC 247 card in Houston on Saturday was a featherweight pairing that might otherwise have headlined an LFA card. Both Austin Lingo and Youssef Zalal were products of that promotion, making their Octagon debuts to kick off the event on UFC Fight Pass.
Heavy-handed Lingo was a perfect 7-0 to start the evening, while Zalal, a.k.a. “The Moroccan Devil” was coming in off a flying knee knockout in his last Legacy Fighting Alliance bout (we took a closer look at the debuting duo earlier).
Here is how the action went down:
Round 1
Lingo pressed forward immediately and started the action with a few short left hooks. Zalal opened with some hard knees and leg kicks. He tried to take Lingo down but the Fortis MMA product defended it well. The Moroccan fighter used a lot of movement to avoid strikes from his adversary and then looked for a takedown. A scramble ensued and Zalal hit Lingo with a few knees to the head from the front headlock position, which had Lingo’s nose pouring blood. Once Lingo broke free, he began to open up on the feet and stalk Zalal firing off hard punches. Zalal was able to get a takedown but the Fortis MMA product popped back up to his feet and got a takedown of his own. He was forced to fight off a kimura attempt as the round came to an end.
Close round.
Cageside Press scored the round 10-9 Zalal.
Round 2
Zalal opened the second round with a lot of elusive movement and then tried to get Lingo to the canvas. The Factory X fighter trapped Lingo’s right arm behind his back which helped keep Lingo down. Once a scramble started, Zalal looked for a D’Arce choke. Lingo got to his feet but Zalal locked it in even tighter. Lingo defended it by taking Zalal down to the canvas but it looked very deep. The Fortis MMA fighter was able to scramble free but as soon as he got to his feet, he was kicked in the head. Lingo chased after Zalal and was taken down once again. He looked for a guillotine choke but couldn’t find it as the round ended.
Cageside Press scored the round 10-9 Zalal.
Round 3
Zalal showed a lot of movement once again as Lingo chased him around the cage. Every time he looked to strike Zalal, he swung at the air as Zalal easily slide away from the attack. When Lingo pressed too hard, Zalal tripped him down with a single leg. After about one minute on the bottom, Lingo scrambled to his feet but was dragged right back to the canvas. Zalal looked for an anaconda choke but couldn’t submit his opponent. Lingo pressed forward again but Zalal is too elusive for him to connect with anything. Zalal landed a single leg and then rolled under for a guillotine choke. As Lingo rolled out, Zalal locked in another D’arce choke as the round and fight came to an end.
Cageside Press scored the round 10-9 and the fight 30-27 for Zalal.
Official Result: Youssef Zalal def. Austin Lingo by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
