Misha Cirkunov was once considered a future contender in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. More recently, however, the Latvian-Canadian was looking to right the ship, having exited the 205lb weight class off a loss only to stumble out of the gate at middleweight.
On Saturday at UFC Vegas 49, Cirkunov was paired up with Wellington Turman, who was entering off a win over Sam Alvey. Turman, like Cirkunov, had seen an inconsistent run in the UFC, with a 2-3 record overall.
Cirkunov fired a powerful kick to the body in the opening minute, while Turman looked to take the fight down, changing levels for the attempt. He’d stay on it, and get Cirkunov down for moments. The Canadian popped back up, attempted to use the cage to keep himself up, then was taken back down. This time, Turman took the back on the way up, riding Cirkunov, who was carrying his opponent’s weight.
Turman had an arm under the neck, but Cirkunov controlled the other hand, preventing the Brazilian from finishing the choke. For a time, at least. Turman woudl finally get his hands together, and appeared to have things locked up, but Cirkunov shook him off, then landed a few big punches on his opponent, while Turman was on the mat. Cirkunov then set up a D’Arce choke, but Turman re-positioned. Misha then gave up on the choke, controlled from the back, and landed a few big strikes. He’d finish the round on top.
Just when it seemed as if Cirkunov had the advantage going into the second, Wellington Turman turned the tables in the blink of an eye. A trip got the fight down, and Cirkunov wound up in guard. Turnman then transitioned to an arm-bar, and it was tight! Cirknov tapped almost immediately, giving Turman his second consecutive win.
ARMBAR OUT OF NOWHERE BY @TURMANMMA 🤯 #UFCVegas49 pic.twitter.com/fb4n7UHNnx
— UFC (@ufc) February 27, 2022
Official Result: Wellington Turman def. Misha Cirkunov by submission (arm-bar), Round 2, 1:29
