Light heavyweight action kicked off the UFC Vegas 74 card on Saturday, as Maxim Grishin and former PFL heavyweight champ Philipe Lins threw down.
Lins opened the action with a low kick, then went over the top with a heavy punch to back his fellow PFL alum up. Grishin fought off a takedown attempt, getting his back off the cage. That gave Grishin chance to walk Lins down, but it was Lins firing first when they did come together. In another clinch situation, Grishin landed a few foot stops; Lins reversed, dropped down for a takedown, couldn’t get it, and found himself reversed back around before they moved off the fence.
Round two opened with the pair immediately going to the fence, Lins in control. That would be a theme throughout the round, though Grishin proved able to defend the Brazilian’s takedown attempts. At distance, things were a little more even, and through two rounds, not a lot of significant damage had been done.
The final minute of the second round saw Grishin finding success with leg kicks, while Lins worked the body with his jab.
Again in round three, Lins drove his opponent up against the fence. But as had been the case in the opening two rounds, Grishin was able to stay upright and stall Lins, leading to a warning from the ref, who appeared to consider restarting the action. Instead, the pair moved off the cage, but didn’t stay out in the open long, with Lins again pressing Lins up against the fence. Another warning from the ref ensued, but the rest of the fight would play out there, with Lins edging the grappling battle and mixing in a bit of striking despite being unable to take Grishin down.
🗣 By UD!
👊 @PhillipeLins adding a dub to his win column at #UFCVegas74. pic.twitter.com/LER7CXxJZ5
— UFC (@ufc) June 3, 2023
Official Result: Philipe Lins def. Maxim Grishin by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
