Jose Delgado had to survive just about everything Bashi threw at him on Saturday night at UFC Oklahoma City, but when the dust settled, it was Delgado with his hand raised.
Delgado stayed composed when it mattered most. Every time Bashi looked ready to seize control, Delgado answered with cleaner striking and timely defense, grinding out a unanimous decision victory and getting his win streak to two.
Round 1 – Delgado came out looking to be the aggressor, immediately taking the center of the Octagon and forcing Bashi onto the back foot. Bashi answered with a couple of sharp jabs before detonating a huge punch that sent Delgado crashing to the canvas.
Smelling an opportunity, Bashi shot in and drove Delgado to the fence, but the position didn’t last long. Once back at range, Delgado looked to make the most of his reach advantage while Bashi remained committed to turning the fight into a grappling battle, repeatedly locking up the body and pressing his opponent against the cage.
Delgado initially stuffed the takedown attempts and got back to striking, but Bashi showed no hesitation exchanging hands. The young prospect uncorked a wild combination after they separated, landing another big shot that rocked Delgado and opened the door for another takedown. Delgado defended well at first, but Bashi eventually muscled him off the mat with a lift and slam.
As the round wore on, Delgado found success digging hooks to the body and ripping hard body kicks. Bashi continued winging heavy shots upstairs, sometimes recklessly, and it cost him. Delgado cracked him with a clean punch that dropped Bashi, forcing the grappler to desperately shoot for another takedown. Delgado stuffed it and punished him with punches as Bashi tried to recover.
Rather than follow him to the mat, Delgado allowed Bashi back to his feet and immediately fired a head kick. When Bashi changed levels once more, he ran straight into a devastating flying knee that dropped him again. Delgado pounced, threatening to take the back before advancing to full mount with just over 30 seconds remaining.
In the closing moments, Delgado secured Bashi’s back, locked in a body triangle, and closed out the round with relentless ground-and-pound, putting an emphatic stamp on a wildly entertaining five minutes.
Round 2 – Delgado came out for round two with the same game plan, marching Bashi down and forcing another takedown attempt. This time, Delgado defended beautifully, turning Bashi into the fence before creating space with punches as they broke apart.
Bashi looked much more composed after surviving the rough opening round and quickly returned to his wrestling. He managed to drag Delgado to the mat and briefly established top position, but Delgado wasted little time scrambling back to his feet.
Delgado ripped a body kick that Bashi caught, but the Australian could only use it to pin him against the fence while hunting for a single-leg takedown. Delgado continued to make Bashi work for every inch, frustrating most of the grappling exchanges.
In the closing seconds of the round, however, Bashi finally broke through, securing a takedown just before the horn to end the frame on a strong note.
Round 3 – Bashi opened the final round throwing a variety of kicks, attacking the body before whipping one up high. He quickly changed levels for another takedown, but this time Delgado reversed the sequence beautifully, scoring a trip takedown of his own. Once they returned to the feet, Delgado snapped Bashi’s head back with a crisp left hand and followed it with a sharp combination.
As the round wore on, Bashi’s gas tank appeared to be fading while Delgado continued to land the cleaner, more effective strikes. Delgado even mixed in his own single-leg takedown, but Bashi immediately snatched up a guillotine and used the submission attempt to sweep into mount. Delgado stayed composed, recovering half guard before Bashi could capitalize on the dominant position.
Bashi landed a handful of punches from the top, but he couldn’t generate enough offense to find the finish. Delgado’s resilience allowed him to survive the late grappling exchanges and hear the final horn after an action-packed three-round battle.
Jose Delgado got the nod and scored his second consecutive UFC victory.
Official Result: Jose Delgado def. Austin Bashi via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
