Middleweights Bruno Silva and Ismail Naurdiev faced off early on Saturday’s UFC 308, and thanks to the card taking place in Abu Dhabi, for Western fight fans, it really was early.
Coffee and fisticuffs were on the menu, with the fight the second in at the Etihad Arena. As for the fighters, both were badly in need of a win – Silva had lost three straight, most recently against Chris Weidman, and Naurdiev two of his last three. In Naurdiev’s case, however, that record came outside of the UFC, where he was making his return following a stint in Brave CF.
The fight started off with Silva getting right to work with his jab. Naurdiev threw a few rear kicks to the body in response. Ismail was also able to find a home for the calf kick early. The strikes seemed to have an immediate effect on Silva. A couple of minutes into the round and Ismail was able to catch one of Silva’s kicks. Naurdiev used the elevated leg to force Silva into the cage. Naurdiev worked for the takedown for a bit before exiting. When the two fighters returned to space, Naurdiev continued to be the aggressor looking for low kicks before shooting in for a takedown again. Silva was once again pushed with his back against the cage defending the takedown.
This time, after Naurdiev disengaged he landed a well-timed boxing combination. A few seconds later, Naurdiev attacked again, shooting in for a takedown and finally forcing his opponent to his bottom. Silva attempted to work back to his feet and found himself being threatened by a deep rear naked choke. Bruno was able to escape the attempt, and the first round concluded shortly after.
The second round picked up exactly where the first ended, Silva popping off that jab and Ismail moving in looking to land leg kicks and fire off his hands. Ismail continued to give Bruno multiple looks, changing levels with his boxing and moving in and out of range. About 90 seconds in, Ismail was able to secure another takedown. As Bruno tried to work back to his feet, Naurdiev scored some points landing some effective ground and pound.
Once back on the feet, Naurdiev was able to defend a surprising, half-hearted takedown attempt from Bruno, with a pretty tight guillotine. Bruno was able to shuck the attempt but was takedown shortly thereafter as it began to seem like the pace of the fight was drowning him. Silva had his back against the cage, while Ismail tried to control his legs to keep him from returning to his feet. Naurdiev landed some damage before Bruno, once again, found a way to his feet. The round would end with Silva thwarting one more takedown but looking very fatigued and dejected.
To start the final round, Naurdiev definitely looked like the fresher fighter as he easily moved in and out of his opponent’s striking range before pressing him against the cage. With the two men against the cage, Ismail began to unload short strikes, peppering Silva. The two fighters disengaged again, and Silva decided to go for another ill-advised takedown attempt. Ismail thwarted the attempt and seconds later continued to move his feet, tagging his opponent a couple of times.
As the round continued, Bruno continued to look more and more frustrated, with his punches looking extremely labored and slow. Silva picked up the offense in final bit of the fight, but just couldn’t seem to catch his opponent flush. Ismail kept up the pressure but still looked cautious, not landing more than a couple of pot shots at a time. In the last thirty seconds of the fight, Ismail really showed off his defensive footwork, head movement and landed some measured counters as he cruised to a victory.
For Naurdiev, the win comes in his first fight since December 2023. That fight was his final bout for Brave. In his first run with the UFC, from 2019 to 2020, he went 2-2.
Official Result: Ismail Naurdiev def Bruno Silva by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
