Zaynukov’s nickname, “Chanco” (technically “Wild Chanco”), spoken by coach Khabib Nurmagomedov, had been misheard by UFC fans a while back, leading to him being called “John Pork” and becoming something of an internet meme/MMA legend. That, without ever having fought in the UFC. A former Muay Thai champ, he was 8-0 in MMA with a win on the Contender Series last year.

Completely overlooked in the build-up to the fight was Rzepecki, also undefeated at 10-0.

When round one started, Zaynukov opened with two oblique kicks. That forced Rzepecki into the clinch early and put the fight on the cage. Rzepecki did rack up some control time, but Zaynukov landed the better knees. He did a good job of fighting for underhooks and eventually got off the cage. Over the final minute and a half, Rzepecki landed a nice straight to the body, Zaynukov continued tearing up the lead knee with front kicks, Rzepecki briefly scored a takedown, and Zaynukov closed the round with a combination that included a head kick. It was a competitive opening round.

Round two started with Zaynukov landing a counter right hand off a leg kick. Another clean combination from Zaynukov forced Rzepecki to tie up. This time it was Zaynukov who benefited, scoring a strong body-lock takedown. Rzepecki got right back to his feet and nearly landed a spinning elbow. You could see Zaynukov’s confidence growing as he marched forward and threw in volume. Rzepecki landed a nice body kick, but he really wanted to make it a battle in the clinch. That turned out to be a problem because Zaynukov had the better Muay Thai. He landed two nasty elbows that badly hurt Rzepecki. Rzepecki clinched again and ate another elbow that busted him open. With blood in the water, Zaynukov looked for the finish. He was loading up on big shots, but Rzepecki managed to survive the round.

Going into round three, Zaynukov had all the momentum, so Rzepecki needed to earn some respect back. About two minutes in, Rzepecki shot for a takedown but put himself in a bad position. He recognized it quickly and smartly backed away. The problem was he couldn’t land anything at range. He was using feints, but Zaynukov wasn’t biting. Zaynukov continued attacking the lead knee and timed a nice right hand. Rzepecki tried for another takedown, but it wasn’t there. He started getting overzealous, and Zaynukov made him pay with some nasty shots. He kept finding a home for his elbows and front kicks to the face. Rzepecki shot another single leg but ran into another vicious elbow. Zaynukov closed out the round in control as Rzepecki’s face was a mess.

A one-sided decision in favor of “Chanco,” who looks to be a solid addition to the promotion’s lightweight ranks.

Official Result: Magomed Zaynukov def. Damian Rzepecki by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

The post Chanco Debuts! Magomed Zaynukov Beats Damian Rzepecki at UFC Abu Dhabi appeared first on Cageside Press.

Izagakhmaev was 0-1 in the promotion after dropping his own promotional debut last time out.

It wasn’t five seconds into the fight before Izagakhmaev overthrew a punch and Vagaev got an easy takedown. Izagakhmaev was able to use the cage to get back to his feet. Vagaev tried to hit a trip, but Izagakhmaev defended it, though he still couldn’t get off the cage. Vagaev kept the pressure on, constantly mixing in trips until he finally got the fight back to the ground. This time, Izagakhmaev was away from the cage but was able to shoulder roll his way back to it. He used a heel hook attempt to create a scramble but ended up stuck on the cage again. The few times Izagakhmaev had a chance to escape, he chose to re-engage, allowing Vagaev to regain control. He eventually created some space with about 20 seconds left and landed a good right hand at the bell.

Round two started with two hard leg kicks from Izagakhmaev. Vagaev looked pretty tired but still landed a good right hand. Izagakhmaev changed levels and scored a nice takedown. It was a good job of mixing things up, but Vagaev quickly got back to his feet and put Izagakhmaev against the cage. This time, though, Izagakhmaev escaped fairly quickly. Vagaev was mixing it up well with knees and hooks to the body. Whenever he pushed forward, he found it pretty easy to back Izagakhmaev up against the cage. Izagakhmaev did a better job of getting off the fence this round, at least. He was still making a lot of mistakes by engaging in the clinch, which allowed Vagaev to rack up control time and land some nice clinch strikes.

Going into round three, it was likely Izagakhmaev needed to find a finish. He came out with a big right hand, and Vagaev welcomed the exchange. Although Vagaev landed some good shots of his own, he was hurt by a right hand. He shot for a takedown, but Izagakhmaev defended it and landed more damaging shots. For some reason, Vagaev kept forcing the wrestling and even ended up getting taken down himself. Izagakhmaev used a kimura to scramble to his feet, but Vagaev still had the body lock.

After the referee separated them, Vagaev timed a double leg and planted Izagakhmaev. It was too close to the cage, though, as Izagakhmaev got back to his feet quickly and ended up on top. The tide turned very quickly, and for a moment it looked like he was going to secure an arm-triangle. Vagaev survived, but he allowed Izagakhmaev to hang around in mount and on the back. Izagakhmaev eventually attacked an armbar, but the bell likely saved Vagaev.

Official Result: Abubakar Vagaev def. Saygid Izagakhmaev by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

The post UFC Abu Dhabi: Abubakar Vagaev Successful in Debut, Beats Saygid Izagakhmaev appeared first on Cageside Press.

Saidov was a perfect 9-0 to start the night, moving to the UFC from the well-known UAE Warriors promotion. He was getting a well-traveled veteran out of the gate, and proved he was up to the task.

The focus early on from both guys was to get their kickboxing going. With Jacoby being the more established kickboxer, it wasn’t a surprise that he was looking to set the tone. Saidov was mixing it up better, kicking the legs, going to the body, and being flashy with the wheel kicks. He also landed a big right hand instead of just focusing on his kicks. He was doing a better job of throwing his punches and kicks together while attacking from different angles. Near the end of the round, Saidov landed another wheel kick. Jacoby kept his composure but had trouble dealing with Saidov’s unpredictability throughout the round.

Round two started with both guys trading leg kicks. Saidov was the first to mix it up with the jab and a looping right hand. Soon after, he landed a nice three-punch combination. He followed it up with a spinning kick to the body and an inside leg kick. Jacoby badly needed to get something going but was at a big speed disadvantage. Everything Jacoby landed was either a leg kick or a jab, and it was all single strikes. Saidov was simply too fast and was mixing everything up beautifully while throwing from both stances.

With time ticking away in round two, Saidov didn’t let Jacoby survive. He landed a right hand that flowed into a left high kick, dropping Jacoby. Jacoby got back to his feet but was turtling up as Saidov unloaded with punches until the referee stepped in.

Official Result: Muhammad Said def. Dustin Jacoby via TKO (head kick and punches), Round 2, 4:49

The post UFC Abu Dhabi: Muhammad Saidov Puts Away Dustin Jacoby in Stellar Debut appeared first on Cageside Press.

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

The post UFC Abu Dhabi: Abdul Hussein Wears Down, Subs Cody Gibson appeared first on Cageside Press.

Franco was 0-1 in the UFC; Rodrigues had seen his Contender Series victory last season overturned after testing positive for steroids, specifically Nandrolone metabolites.

The fight started with Rodrigues pushing forward and making it clear he was the faster fighter. Franco landed a good jab early, and both men landed heavy in an exchange. It was likely Rodrigues who got the better of it, as Franco immediately shot for a takedown. Franco nearly completed it, but Rodrigues showed a strong whizzer to stay upright and escape.

Franco landed a solid right hand that Rodrigues took clean, but he continued to come forward and stunned Franco with a clubbing left. Rodrigues tried to swarm him, but Franco responded with a flying knee before transitioning into a takedown. With a little over a minute left in the round, Rodrigues found himself on his back. Franco advanced to mount with around 30 seconds remaining and landed several huge elbows, though Rodrigues was able to survive to the bell.

Round two started with a stiff jab from Franco that seemed to hurt Rodrigues again. Instead of chasing the finish on the feet, Franco shot for a takedown, and it paid off immediately as he moved straight into mount. Rodrigues tried to simply sit up and explode out, but Franco stayed heavy on top and landed punishing shots. He turned up the pressure until the referee stepped in and called a stop to the fight.

Official Result: Felipe Franco def. Levi Rodrigues Jr by TKO (ground n’ pound), Round 2, 1:40

The post Felipe Franco Picks Up First UFC Win, Turns Back Levi Rodrigues Jr appeared first on Cageside Press.

The featherweight fight saw both men enter undefeated, meaning someone’s 0 was going to go. An interesting booking given both men had less than eight fights of professional experience to start the night, and with both skipping the Contender Series.

Elliott missed weight for the bout, but it didn’t appear to hurt him much when all was said and done. In fact, per the UFC broadcast, he actually set a takedown record (12) in the wrestling-heavy affair that unfolded.

The fight started with a feeling-out process over the first minute. Anderson was doing well at range while Elliott was the one applying pressure. They clashed heads during an exchange, and from there the pace picked up. Elliott immediately started attacking the takedown. Anderson was difficult to bring down at first, but Elliott stayed on him, securing a mat return before taking the back. Anderson stayed composed, cleared the hooks, and worked back to his feet. Elliott returned him to the mat again, but Anderson rolled for a leg to create a scramble and stand back up. Elliott was relentless, constantly chaining together takedown attempts. Anderson used a kimura to create some space, but Elliott never let up. Right before the bell, Anderson jumped on a guillotine, but it was never close.

Round two saw Anderson come out as the aggressor. Elliott shot from a little too far out, but he circled to the back and finished another takedown. Anderson rolled to his knees, got back to his feet, and landed a nasty elbow. Elliott kept pushing the pace and chained together another takedown. Anderson was getting taken down, but he never accepted bottom position, always looking to scramble back up. The issue was breaking Elliott’s grip and getting off the cage. Anderson kept rolling and using kimura attempts to create scrambles, but Elliott stayed glued to him. Elliott also attacked the kimura several times, going for it on four different occasions. Anderson defended the submission attempts well through the end of the round, but he clearly needed a finish heading into the third.

The final round started with Anderson coming forward, though he wasn’t throwing much. Elliott waited for his opportunity, and even though Anderson sprawled on the shot, he couldn’t shake him off. Elliott completed another takedown and briefly threatened an arm-triangle, but the squeeze was never there, and his top control wasn’t enough to keep Anderson down. Anderson got back to his feet, but he remained stuck against the cage and was taken down a few more times. With just under a minute remaining, Anderson finally turned into Elliott and got off the fence, but he wasn’t able to create any meaningful offense before the final bell.

Official Result: Ezra Elliott def. Damien Anderson by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

The post UFC Oklahoma City: Ezra Elliott Sets Takedown Record, Beats Damien Anderson appeared first on Cageside Press.

Harris had just five fights as a pro, while Hines was 7-1 after dropping his own UFC debut, but in the dangerously shallow heavyweight division, that was enough.

Hines himself had been undefeated prior to his arrival in the UFC, but ran into Jhonata Diniz in his promotion debut, suffering defeat for the first time.

The lone heavyweight fight at UFC Oklahoma City on Saturday started with a lot of leg kicks from Alvine Hines. He was going back and forth to the inside and outside as Harris was maybe calculating damage. Harris then timed a leg kick with a right hand, and soon after dropped Hines with a perfectly timed uppercut. Hines over swung on a right and countered with that uppercut from the hip. Harris jumped on Hines with some extra shots, Hines covering up and trying to survive, until the ref finally stepped in.

An impressive, quick, and violent debut from RJ Harris, who improves to 6-0 as a professional.

Official Result: RJ Harris def. Alvin Hines by TKO (uppercut and ground n’ pound), Round 1, 1:40

The post UFC Oklahoma City: RJ Harris Clubs Alvin Hines, Earns Quick Finish appeared first on Cageside Press.

The women’s flyweight fight found Barbosa entering off close majority decision win over Melissa Gato, while Melisano had won six straight fights and captured the Fury FC crown in the process.

She had also appeared on the current season of TUF, The Ultimate Fighter 34, but was eliminated from the show early.

The first action of the fight was drawn by Barbosa, clinching up in under thirty seconds. She clearly wanted the takedown right away, putting Melisano against the cage. It didn’t take long before she was able to use the knee tap to put Melisano on her back. Barbosa quickly took mount, but while Melisano escaped, she soon gave up her back. Melisano was defending well, fighting the grip and getting back to half guard. Barbosa was constantly attacking as she went for an arm-triangle. She used it to get Melisano to move, and Barbosa took the back with both hooks in. Melisano was able to scramble to her feet, but Barbosa jumped aboard. Barbosa finally found her grip, and Melisano had to tap to the rear-naked choke.

Official Result: Dione Barbosa def. Anna Melisano by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:04

The post UFC Oklahoma City: Dione Barbosa Subs TUF 33 Alum Anna Melisano appeared first on Cageside Press.

After a brief stop in the WWE following his amateur wrestling career, Steveson had put together a 3-0 record in MMA. Still green in the sport (even with an extra, stand-up rules fight in Dirty Boxing), but taking on Elisha Ellison, a 5-2 heavyweight who was 0-1 in the UFC himself.

Not rushed to the top, in other words, but big things were still expected of Gable Steveson, who has trained with the likes of Jon Jones.

Steveson started the fight with a body kick and a right hand. He came out throwing kicks early, mixing in a few nice teeps to the body. He shot for a takedown, but Ellison defended with a guillotine attempt. During an exchange, Steveson appeared to rock Ellison and chased after him with punches, though he ate a clean elbow in return.

Steveson kept a relentless pace, continuing to land teeps to the midsection. He dropped Ellison in another exchange, and those front kicks to the body were clearly taking their toll. Ellison showed plenty of toughness, hanging in there and perhaps hoping Steveson would slow down.

Steveson never did. He hurt Ellison again with a lunging left hand and kept the pressure on against the cage. A barrage of punches and knees eventually sent Ellison to the canvas, forcing the referee to step in and stop the fight.

That’s exactly the debut that Gable Steveson was no doubt looking for: electrifying, a showcase for more than just his wrestling, and in the end, a finish.

Official Result: Gable Steveson def. Elisha Ellison by TKO (knees and punches), Round 1, 2:31

The post UFC 329: Gable Steveson Electrifies, Lights Up Elisha Ellison in Anticipated Debut appeared first on Cageside Press.

The bantamweight bout took place on the early preliminary portion of Saturday’s event in Las Vegas, with Basharat fighting in the final bout of his UFC contract. Taking a gamble on himself, Basharat was going to need to do something special, as his own brother had been let go by the promotion under identical circumstances, even coming off a decision win.

The fight started with both men trading jabs, with Basharat mixing things up by attacking the calf kick. With 3:50 left in the round, Basharat timed a perfectly executed takedown. Garza tried to explode back to his feet but ended up giving up his back. He then perfectly timed a reversal to get on top. Basharat quickly scrambled back up and secured another takedown, immediately passing guard into side control. Garza created space and got back to his feet with two minutes left. Basharat landed a clean head kick that Garza took well. He continued giving Garza a bunch of different looks, mixing in the head kick, jab, right hand, and knees. Garza stayed calm and ripped shots to the body. Basharat closed the round with a spinning elbow.

In round two, Basharat opened with two heavy leg kicks. He quickly got in on a single-leg, but Garza defended beautifully and landed some knees on the way out. Garza’s confidence started to build as he continued pouring on the pressure. Basharat shot on another takedown, and Garza rolled out of it. Basharat didn’t give up, keeping his hands locked together, but Garza rolled out again.

Basharat was doing a good job sticking Garza with the jab while moving laterally. He then timed another takedown well, and after Garza defended the initial shot, Basharat finished the re-shot to bring him down. Garza didn’t accept bottom position and got back to his feet fairly quickly. He landed a few nasty left hooks to the body. Basharat answered by landing a straight left into a single-leg to get Garza down again. Garza popped right back up and marched Basharat down until the bell.

The final round started with Garza moving forward. He defended an early shot from Basharat, and his confidence continued to grow. Basharat stayed disciplined behind the jab and his movement, avoiding a brawl. He mixed in takedown attempts, but Garza wasn’t having it. Basharat timed the right straight a few times, stopping Garza in his tracks, but only for a moment. He also landed another good leg kick to try to slow the young man down. Garza’s boxing was clean, especially his body work, and he mixed in knees to the body as well. His takedown defense was stellar in the third round, stuffing multiple shots.

Basharat eventually finished a single-leg to finally get “Mowgli” down. He secured top position and landed some solid ground and pound until the final bell. Come the scorecards, though Garza had proven game, it was Basharat’s night, improving his record to 16-0.

Official Result: Farid Basharat def. John Garza by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

The post UFC 329: Farid Basharat Victorious Over Game John Garza appeared first on Cageside Press.