Mid-west middleweight Zak Cummings (born in Texas, but fighting out of Kansas City) was stepping into the octagon for nearly the first time in a year at UFC Vegas 8. He was also looking to shake off a loss from back at UFC 252, against Omari Akhmedov. Saturday in Las Vegas, he was paired up against Italy’s Alessio Di Chirico, who had lost both of his fights in 2019.
It turned out to be the first fight of the card to go the distance, after four straight submissions. But Cummings came close to ending it in the dying moments of the third.
Despite their recent bad luck, both men started the fight composed. Cummings looked to be sizing up the big left hand while Di Chirico worked away with leg kicks. About half way through the round, Di Chirico began to open up a bit more with a head kick and a few bigger shots, but not much was landing flush. Cummings turned the tide a bit with extra pressure and a few leg kicks himself. Di Chirico, though, ended the round with a shot that appeared to wobble Cummings and turned it up for the last 30 seconds.
The second round started with more of the same with Cummings moving forward and Di Chirico circling with jabs and leg kicks. Cummings landed a few more of his loaded up lefts, but nothing particularly flush. The tentative nature of both fighters had referee Mark Smith warning them for the lack of action. This round ended with Cummings landing the better shots, including a leg kick that took Di Chirico off of his feet.
Mark Smith implored the pair for more action before he started the round. Di Chirico was the first to land something significant, with a right that backed Cummings up a bit, but he ate a hard straight left for his pursuit. The round then settled back into the slow style until Cumming landed a shot to the groin. Mark Smith used it again as an opportunity to encourage more action. They traded a little more freely as the fight neared its end. At the buzzer Cummings landed a left head kick that surely would have been the end of the fight if he had time to follow it up. Di Chirico was wobbled, stumbling away trying to tough it out so ref Smith wouldn’t call it.
😳 Di Chirico was absolutely wobbled after the final horn. #UFCVegas8 pic.twitter.com/dqjJhbd2qk
— UFC (@ufc) August 30, 2020
Official Result: Zak Cummings def. Allesio Di Chirico by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
