Stepping into his promotional debut on short notice at UFC Vegas 86 on Saturday was Contender Series alum Timothy Cuamba, replacing Damir Hadzovic against Bolaji Oki.
Visa issued kept Hadzovic out of the fight but left Cuamba with a limited window to prepare for his opponent, a fellow DWCS alum making his own debut.
When round one got underway Cuamba was on his bike moving laterally. Oki was staking Cuamba looking for his opening. Early on Cuamba was the only one throwing even if it wasn’t anything significant. Oki started to pick it up with the jab as the round progressed, and landed a nice right hand in an exchange. As the round went Oki was more loose and was sharp with his jab and defense. The jab was easily the biggest factor used in round one and the red face of Cuamba showed it.
In round two, Cuamba landed a good combo but it was Oki back with the jab. Oki started to find his jab with the one-two forcing Cuamba to go in on a single leg. He got in deep on the takedown but Oki had strong defense. He used his top pressure to get a better position on the mat. Cuamba eventually got Oki fully down and that’s where the round ended.
Heading into the last round it was likely evened up. Both guys were technically sound. Cuamba landed a right-cross and Oki fired back with the jab. Cuamba tried going back to the takedown but Oki got the space back. There were a lot of feints but not as much thrown from either guy. The best shot throughout the whole fight was the jab from Oki. Cuamba shot in for another takedown but it wasn’t close. Oki pressed hard to end the fight throwing more output staying busy to the end. That earned him the win, but it was a close one.
Official Result: Bolaji Oki def. Timothy Cuamba by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
