Ismail Naurdiev looked to make it 2-0 in the UFC‘s middleweight division and three straight overall when he took on South Korea’s Jun Yong Park at UFC Baku on Saturday.
“The Iron Turtle” Park had won five of his last six, the lone loss coming against Gregory Rodrigues.
The first half of the opening round of UFC Baku’s lone middleweight fight was a bit of a feeling out process, but soon enough, Naurdiev appeared to have found his range. That, however, did not stop Park from marching forward, working his jab, and connecting with the right hands that trailed it. An eye poke halted the action with about 90 seconds left in the round; when the fight resumed, it was almost immediately halted again for a glancing low blow. Their pair fought on however, with Naurdiev loading up on a few shots, but Park rocking him with a counter! Naurdiev then slipped off a body shot; after a slow start, Naurdiev vs. Park had become a hard-hitting affair.
Things went south quickly in round two. Jun Yong Park was a downed opponent, on a knee, when Naurdiev connected with a massive knee strike to the face. That opened up a huge cut on “The Iron Turtle,” and Naurdiev followed up with punches then ran off to celebrate what he thought was a win. Park got back to his feet, and the doctor was brought in to check him over. Surprisingly, Park was allowed to continue, and the ref took not one but two points from Naurdeiv. Which, for Naurdiev, was still better than a DQ loss.
Off the restart, Park changed levels, shooting in for a takedown and driving Naurdiev into the fence. Naurdiev would eventually break free, and they re-engaged at center, before clinching up along the fence again. The takeaway, Park seemed to have recovered from a very egregious foul. Though he found himself slammed down just past two minutes in, Naurdiev threatening to take the back. Park scrambled out, and got to a knee- not eating an illegal one this time thankfully. Instead, Park got Naurdiev down himself, moving to a three-quarter position along the fence. The horn would sound before he could do any real damage however.
Round three saw the gritty Park take the fight back to the mat, and this time he was heavy on top. Threatening to take the back, looking to isolate an arm, getting a hook in, softening up Naurdiev with punches – Park was in the driver’s seat. Ismail Naurdiev, meanwhile, was fading. They’d go to the final bell, with Park taking the victory on the scorecards. And as it turned out, he would have had the win even without the points being deducted.
Official Result: Jun Yong Park def. Ismail Naurdiev by unanimous decision (29-26, 29-26, 29-25)
