Heavyweights Shamil Gaziev and Don’Tale Mayes faced off on the UFC Abu Dhabi prelims, taking place Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Gaziev, a fighter out of KHK Team in nearby Bahrain, had the full support of the UAE crowd in this fight. He lost for the first time ever in his last fight, a premature main event spot against Jairzinho Rozenstruik, but beat down his debut opponent in ferocious fashion rarely seen from heavyweights. His foe, Don’Tale Mayes, came in having traded wins and losses in his last four fights, bringing him to a 4-4 (1NC) record in the UFC. Gaziev was a healthy favorite on the betting lines and lived up to that with a dominant showing.
Gaziev hurt Mayes with punches in the opening moments of the fight, but used that advantage to shoot and land a takedown. Shamil held Mayes down in half guard for the rest of the duration of the first round, doing some minor damage but not being able to open up with monster ground strikes.
Mayes rebounded to start round two, landing a few clean right hands in the early going. However, Shamil clinched up and landed a big elbow on the break. After a clash of heads, Gaziev landed an overhand right, announcing the end of Mayes’ round two success. With about two minutes left, Gaziev clinched again and held his foe there for the rest of the round.
Shamil landed a clean right to start round three that rocked Don’Tale slightly. After some cagey striking, Gaziev just bundled Mayes over into half-guard again. Once again his top pressure was dominant but only a smattering of ground and pound was delivered to his foe’s face.
After making it look easy, but not being able to find a finish, there was no doubt that Shamil Gaziev had won the fight. All three judges correctly gave him all three rounds for the victory.
Official Result: Shamil Gaziev def. Don’Tale Mayes by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
