Oktagon MMA veteran Shem Rock made his octagon debut on Saturday, taking on Nurullo Aliev at UFC Qatar.
The UFC’s debut in Doha, Qatar featured a preliminary card full of fresh talent, with featherweight Shem Rock arguably one of the most recognizable.
Rock opened the fight by having his leg caught, but he managed to slip free of the takedown attempt—a small early win. It didn’t last long. Aliev came out firing and buckled him with a left hand. He kept letting his hands go, repeatedly finding the mark with that left and walking Rock down to the cage. Aliev wasn’t exactly delivering a striking clinic, but he was crashing the pocket in bursts and consistently landing the heavier shots. Rock looked uncomfortable, struggling to find any success. His striking appeared labored and slow in comparison.
In round two, Rock desperately needed to earn Aliev’s respect, but the round didn’t open in his favor. Aliev controlled the center, threw far more volume, and Rock’s reactions to getting hit were increasingly concerning. To his credit, Rock showed solid takedown defense, which may have been the part of the matchup he thought would carry him. But outside of a few kicks from range, he was clearly outgunned on the feet. Aliev cracked him again with a clean left that buckled him, then secured his first takedown of the fight. Rock used the fence to work back up—though the way things were going, maybe staying down would’ve been safer. He did come close on a few head kicks, but nothing landed clean enough to slow Aliev’s pressure.
Heading into round three, Rock clearly needed a finish. He shot early for a takedown, but Aliev stuffed it. After they separated, Rock shot again, this time completing it and briefly taking mount. Aliev quickly used the cage to stand. Rock chained back into another takedown attempt but nearly got caught in a tight ninja choke for his trouble. With the clock winding down, Aliev secured a takedown along the fence. Rock got back up and created space, but he was exhausted and had nothing left to mount a final push. The fight ended with Aliev firmly in control.
Official Result: Nurullo Aliev def. Shem Rock by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
