Nazim Sadykhov looked to get his third win in three UFC fights when he took on Viacheslav Borschchev, better known as ‘Slava Claus,’ at UFC 295.
Nazim was one of three LAW MMA products out of Long Island fighting in Madison Square Garden this night, so he generated a huge pop from the New York faithful when he came out. Sadykhov, aka ‘The Black Wolf’ had proven to have a well-rounded skillset in his first two UFC fights, winning both by stoppage. Slava Claus has shown to be a skillful kickboxer with a hole in the wrestling, making him a slight underdog coming into the fight.
Both men switched stances fluidly and frequently to start the first round as they exchanged leg kicks and feints in a feeling-out process. One minute in Nazim caught a kick and landed a knee to the body in the clinch, but notably declined to push the takedown despite an advantageous position. Borshchev landed clean punches with his long arms and knocked the legs out from under Sadykhov with a kick. Nazim still pressed forward and then did shoot a takedown for real, but had it stuffed with confidence by Slava. The rest of the round was competitive still, but Slava announced himself to have a decided advantage on the feet.
In round two the striking was much more even as Borshchev seemed slower, which led to Nazim Sadykhov knocking him almost senseless with a hook. He got on top and pounded on Slava Claus, who somehow survived and fought back. Nazim stayed on top for a while, landing a big elbow that cut open Slava badly on the forehead, but then Viacheslav got back to his feet. Slava still seemed wobbly on the feet and Sadykhov landed an easy takedown, after which he passed to mount instantly before settling in half guard when his foe squirmed. Slava was insistent on trying to get up and did again right before the end of the round. On the feet ‘The Black Wolf’ landed another big right hand before the horn.
The final round started in a close fight, with a possible 10-8 going to Nazim Sadykhov in the second. He got back on the pressure to start the third and landed a single leg within thirty seconds. Nazim passed to quarter-mount for a moment before being forced back into full guard from a knee shield. Slava kicked to try to get up and eventually created enough space to stand. On the feet he landed good body shots but had trouble breaking through upstairs. Nazim responded with a failed takedown as the body shots began to add up and Borshchev got momentum for the first time since the first round. Nazim then finally got another takedown with two minutes left in the round. Viacheslav immediately began to fight to get up and got only briefly stuck in side control before wrestling up to his feet. On the feet it was more of the same, as Slava Claus won the striking with ease despite being stuck on the back foot. Sadykhov got one more takedown in the final seconds but was unable to do much damage in the third overall, on the feet or the canvas.
After a thrilling, back-and-forth war the cards were read out, with the decision likely hinging on that second round and whether the judges thought it was a 10-8 for Nazim or not. It turned out that two of the judges thought that way, while one gave the bout 29-28 to Borshchev. The pair did not celebrate the draw, but they did embrace. Slava Claus did a muted version of his usual celebration dance and Sadykhov joined in for a brief styling of his own. Regardless, the fight was excellent and perhaps they will run it back at some point.
Official Result: Nazim Sadykhov vs. Viacheslav Borshchev ends in a majority draw (29-28, 28-28, 28-28)
