Abus Magomedov

Abusipuyan Magomedov took on a tall order when he tried to beat the seventh ranked middleweight in the UFC, Sean Strickland, as an unranked challenger in his second UFC fight. Still, Abus did not seem ready for the spotlight, gassing out and giving in to the Strickland boxing onslaught in the second round.

There are a number of unranked middleweights who Abus is more ready to face. He should be treated like any 1-1 UFC middleweight. What opponent would be better, then, than fellow UFC Vegas 76 main card participant Brunno Ferreria, who also is 1-1 in the UFC currently. Both got knocked out on the same night and so their respective availabilities could well dovetail in the coming months.

Magomedov’s Next Fight: Brunno Ferreira

Damir Ismagulov

This may well have been the last fight of Ismagulov’s career. He retired after his last fight, a loss to strong wrestler Arman Tsarukyan, but came back, with mentions of this being the last fight on his UFC contract. If Damir fights again, and in the UFC, he should serve as a test for a rising unranked contender after two clear losses in a row.

The winner of Ludovit Klein vs Ignacio Bahamondes will be such a contender, with this fight representing a fourth consecutive fight unbeaten for either man. Both are exciting striker types, too, giving Damir another look after facing two wrestling-heavy attacks in a row and giving the fans a bout they would look forward to seeing.

Ismagulov’s Next Fight: Retirement OR Winner of Klein/Bahamondes

Max Griffin

Griffin was in an unenviable position on Saturday, fighting a fast-rising, undefeated knockout artist in Michael Morales at UFC Vegas 76. He tested the Ecuadorian, giving him problems at times and taking the fight the full fifteen minutes, but in the end it was Morales who won a comfortable decision.

Griffin is now 1-2 in his last three. However, one could also look at it as 5-2 in his last seven. He may not be in immediate contention to be ranked, but the fifteen fight UFC veteran is not too far away from the rankings and can have a good fight with any other unranked welterweight.

One other welterweight on a two fight losing streak, one who was in the rankings going into his last two fights, is Daniel Rodriguez. ‘D-Rod’ lost to Neil Magny (as did Griffin) and Ian Garry to fall from ranked grace. A fight between these two would be the ultimate proving ground, as one starts to free-fall and the other is right back in the mix at 170lbs.

Griffin’s Next Fight: Daniel Rodriguez

Melissa Gatto

Melissa Gatto lost a close split decision to Ariane Lipski in an entertaining contest at 125lbs. Gatto has now lost two in a row after jumping out to an undefeated 8-0 record. However everyone takes losses in the UFC, and she also has two knockout wins in the promotion.

Another fighter who has lost two in a row after starting hot in the UFC is Mariya Agapova. The Kazakh fighter has a high octane striking style that has left her gassed out in the past. Gatto is a good test for her in that realm as she is in the striking realm for Melissa.

Gatto’s Next Fight: Maryia Agapova

Ismael Bonfim

The elder Bonfim brother was one of the most highly touted lightweight prospects in the world after his UFC debut against Terrance McKinney, but he fell flat against well-rounded athlete Benoit St. Denis at UFC Vegas 76. Bonfim will have to shore up some aspects of his game, particularly his grappling defense, in order to live up to the potential many saw in him.

A good test of his grappling, albeit one perhaps less stiff than St. Denis, is Christos Giagos, a fighter who is 6-6 in the UFC and has been a test for many a young lightweight fighter. Giagos is coming off of a knockout win over Ricky Glenn and deserves a higher profile match-up next time out.

Bonfim’s Next Fight: Christos Giagos

Brunno Ferreira

Brunno ‘The Hulk’ Ferreira lost at his own game on Saturday as he stood and traded with Nursolton Riziboev and was knocked from the realms of consciousness. At risk of repetition, Ferreira now stands at 1-1 in the UFC after losing his undefeated mark. The win over Gregory Rodrigues, however, carries more weight than that record may suggest.

The same could be said of Abus Magomedov’s reputation and his record, due to the spotlight the UFC put on him with the UFC Vegas 76 main event slot and his spectacular debut knockout. It only makes sense to pair the two together for a thrilling fight.

Ferreira’s Next Fight: Abusipuyan Magomedov

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 76 Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

Dawson was undefeated inside the octagon coming into Saturday, with his biggest struggles coming at the scale — though he hit the mark during Friday’s official weigh-in. Ismagulov for his part was coming off his first loss under the UFC banner, against Arman Tsarukyan. “Qazaq” entered the bout ranked 12 in the division, with Dawson not too far behind at 15.

“KGD” managed to bring the fight to the ground early, locking Ismagulov in a tight body triangle while threatening a rear-naked choke – a submission that Dawson has employed successfully in each of his last two fights.

Following a dominant first frame for the American, Ismagulov began to lead the action early into the second round. Following a few exchanges on the feet, Dawson was able to force Ismagulov’s back against the cage before taking him down to the mat for the second time.

Dawson would control Ismagulov for nearly the entirety of the second and third rounds, taking his opponent down with ease and showcasing his prowess on the ground in various dominant positions.

Grant Dawson sent a message to the rest of the lightweight division with a flawless exhibition of wrestling and jiu-jitsu, dismantling a game opponent in Ismagulov en route to a unanimous decision victory.

Dawson, 29, extends his undefeated UFC record to an impressive 8-0-1 – with nine victories in the promotion including his win on Dana White’s Contender Series. He called out a pair of ranked lightweights following an exceptional performance.

“Tony Ferguson — that’s a go because it’s a big name. Beneil Dariush — that’s a go because it’s a big rank,” Dawson said.

Ismagulov finds himself on a two-fight skid following a hot 5-0 start to his UFC career. This was the last fight on his UFC contract and it will be interesting to see whether he attempts to resign with the promotion or hang up the gloves for good after retiring momentarily late last year.

Official Result: Grant Dawson def. Damir Ismagulov by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)

The post UFC Vegas 76: Grant Dawson Stays Unbeaten in UFC, Dominates Damir Ismagulov appeared first on Cageside Press.

Ismagulov (24-2) gave a vague reason as to why he went away for a bit choosing to keep it private as a family matter. The break did help him get his mind right and back to fighting.

“Yeah it was a life situation, a personal family type situation, where I decided where maybe it was time for me to hang it up,” Ismagulov told reporters through a translator on Wednesday.

“But a little time passed and I realized that I cannot live without it. Fighting is what I do. Fighting is my life so I decided to come back, come back stronger, come back and be doing what I’m supposed to be doing.”

Ismagulov returns to take on a stylistic matchup of striker vs. wrestler against Dawson. The challenge he believes is what he needs to prove a point.

“I never chose my opponents. This is who they gave me, this is who I accepted. Yes it’s once again a grappler, a wrestler, but I’m not saying that I don’t have those skills or I’m not underestimating my own skills in grappling and wrestling,” he said.

“I’m ready. I’m going to come out. I’m here to smash him.”

Ismagulov revealed that this is the last fight on his contract. One can imagine that an impressive victory will bring a big contract, and the promise of big fights ahead.

“This is the final fight in my contract so I’m ready to fight like this is the last thing that I’m going to do in my life. My goal is to clean out the lightweight division. I think that I’m dangerous. I think that I’m a good fighter. I think that I can stand against anybody in this division,” said Ismagulov.

When pushed for a name for the “anybody” he described only one came out.

“I’d love to fight (Justin) Gaethje,” Ismaguov said.

“Gaethje is considered to be one of the best strikers in lightweight division. He thinks that he’s one of the best, but if I get to fight against him I’ll play with him like a little kitten. It’s the easy fight for me.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Damir Ismagulov above. He takes on Grant Dawson at UFC Vegas 76 from the UFC APEX on Saturday night.

The post Damir Ismagulov Wants Gaethje Fight Next, Calls It “Easy Fight” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Ismagulov, 31, posted the announcement on his Instagram.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Дамир “Qazaq” Исмагулов (@ismagulov_damir)

“Unfortunately, due to circumstances and health problems, I am forced to end my sports career. Thanks to all those who were with me regardless of the outcome in the battles, who were sincerely sick and worried,” Ismagulov wrote.

It was an interesting journey, a moment to remember . Gave everyone a hug.”

Ismagulov (24-2) was coming off a decision loss to Arman Tsarukyan in December at the UFC APEX in a tough battle at UFC Vegas 66.

Ismagulov entered the UFC in 2018 following a long stint with M-1 Challenge. He rattled off decision victories over Alex Georges, Joel Alvarez, Thiago Moises, Rafael Alves, and Guram Kutateladze.

The loss to Tsarukyan snapped a 5-fight win streak in the UFC, and marked only the second loss of Ismagulov’s pro career that began in 2014.

Ismagulov was thought to be a contender for the lightweight title, and had he defeated Tsarukyan, the #12 ranked fighter would have been in the discussion for a title eliminator fight.

No details into the health circumstances were given as of this post.

The post UFC Lightweight Damir Ismagulov Announces Retirement From MMA appeared first on Cageside Press.

Sean Strickland came up short in the main event opposite Jared Cannonier, and would later blast the judges (more on that later), while Bobby Green was stopped by the heavy hands of Drew Dober. What’s next for those two key players and other fighters who fell short on Saturday? Let’s take a closer look.

Sean Strickland

For two fights in a row now, Strickland’s bite has not matched his bark. That’s the danger of promoting yourself as a loose cannon: if you’re going to make wild, zany, off-the-wall statements, you need to back them up. The level of crazy outside the cage needs to be matched inside it, in other words. In July, ahead of UFC 276, Strickland stole the show at the pre-fight press conference, jawing with then-champ Israel Adesanya, then stood in front of Alex Pereira with a puzzling game plan (or lack thereof) that resulted in being knocked out inside of a round.

Ahead of UFC Vegas 66, the nature of Strickland’s crazy talk was more directed at the media, so this loss doesn’t sting quite as much. Making fun of the media gallery is easy enough; we’re required to act professional and aren’t about to face fighters in the cage down the line. Beyond that, losing to Jared Cannonier by decision at UFC Vegas 66, Strickland didn’t fight a bad fight, but didn’t heed his own corner’s advice, and it cost him in a close split.

Either loss on its own wouldn’t matter so much as the two back-to-back. Strickland went ahead and blamed the judges, not surprisingly after the Doug Crosby fiasco a week ago. But that handy scapegoat won’t be producing any milk this time out: the scoring for Cannonier vs. Strickland wasn’t bad. It was just a close fight.

What Strickland needs now more than anything is a win over a notable name. He’s gone 1-2 in main events, and if he wants to keep getting those, well, you have to win more than you lose. Until recently, he had been doing that, so he clearly has the talent. The question is, what comes next? Darren Till recently suffered another loss, and Strickland vs. Till would be all kinds of fun — but Till may be on the shelf for a while. Nassourdine Imavov fights Kelvin Gastelum atop the first UFC card of 2023, and the loser of that could be an option — because coming off two losses, Strickland is likely fighting down in the division anyway.

Strickland’s next fight: Imavov vs. Gastelum loser

Damir Ismagulov

Arman Tsarukyan had plenty of praise for UFC Vegas 66 co-main event opponent Damir Ismagulov following their lightweight fight. That was very sporting of him, but the fact remains, Ismagulov lost a one-sided decision, his first setback in the UFC thus far.

Thus ends the former M-1 champ’s 19-fight win streak. At 31, he still has a few good years ahead of him, and he’ll likely remain in the top 15 of the division (currently Ismagulov sits at #12).

Next up, a fight with Grant Dawson makes sense. He’s ranked at #14, and like Ismagulov prior to Saturday, has never lost in the UFC. Dawson last fought in November and doesn’t appear to have a fight booked yet; March or April sounds about right.

Imagulov’s next fight: Grant Dawson

Alessandro Costa

Alessandro Costa didn’t last long against Amir Albazi at UFC Vegas 66, but that’s not the point. Costa showed up on short notice, and made weight. In these situations, that’s really what’s being asked of any fighter. A win would have been icing on the cake, but Costa now has his foot in the door, after being denied a UFC deal despite winning on the Contender Series.

Next up for Costa should be a newcomer, or someone who recently entered the promotion. Carlos Candelario is 0-2 in the organization and last fought in November. He’s in must-win territory; the winner here gets their first UFC victory.

Costa’s next fight: Carlos Candelario

Julian Erosa

“Juicy J” has become a popular figure with fans in recent years, but he will forever live on as part of Alex Caceres’ highlight reel after a picture perfect head kick KO on Saturday.

Ouch. The loss snapped a three-fight win streak, and after some time off, Erosa will hopefully be right back in the swing of things.

Alexander Hernandez recently came up short against Billy Quantillo in his featherweight return. Hernandez is 5-5 in the UFC. Erosa is 6-6. Both are coming off losses in the month of December. One of these talents gets back to their winning ways paired up in Spring of 2023.

Erosa’s next fight: Alexander Hernandez

Bobby Green

Bobby Green is as game as they come and looked great in the opening round against Drew Dober at UFC Vegas 66. Then came the well-placed knockout blow that put him down in the second. In a game of inches, Green had come up just short.

That’s two losses in a row for Green, but losing to Dober, and current champ Islam Makhachev on extremely short notice, is nothing to be ashamed of. He should still land a sizeable name next — the question becomes, who is suitable who Green hasn’t already fought?

We’re going left field with this one: Tony Ferguson. “El Cucuy” has lost five straight fights. He’s somehow holding onto a #15 ranking, but realistically hasn’t won since 2019. This one just feels like a fun fight, that gets one man a win, and is high-profile enough to be a co-main event. And the talk ahead and during the fight would be wild.

Green’s next fight: Tony Ferguson

Cody Brundage

Cody Brundage stepped in to replace Albert Duraev against Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC Vegas 66. The move did not pay off. Brundage wound up stopped in the first, victim of a violent KO that halts a two-fight win streak.

Brundage is now 2-2 in the promotion, and could be a good foil for “Ugly Man Joe” Joseph Holms. He’s coming off a late-October loss of his own.

Brundage’s next fight: Joseph Holmes

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 66 Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

A pair of the premier rising lightweights squared off at UFC Vegas 66 as Arman Tsarukyan faced Damir Ismagulov in the co-main event. Tsarukyan had his five-fight win streak snapped in his most recent contest against Mateusz Gamrot. Ismagulov was a solid 5-0 in the UFC with a win over Guram Kutateladze.

Arman Tsarukyan set the tone with a few kicks to start the fight. One to the head, one to the lead leg, and one to the body. He then threw a two-punch combination and followed up with a quick takedown against the fence. Ismagulov squirmed his way out along the fence and stood up with Tsarukyan keeping a hold of him. Ismagulov followed up with a takedown reversal and landed in mount, but Tsarukyan quickly swept his way to an advantageous back clinch on the feet. Ismagulov broke free and the fighters returned to striking range. Tsarukyan had the upper hand, mixing in creative kicks with his punches.

Tsarukyan came out whipping kicks in the second round and Ismagulov responded with one of his own. Tsarukyan closed the distance and took Ismagulov down and took his back in the process. Ismagulov was unable to buck Tsarukyan off and eventually, the latter was able to get both hooks in. The choke did not come and Ismagulov escaped, landing a straight punch on the feet. Another takedown came soon after for Tsarukyan, but the top control did not last as long. On the feet, Tsarukyan kept the pressure on, pushing Ismagulov to the cage after landing a punch. The round ended with Ismagulov pinned.

The final round started with an illegally low strike from Tsarukyan. After a pause in the action, both men stood in the pocket and swung (nothing of significance landing clean) until a single-leg takedown from Tsarukyan changed the pace. Tsarukyan took the back again quickly, but Ismagulov was able to escape once more. Tsarukyan kept a hold of him and pushed him to the cage. After Ismagulov separated, Tsarukyan went right back in on a single-leg takedown and hit it, taking the back like clockwork. Ismagulov’s defense held up again as the final bell sounded.

Arman Tsarukyan def. Damir Ismagulov by Unanimous Decision (30-27 x3)

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Known as the ‘fight before the fight,’ most UFC fighters cut anywhere from 5-25 pounds, with some fighters cutting more than 30 pounds. Weight-cutting is the ultimate test of discipline and willpower.

Many fighters in the sport consider it very unprofessional to miss weight and often there is always a risk of a fighter losing a percentage of their fight purse.

In this series, we will shine a light on select fighters who cut a massive amount of weight, who have missed weight multiple times in the past, who have made weight-class changes, along with how the weight-cut and weigh-in could affect possible upcoming matchups.

In short, every aspect of weight-cutting and how it affects the fight game.

Damir “Qazaq” Ismagulov (24-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC)

Lightweight (155lbs.): 5-0 (UFC), Missed weight 1x in UFC, 13-1 (MMA)

Catchweight (159-161lbs.): 3-0 (MMA)

Damir Ismagulov is a 30-year-old lightweight that stands at 5’10” with a 74″ reach.

Damir has fought in the lightweight division since the start of his professional MMA career back in 2014.

Ismagulov is a long-time veteran of the M-1 Global promotion where he won the lightweight championship in 2017 and defended it until he was picked up by the UFC the following year.

Ismagulov missed weight early on in his career back in 2015 coming in at 156.5lbs ahead of an M-1 Global fight. The following year, Damir had 2 catchweight fights, the first, at 161lbs. for the Naiza Fighting Championship (NFC) Catchweight Championship, and the other for an M-1 Global, 159lbs catchweight bout.

Damir has only missed weight one time in the UFC, but it was a miss that cannot be ignored. On September 1, 2021 the UFC announced via a press release that Damir Ismagulov would get one of the biggest fights of his career to date against Magomed Mustafaev. Magomed was just one fight removed from a KO over the high profile, then-prospect, Rafael Fiziev early in the fight back in 2019. So it was definitely a big opportunity for Damir.

However, unfortunately the fight would never take place as Damir had to be helped to the scale ahead of UFC 267. Ismagulov could barely stand up straight and ended up weighing in at 163.5lbs for the bout which was 7.5lbs over the weight limit for lightweight. The bout was subsequently cancelled by the promotion as a result of how badly Ismagulov missed weight. It was definitely a bad look for Damir and after a nearly two month fight camp to miss weight like that is could potentially be a bad sign.

Though Damir Ismagulov weighed in at 155lbs for his most recent bout against Guram Kutateladze back in June, he will still be a fighter to keep an eye on while he weighs in and of course how the weight cut translates to the fight.

The post The Weight Cutting Chronicles: UFC Vegas 66 — Damir Ismagulov appeared first on Cageside Press.

Featherweights locked horns in the main event of the evening, as number four ranked Calvin Kattar took on number seven ranked Josh Emmett. The stakes were high in this bout, as current Featherweight King Alexander Volkanovski made it clear he wanted to see some new blood earn a title shot. Team Alpha Male’s Emmett got the nod in what was an extremely closely contested chess match, extending his win streak to five.

The day didn’t get off to the best of starts when Joe Lauzon pulled out of his scheduled bout with Donald Cerrone due to Lauzon’s knee locking. Kevin “Trailblazer” Holland’s bout with Tim Means was bumped to the co-main event spot, with Holland picking up the submission finish in what was his 16th fight in four years under the UFC banner.

Let’s take a look at some potential match-ups for the standout winners on the night.

Josh Emmett

Despite the scorecards causing some much expected controversy, Emmett got the nod regardless, and come Tuesday, the 37-year-old will see himself enter the top five in the Featherweight division. Aforementioned, despite the current champ’s bout with Holloway being just two weeks out, Volkanovski expressed his desire for some new blood to earn their right to fight him for the strap.

My division is “getting their shit together”…this is what I like to see! Looking forward to this one, let’s see who wants it more. #UFCAustin

— Alex Volkanovski (@alexvolkanovski) June 19, 2022

There is however one man from the UK who currently holds the second highest active featherweight win streak, behind the champion himself, who may think he deserves a title shot over the victorious Emmett. The winning performance on Saturday may not be enough in the eyes of the matchmakers to justify a match-up with the champion. There’s one way to settle that, UK vs US, winner fights whoever the champion may be come July 4th.

Emmett’s Next Fight: Arnold Allen  

Kevin Holland

The ever improving “Trailblazer” picked up another win since returning to the 170lb division, this time, D’Arce choking Tim Means. The problem Holland faced while fighting at Middleweight, was that he was consistently the smaller of the two, no matter who he faced. Since back-to-back losses to wrestling-heavy contenders, Derek Brunson and Marvin Vettori, he has made the correct adjustments and improvements to that side of his game, and he even showcased that briefly on Saturday night. Several times Means had Holland with his back to the cage, but due to Holland now being comfortable at his weight class, he was able to shrug off and stuff multiple takedown attempts. Holland used his mic time to make a callout of Sean Brady, who himself is struggling to find a dance partner.

Holland’s Next Fight: Sean Brady

Joaquin Buckley

Once again, Joaquin Buckley exhibited extremely powerful striking in his fight with Duraev. So much so, that due to an injury to Duraev’s left eye, the doctor deemed him unable to continue into round 3. Not only did he show almost flawless boxing, he bounced his shin off Duraev’s head multiple times in the fight, wobbling and dropping the Russian. Buckley has options for his next bout, winning in his last two, and there is another winner from Saturday night that we’d like to see him fight, that being Gregory Rodrigues.

Buckley’s Next Fight: Gregory Rodrigues

Damir Ismagulov

The UFC Austin main event wasn’t the only bout that resulted in a scoring controversy, as Ismagulov vs. Kutateladze was also shaded by questionable judging. Round one went in favour of the Georgian, Kutateladze, as he was successful with several body kicks and viscous elbows. Ismagulov came out in round two popping his jab, bloodying the face of Guram. The third and final round was the one that split the opinion of the community. Both fighters had their moments, but near the end of the round, Kutateladze landed what seemed to be a legal knee, subsequently securing top position on the ground. Herb Dean however deemed the knee illegal and took the position away from Kutateladze, resulting in him losing round three on two of the judges’ scorecards.

There are two names that come to mind when planning Damir’s next move. Diego Ferreira and Gregor Gillespie. The latter had been removed from the Lightweight rankings due to inactivity; as he later explained, he was waiting for the right fight to push him towards the title. As much as a win over Ismagulov wouldn’t be as rewarding as a win over a top 10 opponent, Gillespie’s inactivity has already caused him enough issues. Ferreira is without a win in his last three, currently occupying rank 15 with a win over Ismagulov sure to propel his momentum.

Ismagulov’s Next Fight: Gillespie or Ferreira 

Adrian Yanez

The 28-year-old once again looked phenomenal at UFC Austin. Yanez made it five straight wins since his victory on the Contender Series, picking up his fifth fight night bonus, being only the third fighter to do so in his first five fights. The beef between the two continued throughout fight week, with Kelley calling Yanez ‘a wish version’ of Jorge Masvidal. Yanez didn’t take long to make him regret his words, getting the flawless finish in the first round. For the first minute of the fight, Yanez took time to find his range and get into the flow of the fight, after catching a few of Kelley’s body kick attempts and returning a powerful left hook, he wobbled the 35-year-old with a flurry of strikes, subsequently flipping him off.

Yup. https://t.co/EfD11zlczw

— Adrian Yañez (@yanezmma) June 19, 2022

As much as the thought of O’Malley vs Yanez is exhilarating, you can only imagine that if ‘Suga’ Sean gets past Munhoz, it’ll only be up the rankings he is setting his sights on. Despite that, Yanez’s body of work so far is enough to deserve a ranked opponent. Raphael Assuncao currently occupies a ranking and would be far and away Yanez’s toughest test to date, despite his recent decline. If Yanez was able to get through the test of Assuncao, there would be no denying a bout with ‘Suga’.

Yanez’s Next Fight: Raphael Assuncao

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Ismagulov (23-1) returned after a year-long layoff looking to continue his undefeated UFC stint. He came into Austin coming off a decision victory over Rafael Alves in May 2021.

Kutateladze (12-2) last fought in 2020 where he took a split-decision victory over Mateusz Gamrot. Following his UFC debut the Georgian fighter withdrew from bouts due to a knee injury and surgery that followed.

Round one began with both men measuring each other up, but it took no time for Kutateladze to begin a barrage of combinations. Each combo ended with a leg kick in true Muay Thai fashion. Ismagulov employed a jab-heavy attack in order to see what Kutateladze was throwing. Kutateladze was hurt Ismagulov at one point going off with combinations and forcing his opponent to shoot and clinch. After a couple scrambles both men finishes the round on the feet.

Round two was a high-level striking battle as Ismagulov took on a sense of urgency after likely dropping the first round. This time he did not allow Kutateladze to lead the dance and chose to continue to use the jab to set up attacks. Kutateladze began to have trouble setting up his own attacks with the jabs landing at a high rate for Ismagulov. By the end of the round Kutateladze was wearing the damage caused by Ismagulov.

Round three began fast and furious with Kutateladze going after Ismagulov again, but it did not last very long. Ismagulov took control of the dance once again, but with both men knowing how close the fight was they put on a high-level striking battle. With 8 seconds left Herb Dean called time out for what looked like a knee to the head after a scramble on the ground from Kutateladze. Ismagulov took about 30 seconds and then said he was ready to go. 8 seconds left on the clock and both men fired off until the horn sounded.

With such a close fight nobody envied the judges entrusted with deciding the winner.

Official Result: Damir Ismagulov def. Guram Kutateladze via Majority Decision (28-28, 29-28, 30-27)

The post UFC Austin: Damir Ismagulov Takes Majority Decision Over Kutateladze In Striking Battle appeared first on Cageside Press.

That means there are plenty of UFC athletes to keep an eye on. We’ve got our top 20 compiled, consisting of unranked fighters with five fights or less inside the UFC cage.

First, here is a recap of the 20 UFC prospects we chose last year:

• Movsar Evloev (2-0 in 2021 and now ranked #13)
• Arman Tsarukyan (2-0 in 2021 and now ranked #13)
• Ilia Topuria (1-0 in 2021)
• Sean Brady (2-0 in 2021 and now ranked #9)
• Mudaerji Su (1-0 in 2021 and now ranked #13)
• Kyler Phillips (1-1 in 2021 and FOTN bonus)
• Miguel Baeza (0-2 in 2021 but both FOTN bonuses)
• Brad Riddell (1-1 in 2021 with both FOTN bonuses while now being ranked #14)
• Mounir Lazzez (0-1 in 2021)
• Guram Kutateladze (Didn’t fight in 2021)
• Duško Todorović (1-2 in 2021)
• Lerone Murphy (2-0 in 2021)
• Damis Ismagulov (1-0 in 2021)
• Alexander Romanov (2-0 in 2021)
• Ludovit Klein (0-2 in 2021)
• Tafon Nchukwi (1-1 in 2021)
• Makhmud Muradov (1-1 in 2021 with a POTN bonus)
• Jack Shore (2-0 in 2021)
• Joe Solecki (1-1 in 2021)
• Mariya Agapova (1-0 in 2021)

Now, let’s take a look at this year’s 20 UFC prospects to watch out for.

The post 20 UFC Prospects To Watch For This Year appeared first on Cageside Press.