Featherweights Muhammad Naimov and Kaan Ofli closed out the UFC Saudi Arabia preliminary card on Saturday.
Ofli had been considered a favorite to win The Ultimate Fighter 32, but had fallen in the final to Mairon Santos. As for Naimov, he was looking to bounce back from a loss against Felipe Lima.
Action was halted early on in the UFC Saudi Arabia featured prelim when Ofli connected with a kick that landed flush with the groin. About 40 seconds later, Naimov was ready to go; he fired a punishing low kick almost immediately off the restart.
A bit of scrappy action followed, until they tied up along the fence, Naimov in the driver’s seat. He landed some short punches to the body, but Ofli was able to get his back off the fence with just over a minute remaining. Ofli would then land a low kick, answered with an elbow; a minute later, Ofli was drilled to the body, then clipped with a shot that sent him off-balance. Strong end to the round for Muhammad Naimov.
Round two saw Kaan Ofli go on the attack early, punching his way forward until Naimov clinched up and put him back on the fence once again. In an exchange after moving back to center, Ofli cracked Naimov right on the jaw with an uppercut, though Naimov ate it well. The exchange saw Ofli then put Naimov on the fence, double underhooks giving him control for a moment until Naimov finally reversed. Ofli reversed again a moment later, and fired knees to the thigh and an elbow over the top. When Naimov reversed once more, however, he uncorked a five or six punch combo, forcing Ofli to cover up.
With just over two minutes remaining, it was Naimov then landing a key takedown, almost immediately finding himself in side control. No finish, but lots of time for Naimov to work.
Despite Naimov likely being up in the fight, he started round three with some flash, firing a spinning kick up high. Ofli did manage to grab a leg and nearly dump him, but Naimov stayed upright, then took the fight down, moved to mount, and began raining down ground n’ pound. Ofli gave up his back, allowing Naimov to clamp on a bodylock. From there, he had over three minutes to hunt a rear-naked choke. Ofli fought the body triangle while defending the choke, battling for leg position and looking to reverse, to no avail.
With a minute or so left, Ofli would scramble out, returning to his feet and unleashing a combo to the body. He tied up Naimov after that, not the best option for a man needing a finish. A couple of solid shots did land, however, with Naimov covering up, but time round out before Ofli could make anything happen. No surprises on the scorecards, with Muhammad Naimov earning a clear decision victory.
Official Result: Muhammad Naimov def. Kaan Ofli by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
