Gadzhimurad Antigulov and Maxim Grishin squared off at UFC Fight Island 6, both looking to bounce back from losses. For Antigulov, he came to the promotion as the ACB light heavyweight champion and submitted his first two Octagon opponents. Since then, though, he went on a three-fight losing streak, getting stopped in all of those defeats. All but one of his 20 wins heading into the event, all but one were stoppages.

Grishin joined the UFC this year after fighting with the PFL for the past two years, going 4-0-2 with three stoppages in that time. He had a tough opponent in his debut, losing to Marcin Tybura back in July.

The fight started fairly conservatively, with Grishin taking the center of the cage for the first minute without striking until a leg kick 60 seconds in. A pair of leg kicks came in from Grishin, then Antigulov grabbed a leg and drove Grishin into the fence. Antigulov landed a knee to the body and Grishin circled away. Grishin rushed in with a combination and clinched up with Antigulov, landeing a knee of his own. After they separated, it was Antigulov’s turn to initiate the clinch. This time, Grishin turned away, landed a hard elbow, then a snapping leg kick that wobbled Antigulov. A body jab landed for Antigulov, then he clinched up with Grishin again, but it did not lead to anything. Grishin threw up a high kick before the end of the round.

Grishin went to the leg kick right away and Antigulov responded with a spinning back kick that missed. However, he charged in with a takedown and brought Grishin down. Grishin fought off Antigulov’s attempt to take the back and stood up, but was lifted up and slammed to the ground. Grishin smoothly reversed position as he landed and pushed his opponent to the cage. Antigulov pushed away, landed a body kick, but Grishin then shot in for a takedown and threw him down. Antigulov countered with a guillotine that Grishin broke out of and transitioned to mount. Grishin began dropping elbows down and Antigulov ate quite a few before pushing off the cage and escaping. Antigulov landed a right hand that stung Grishin, who circled away then landed a right hand of his own. Antigulov covered up and Grishin unleashed a barrage of punches, stopping the fight on the feet at the buzzer.

RALLYING PUNCHES.

🇷🇺 Maxim Grishin with a late shower of shots to close the fight.

[ Watch now on #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/VohRoBUvO6

— UFC (@ufc) October 17, 2020

Maxim Grishin def. Gadzhimurad Antigulov by TKO (Punches) in Round 2 (4:58)

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Every fighter has their go-to moves, especially specialists within certain martial arts disciplines. Their own signature styles that can lead to spectacular finishes. Whether it’s a scary-good rear-naked choke that fighters just can’t seem to avoid once going to the ground or crazy power in a straight left hand that has dropped even granite-chinned fighters with ease, each fighter has a particular finishing move or sequence. Moves that have stuck in fan’s minds and come to define and describe their careers within the cage.

For UFC Fight Island 6 we will take a look at some fighters with only a few (5 or less) fights in the UFC, rather than those fighters that are long time UFC veterans with a bunch of finishes with the promotion. 

Jimmy “The Brute” Crute (11-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC)

Total Number of Pro MMA Finishes: 8

Via KO/TKO: 4

Via Submission: 4

Total Number of UFC Finishes: 3

Via KO/TKO: 1

(Sam Alvey)

Via Submission: 2

(Paul Craig, Michał Oleksiejczuk)

At just 24 years old Jimmy Crute is making a huge splash in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. Jimmy has faced great opponents for the entirety of his professional MMA career.  Crute has finished three tough fighters since he won his UFC contract with a first-round finish on the Contender Series back in 2018.

Jimmy has some very slick submissions and is very competent in grappling. Jimmy’s two kimura finishes in the UFC have shown just comfortable he is on the ground. But Crute also has some very heavy hands and can throw up a head kick effortlessly. And Crute’s Feburay 2019 first-round TKO of Sam Alvey perfectly displays how one punch from this man, can change everything. Jimmy will look to add to his finishes on October 17 at UFC Fight Island 6.

https://twitter.com/Hamderlei/status/1094437411390664704?s=20

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Scotland’s Paul Craig returned Saturday night at UFC Fight Island 3. Coincidentally enough, Craig’s return came on the very same card as the return of his last opponent, Shogun Rua. The pair had fought to a draw in November of last year, a result some saw as a disservice to the legendary Shogun. Craig, for his part, would no doubt be looking for a more definitive result on Saturday against the dangerous Gadzhimurad Antigulov, who was looking to snap a two-fight skid after starting his UFC run with back-to-back victories.

Craig pressed forward early with a 1-2 that did not connect. Antigulov landed a nice shot and got in on a nice takedown, which he completed. Craig attempted a guillotine choke but Antigulov escaped out from it. Off his back, Craig sunk a triangle attempt in, but Antigulov was still raining down shots from a postured position. The submission was in deep however and Antigulov soon had no choice but to tap out.

"ANGLES. MAKE. STRANGLES."

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @PCraigMMA with his FIFTH UFC sub.

The main card continues on @ESPN. #UFCFightIsland3 pic.twitter.com/NiU3ZKfAxZ

— UFC (@ufc) July 26, 2020

The win ties Craig with several other light heavyweights for the most submission finishes in the UFC light heavyweight division. He’s also the only man at 205lbs to win with a triangle three times.

Official Result: Paul Craig def. Gadzhimurad Antigulov via submission (triangle choke), Round 1, 2:06

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Every fighter has their go-to moves, especially specialists within certain martial arts disciplines. Their own signature styles that can lead to spectacular finishes. Whether it’s a scary-good rear-naked choke that fighters just can’t seem to avoid once going to the ground or crazy power in a straight left hand that has dropped even granite-chinned fighters with ease, each fighter has a particular finishing move or sequence. Moves that have stuck in fan’s minds and come to define and describe their careers within the cage.

On July 25 for UFC Fight Island 3, the promotion is seemingly pulling out all the stops, with a 15 fight card that features plenty of fighters that know how to finish fights in exciting fashion. 

Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker (20-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC)

Total Number of Pro MMA Finishes: 14

Via KO/TKO: 9

Via Submission: 5

Total Number of UFC Finishes: 5

Via KO/TKO: 5

(Ronaldo Souza, Derek Brunson, Brad Tavares, Clint Hester, Colton Smith)

Via Submission: 0

Robert Whittaker made one of the best decisions of his career to move up in weight to the middleweight division. It has seemingly made his striking even more powerful. Whittaker’s run to the title at 185lbs was one of the most interesting in recent memory, as he finished 4 of his 6 opponents on his way to the vacant UFC middleweight title. Robert has some truly beautiful striking techniques and he mixes together his punches and kicks so well that often times his opponents have no idea where the next strike is coming from. Whittaker is a fan favorite to watch and posses the ability to end the fight, no matter the round. The Australian has also shown extreme toughness in his fights and the ability to pick his shot perfectly, especially in his two bouts with Yoel Romero.

Robert Whittaker stagger Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza with a head kick and follows up to finish a flawless performance (u/BestSinceDay0) pic.twitter.com/7LH9ScdE14

— r/MMA (@MMAOnReddit) April 10, 2018

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Brazil’s Abreu (15-4) picked up the nickname “Russian Terror” after facing a string of opponents from the nation, while fighting for RCC, M-1 Challenge, and the UFC. In fact, four of his last five opponents have been Russians; the lone exception was American Sam Alvey. In the UFC to date, Abreu is 1-2, with a win over Alvey, and losses to Magomed Ankalaev and Shamil Gamzatov.

Antigulov (20-6) is yet another Russian for Abreu to terrorize. From Dagestan, Antigulov has lost his last two bouts, against Ion Cutelaba and Michał Oleksiejczuk. Both fights ended in stoppages. Consistency has been an issue for Antigulov, as he has fought just once a year in the past three years. Last year, he pulled out of a fight with Ed Herman; this past February, he withdrew from a bout with Devin Clark.

UFC Kazahkstan is expected to take place at the Astana Arena in Nur-Sultan, Kazahkstan on June 13, 2020.

Also expected for the UFC Kazahkstan card:

Khadis Ibragimov vs. Roman Dolidze
Jordan Espinosa vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulo

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A pair of bouts have been officially announced for the UFC Rio Rancho card. On Tuesday, UFC officials announced that Ultimate Fighter 28 winner Macy Chiasson would face ex-flyweight champion Nicco Montano at the New Mexico event this February. Additionally, light heavyweights Devin Clark and Gadzhimurad Antigulov will appear.

Those fights join previously reported bouts between Ray Borg and Rogerio Bontorin, plus Mara Romero Borella and Montana De La Rosa. The show will be headlined by Jan Blacowicz taking on Corey Anderson.

After winning TUF 28 at featherweight, Chiasson (5-1) moved to bantamweight, and immediately picked up a pair of wins against Gina Mazany and Sarah Moras. She’ll enter UFC Rio Rancho, however, off the first loss of her pro career. That came against Lina Lansberg at UFC Copenhagen in September.

Her opponent, Nicco Montano (4-3) will also be looking to get back in the win column. Montano’s UFC journey also began on The Ultimate Fighter, in her case TUF 26. The season that introduced the women’s flyweight division, Montano went the distance, capturing the belt against Roxanne Modafferi in the show’s finale (Modafferi, it’s worth noting, stepped in short notice in place of Sijara Eubanks).

After winning the title, however, Montano did not compete at flyweight again. A lengthy hiatus ensued, and her return to the cage at UFC 228 in September 2018 was called off after she was rushed to hospital due to illness, believed to be associated with her weight cut.

Montano was then stripped of the belt, and moved up to bantamweight. She faced Julianna Peña at 135lbs this past July, losing the fight by unanimous decision.

Coincidentally, her original TUF 26 Finale opponent, Eubanks, was also forced to move up to bantamweight due to ongoing weight cut struggles.

Devin Clark (10-4), meanwhile, will enter UFC Rio Rancho off a loss to Ryan Spann. He’ll look to bounce back against Antigulov (20–6), who has lost two straight.

UFC Rio Rancho takes place February 15, 2020 at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.

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Short Fuse is heading to Russia. According to reports by Combate and MMA Junkie, the always popular Ed Herman has inked a new four-fight deal with the UFC. And he’ll be heading overseas for UFC Moscow later this year, where he’ll face Gadzhimurad Antigulov deep in enemy territory.

UFC Moscow, numerically UFC Fight Night 163 or UFC on ESPN+ 21, takes place November 9, 2019 at the CSKA Arena in Moscow.

A former middleweight, Herman (24–14 (1)) has had mixed results since returning to the light heavyweight division, but not for lack of effort. He picked up a win at UFC Fight Night 81 in Boston when he first re-joined the division in 2016, setting up his victory over Tim Boetsch with a knee. A trio of losses followed, however, but that included a close split decision against Gian Villante at UFC Moncton last year.

Herman than got back in the win column at UFC Rochester this May with a first round finish of Patrick Cummins.

Antigulov (20–6) has had his own struggles of late. 2-2 under the UFC banner, he has dropped his last two fights, to Ion Cutelaba and Michał Oleksiejczuk. Which means he’ll have his back against the wall in Moscow.

The UFC’s return to the Russian capital does not yet have a main event announced. The card currently features the following match-ups:

Light Heavyweight bout: Klidson Abreu vs. Shamil Gamzatov
Light Heavyweight bout: Ed Herman vs. Gadzhimurad Antigulov
Welterweight bout: Abubakar Nurmagomedov vs. David Zawada
Bantamweight bout: Grigory Popov vs. Davey Grant
Light Heavyweight bout: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Dalcha Lungiambula

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Michal Oleksiejczuk was 12-2 with a nine-fight win streak when he signed with the UFC in 2017. He defeated Khalil Rountree in his promotional debut, but then had the win overturned to a no contest after failing a drug test. The suspension kept him out of action in 2018, returning in February 2019 against Gian Villante. Oleksiejczuk won with a body punch stoppage in just over 90 seconds.

Gadzhimurad Antigulov is a former ACB champion with a 2-1 record in the UFC. The Dagestani light heavyweight has an impressive 15 submissions along with four knockouts in his career. Antigulov has fought once per year since signing with the UFC in 2016. He won his first two fights by submission before falling to Ion Cutelaba last July.

Antigulov started the fight extremely quick, sprinting after Michal Oleksiejczuk looking for right hands. As he was running after him, Oleksiejczuk hit him with a counter left hook that dropped him. He then recovered and got back to his feet, where he continued his previous strategy of putting ridiculous pressure on Oleksiejczuk. He then got caught again and dropped, where he once again recovered and got back up. However as he was moving forward again, he got caught, and the third time was the charm for Oleksiejzcuk. He dropped him and jumped on with ground and pound and Antigulov was out.

Not one…
Not two…#UFCStPetersburg pic.twitter.com/yRxshTgD9L

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 20, 2019

Since returning from suspension, Michal Oleksiejczuk has looked extremely impressive.

Michal Oleksiejczuk def. Gadzhimurad Antigulov by KO in Round One (0:44)

The post UFC St. Petersburg Results: Michal Oleksiejczuk KOs Gadzhimurad Antigulov in First Minute appeared first on Cageside Press.

Smilin’ Sam Alvey is a happy man once again, with news of an upcoming fight at UFC Prague. The Team Quest fighter announced on Monday that he was joining the UFC’s debut in the European nation, taking on Gadzhimurad Antigulov. Alvey’s confirmation follows reports earlier in the day regarding the pairing, including MMA Kings, citing sports reporter Igor Lazorin.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsV91qChZRK/

Alvey (33-11, 1NC) is coming off the first loss of his recent move to light heavyweight, where he has gone 2-1 overall. A happy man with an easier weight cut, Alvey earned wins over Marcin Prachnio and Gian Villante in the first half of 2018, before finding himself finished by Brazilian legend ‘Little Nog’ (Antonio Rogerio Nogueira) at UFC Sao Paulo in September.

Alvey, who generally likes to stay busy, will look to start 2019 with a bang when he faces former ABC light heavyweight champion Gadzhimurad Antigulov (20-5) in Prague. Antigulov will be coming in off the first loss of his UFC career, having fallen to Ion Cutelaba at UFC Calgary (UFC on FOX 30) in July.

UFC Prague, numerically UFC Fight Night 145, is headlined by another light heavyweight battle, as Jan Blachowicz takes on Thiago Santos in the main event. The card takes place February 23 at the O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic.

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Gadzhimurad Antigulov and Ion Cutelaba entered UFC Calgary as bright prospects with lots of potential at light heavyweight. A.k.a. in a division that desperately needs new talent. Antigulov was 2-0 in the UFC with wins over Joachim Christensen and Marcos Rogerio De Lima. Meanwhile, Ion Cutelaba entered the night at 2-2 with his last victory coming against Henrique De Silva. However, that came just over a year ago, and UFC on FOX 30, as the Calgary card is otherwise known, was Cutelaba’s first fight back after testing positive for banned substances and being suspended.

The first round started, not shockingly, with Antigulov looking to use his game plan and wrestle Cutelaba. However Cutelaba survived the early storm, and Antigulov started to fade a bit. As Cutelaba got to his feet he started going to the body with giant knees that buckled Antigulov and started to sap him of his energy. Cutelaba at one point had Antigulov seemingly out on his feet, with the ref taking a good look. It was allowed to continued, and so Ion Cutelaba continued to rain uppercuts and knees on his opponent until the fight was stopped. With Antigulov still standing.

This fight will likely shoot Cutelaba into the top 15, and it will be interesting to see where he can go from here. Ion has tons of power, and is still very young in his career so it’ll be fun to see how far this prospect goes from here.

Ion Cutelaba def. Gadzhimurad Antigulov by TKO, Round 1, 4:24

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