Muhammad Naimov and Mairon Santos kicked off Saturday’s UFC 323 preliminary card, with the event the final numbered UFC event of the ESPN era.
The would-be featherweight fight was shifted to catchweight after Santos missed weight by a pound and a half. The Brazilian, having recently joined “The Fighting Nerds,” was a TUF winner, and still just 25.
It was Santos holding center early, firing kicks towards Tajikistan’s Naimov, then catching one when Naimov returned fire. While he couldn’t dump Naimov, Santos caught and wobbled him moments later with a right hand that drew an audible reaction from fans at the T-Mobile Arena.
The next major development came as Naimov ducked down just as Santos was entering himself, resulting in a clash of heads. They went into a clinch, only for the ref to pause the action, then restart it in the same spot. A clearly accidental foul, and a very brief interruption in the fight itself.
Round two saw the pair clinch up early, with Naimov eventually getting in control. He fired knees to the thigh, and soon reversed the position, only to be reversed again. A lot of small battles, but not a lot of action during the first couple of minutes of the frame. Santos took to slapping his opponent, several times on the back, once on the head, before finally freeing himself. That led to a brief exchange at center, with both men taking some big swings but missing.
The third round opened with Santos attacking the legs, then dropping Naimov with a right hand! Naimov looked down and out, and Mairon Santos was all over him! That was a wrap, with the ref callin git. Just a well-placed right hand, with the follow-up shots leaving Naimov turtling up.
Official Result: Mairon Santos def. Muhammad Naimov by TKO, Round 3, 0:21
