American bantamweight Cody Gibson welcomed Abdul Hussein to the octagon at UFC Abu Dhabi on Saturday, kicking off the Fight Night event’s preliminary card.
Hussein, originally booked against Muin Gafurov, was entering the promotion off a win over UFC vet Tyson Nam on the regional circuit. Gibson was stepping up on short notice, and it almost certainly had a role in how the fight played out.
The fight started with Gibson firing away from range. He mixed up his straight punches and kicks well, landing a good right hand and securing a nice takedown. As Hussein tried to scramble, Gibson locked in a guillotine. It was incredibly tight, but Hussein refused to give up. Gibson adjusted his grip several times, yet Hussein somehow stayed calm and escaped the submissions.
Hussein ended up on top, but Gibson used a leg lock to work his way back to his feet. They separated with about two minutes left, and Hussein was on the gas. Gibson landed a few straight punches and tied Hussein up to slow him down, but Hussein kept coming forward, landing short combinations. He turned the final two minutes into a gritty fight, staying on the inside and connecting with punches, elbows, and knees. When the bell rang, Gibson looked like he was feeling the pace.
Round two started with Hussein pressing forward. Gibson threw a body kick, but Hussein caught it and dropped him with a right hand. Gibson briefly gave up his back and nearly got caught in a guillotine. Hussein threatened to take mount, forcing Gibson to move. He also attempted a D’Arce choke from side control but couldn’t get the right angle. Gibson did a good job of constantly moving and never staying still, but Hussein was all over him. Gibson worked back to his knees, but an anaconda choke from Hussein put him right back down. With a minute left in the round, Hussein stayed on top, controlling Gibson while keeping a steady pace with his offense.
Entering the final round, Gibson looked exhausted while Hussein looked fresh. Hussein continued coming forward, backing Gibson to the cage and mixing up his offense with jabs, knees, and beautiful combinations, especially his uppercuts. Gibson fired back with a barrage of body shots and timed a leg kick that briefly swept Hussein. Hussein quickly scrambled, secured a takedown, and that was essentially the end for Gibson. Gibson survived for a bit, even getting back to his feet momentarily, but after Hussein dragged him down again, he locked in an arm-triangle. He didn’t even need to pass to the side before Gibson tapped fully.
Official Result: Abdul Hussein def. Cody Gibson by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 3, 3:07
