Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Surging featherweight contender Zabit Magomedsharipov kept things rolling earlier tonight (Sat., Nov. 9, 2019) at UFC Fight Night 163 live on ESPN+ from inside CSKA Arena in Moscow, Russia, when he outlasted a very formidable Calvin Kattar in the main event to the tune of a unanimous decision win.
There was early pressure down the pipe from Kattar as he mixed hard leg kicks with straight punches. Zabit followed up with his own leg kicks before testing his luck with a spinning back fist. Kattar came back with combinations along the cage, but Zabit was there to dig to the body with counters. A leg kick from Zabit scored a brief knockdown before Kattar returned to his feet to land combinations inside.
Magomedsharipov pushed the pressure early on into the second and landed a slick spinning kick to the body. Zabit was able to land more legs kicks and really started to have his way on the outer edges with Kattar. That was before Kattar turned the tides in the third round and landed brutal uppercuts inside followed by hard combinations that seemed to tire Zabit. Kattar kept the offense high as he ran in for a flying knee, but Zabit was there to take him down and rode out position until the end of the fight.
While this featherweight affair would have benefited from an extra two rounds, it was great while it lasted. Kattar certainly gained momentum in the third round, but didn’t do enough over the course of the first 10 minutes to edge out “ZaBeast” on the scorecards.
Check out some of the wild action below above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.
No plans on backing down.
@CalvinKattar #UFCMoscow pic.twitter.com/AdimeOzV3u
— UFC (@ufc) November 9, 2019
A hero’s welcome! @Zabeast_MMA looking to make it 1??4?? straight at #UFCMoscow! pic.twitter.com/ePp8OW4SJd
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) November 9, 2019
The fluidity of Zabit is something else!@Zabeast_MMA #UFCMoscow pic.twitter.com/xo4rYoOSQB
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) November 9, 2019
What kind of sorcery is this? @zabeast_mma #UFCMoscow pic.twitter.com/ZNS5CpOPr0
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 9, 2019
Makes it look easy #UFCMoscow pic.twitter.com/kwT36Iwsx0
— UFC (@ufc) November 9, 2019
Vintage Zabit! @Zabeast_MMA #UFCMoscow pic.twitter.com/gEV0RJkWeW
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) November 9, 2019
@CalvinKattar throws some mean uppercuts #UFCMoscow pic.twitter.com/Y6LrL4Ojnt
— UFC_Asia (@UFC_Asia) November 9, 2019
Sensing his moment? #UFCMoscow pic.twitter.com/q6vAdbEtD6
— UFC (@ufc) November 9, 2019
Caught him midair @zabeast_mma #UFCMoscow pic.twitter.com/V13ylAt3jo
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 9, 2019
For complete UFC Moscow results and coverage click here.