French featherweight William Gomis looked to improve to 5-0 inside the octagon when he faced off against Hyder Amil at UFC Vegas 103.
Amil entered the night a perfect 9-0 in a career that had seen stops in LFA (2-0), Bellator MMA (3-0), the Contender Series (1-0), and then the UFC (2-0). Gomis had not lost since 2016 and came into this contest on a 13 fight win streak.
From the opening bell Amil came out extremely aggressive putting pressure on Gomis early. Gomis reversed position against the fence and landed a good knee to the body in the clinch. Gomis wanted to strike from the outside, but Amil was closing the distance well and forcing the fight into the clinch. Gomis length and size served him well against the cage where he held Amil for almost a minute. Gomis kicks to the legs and body at distance were lighting fast and efficient. Gomies landed a nice elbow and knee in the clinch that busted open Amil and started a cut. Amil elected to bite down on his mouthpiece and both fighters exchanged punches on the inside. An action packed opening five minutes saw Gomis slightly out land Amil, who had good moments as well.
Amil pressed forward again in the second looking to land big hooks on the inside. Amil landed a beautiful three punch combination against the fence that forced Gomis to retreat. Gomis answered with a spinning kick to the body, but Amil ate it and marched forward. Gomis had no pressure to land his devastating strikes at distance, as Amil made the talented striker fight off his back foot. Both fighters threw caution to the win in the final minute of round two exchanging shots against the fence. After ten minutes the fight seemed to be tied at one a piece.
In the final round Gomis again fought with his back against the cage and struggled to use his length against Amil. Gomis landed a strong left straight, while Amil worked punches to the body. The pace that Amil was able to go at was very impressive, tiring out Gomis who was known for having a solid gas tank. Amil then landed a takedown in the third and worked to the back of Gomis. Amil started to land ground and pound to Gomis as he tried to scramble to his feet. Amil showed no respect for the power of Gomis continuing to walk straight toward his opponent. Gomis began to throw labored punches that looked to have no sting left on them. After three hard fought round the fight went to the scorecards for the judges decision. A highly entertaining contest that saw each fighter land over 100 significant strikes.
When the judges scored the fight they were split. One judge saw the fight for Gomis while the other two saw the contest for Amil. Staying undefeated and cashing as a betting underdog, Hyder Amil picked up the biggest win of his career. Following the victory, Amil talked about some of the struggles he has been going through including losing a close friend, and his dog. Amil stated he deserves someone in the top 10-15 rankings next. The 11-0 rising prospect is trained by former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez and has massive opportunities to come.
Official Result: Hyder Amil def. William Gomis by unanimous decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
