Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to its APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the UFC Vegas 87 mixed martial arts (MMA) event TODAY (Sat., March 2, 2024), streaming LIVE on ESPN+. UFC Vegas 87 will be topped by the 265-pound showdown pitting long-time heavyweight contender, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, against fast-rising undefeated division prospect, Shamil Gaziev, a five-round showdown with a spot in the division Top 15 hanging in the balance. Before that headlining clash of styles gets underway, rough-and-tumble light heavyweight hurter, Tyson Pedro, collides with action-first Brazilian bruiser, Vitor Petrino, in UFC Vegas 87’s co-main event, scheduled for 15 minutes of slam-bang violence.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 87 fight card below, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” undercard bouts at 1:30 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time at 4 p.m. ET. Bet on all the UFC Vegas 87 action with our friends at DraftKings Sportsbook right here.
Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev.” Without further delay, see below for the updated UFC Vegas 87 results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action).
UFC VEGAS 87 QUICK RESULTS:
Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Shamil Gaziev — Rozenstruik def. Gaziev by TKO (doctor’s stoppage) at 5:00 of Round Four
Tyson Pedro vs. Vitor Petrino — Petrino def. Pedro by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Muhammad Mokaev vs. Alex Perez — Mokaev def. Perez by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Bekzat Almakhan — Nurmagomedov def Almakhan by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-26 x2)
Stephen Erceg vs. Matt Schnell — Erceg def. Schnell by KO (punch) at 0:26 of Round Two — HIGHLIGHTS!
Eryk Anders vs. Jamie Pickett — Anders def. Pickett by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28 x2)
Vinicius Oliveira vs. Bernardo Sopaj — Oliveira def. Sopaj by KO (flying knee) at 4:41 of Round Three — HIGHLIGHTS!
Javid Basharat vs. Aiemann Zahabi — Zahabi def. Basharat by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Claudio Ribeiro — Duncan def. Ribeiro by TKO (punches) at 1:57 of Round Two
Ludovit Klein vs. A.J. Cunningham — Klein def. Cunningham by TKO (body kick and punches) at 4:36 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTS!
Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady vs. Loik Radzhabov — Radzhabov def. Al-Selwady by KO (punches) at 0:49 of Round Three — HIGHLIGHTS!
UFC VEGAS 87 PLAY-BY-PLAY:
265 lbs.: Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Shamil Gaziev
Round 1: Gaziev shoots after eating a low kick, denied. 1-2 misses. Sharp right cross by Rozenstruik. Gaziev advancing, eats a jab and low kick. One minute in. Gaziev shoots again, denied again. Rozenstruik doing well behind the jab, falls shrot with a right hand. Gaziev shoots again, denied again, avoids a looping right two minutes in. 1-2 by Rozenstruik, continuing to land the jab. 1-2 from Gaziev. He triesd to unload near the fence with two minutes to go.
Rozenstruik continuing to ding him with the jab. Gaziev punches his way into the clinch against the fence. Knees to the thigh. Gaziev changes levels and dumps him down into half guard with a minute to go. Solid right hands as Rozenstruik fights for wrist control. 10-9 Gaziev.
Round 2: Jabs and low kicks from Rozenstruik. Gaziev continuing to pressure. More jabs by Rozenstruik as he circles a minute in. Gaziev might already be gassed. He’s just walking forward and eating jabs at this point. Step-in knee two minutes in. Gaziev tries to flurry. Low kick by Rozenstruik, leaping left hook falls short. More jabs piling up. Gaziev punches his way inside, can’t find the takedown with two minutes to go.
Gaziev leaning on him against the fence. Trading knees to the body. Rozenstruik swats him with a short right hand and fights off a takedown. One minute to go. More wall-and-stall by Gaziev. 10-9 Rozenstruik.
Round 3: Low kick from Rozenstruik, who continues to flick out the jab. 1-2 by Gaziev, low kick by Rozenstruik. One minute in. Yet more jabs by Rozenstruik. Gaziev tries a tired-looking flurry. He seems completely spent and Rozenstruik is happy to just tattoo him with the jab nonstop. Two minutes in. More jabs and slow circling. Rare straight right. Two minutes to go.
Gaziev has thrown maybe five total strikes this round. Rozenstruik puts together a combo in center cage. Low kick. One minute to go. Right cross by Gaziev when Rozenstruik steps in, more jabs from Rozenstruik in return. They need to stop booking Heavyweights for five rounds unless a title is involved. 10-9 Rozenstruik.
Round 4: Rozenstruik continuing to keep the jab in Gaziev’s face. More jabs. Gaziev shoots, eat punches, shoots again. One minute in. They separate 30 seconds later. Gaziev is just standing there and eating jabs and low kicks with his mouth wide open. Two minutes in. 1-3 by Rozenstruik, hard overhand right, 1-2. Heavy combos from Rozenstruik, who takes his foot off the gas when the finish isn’t there and goes back to potshotting. Two minutes to go.
Yet more jabs by Rozenstruik. Low kick. One minute to go. Gaziev throws his first right hand in quite a while. Jabs knock Gaziev’s mouthpiece out. Rozenstruik abandons a shot, then chases Gaziev in the final seconds. 10-9 Rozenstruik.
Gaziev tells his corner he can’t see and this one is mercifully over.
Final result: Rozenstruik def. Gaziev by TKO (doctor’s stoppage)
205 lbs.: Tyson Pedro vs. Vitor Petrino
Round 1: Petrino falls short with a head kick, then a left hook. Low kick to jab after eating a calf kick. One minute in. Calf kick from Pedro, low kick from Petrino. Neither man committing to anything big. Pedro lands another calf kick, eats a jab two minutes in. Body kick. Petrino falls short with a head kick. Pedro low kick, Petrino jab. Two minutes to go.
Body kick by Pedro, who avoids a pair of head kicks. Nasty jab by Petrino snaps Pedro’s head back. Still more feints than strikes from both men with a minute to go. Body kick to right cross by Petrino, Pedro comes back with a low kick. One more low kick before the bell. 10-9 Petrino.
Round 2: Petrino falls short with punches, lands a leg kick. Low kicks from Pedro, who avoids a left hook. Heavy combo by Petrino, who denies a level change and takes Pedro to the fence. Pedro reverses a minute in. Petrino reverses in turn, then changes levels. Deadlocked. Two minutes in. They separate. 1-2 from Pedro after avoiding a combo. Quick lefts from Petrino, who absorbs a body kick and low kicks. Two minutes to go.
Pedro shoots, denied. Petrino advancing, tries a jab behind the low kick. Petrino tries a head kick. One minute to go. Pedro low kick. Body kick. Low kick. Petrino looks for head kicks. 10-9 Pedro? What a dud so far.
Round 3: Petrino finally wakes up, tagging Pedro with straight punches and power kicks. He ducks a right hand and takes Pedro to the fence. One minute in. He briefly gets Pedro down, stays attached as Pedro rises, then slams him to the mat. Landing short punches with one hook in. More control from Petrino against the fence, hitting mat returns and landing short punches. Two minutes to go.
Another mat return from Petrino. Pedro trying to get to his feet but not doing anything to break Petrino’s body lock. Petrino briefly gets half guard. One minute to go. One hook for Petrino. Now considering an arm triangle, loses it, steps into mount. He clamps back onto the arm triangle in the final seconds. 10-9 Petrino.
Final result: Petrino def. Pedro by unanimous decision
125 lbs.: Muhammad Mokaev vs. Alex Perez
Round 1: Perez takes an early finger in the eye, which the ref brushes off. Mokaev combo falls short. Low kick by Perez to answer a head kick. Perez slips, pops back up a minute in. Mokaev tries a flurry and lands a body kick. Trading low kicks. Solid knee from Mokaev, then to the head before shooting. He exits with another knee. Heavy counter right by Perez two minutes in, then a combo downstairs. Mokaev shoots, can’t complete the scramble. He steps in with an uppercut. Left hook into a level change, denied. Two minutes to go.
Perez falls short with combos. Mokaev looks for a reactive single-leg, transitions to a double with a minute to go. He scrambles in pursuit of the back, settles for half guard. He unloads left hands, then closes the round with elbows. 10-9 Mokaev.
Round 2: Mokaev shoots under a right hand and spins to Perez’s back. Perez peels off a hook, still stuck against the fence. Solid defense from Perez. Mokaev slips and Perez knocks him over again with a low kick, then sprawls on a shot. Solid combo by Perez and Mokaev shoots again, taking him down against the fence. Perez looking for the switch. Nice elbow. Perez gets to his feet and Mokaev puts in a hook, holding onto the body lock two minutes in. Mokaev continuing to hold the body lock. Perez gets to the front headlock and snaps him down. Two minutes to go.
Good scramble from Mokaev, eating elbows as he shoots. Perez separates. 1-1-2 from Mokaev. One minute to go. Mokaev fires jabs, tries an uppercut, lands a front kick downstairs. Perez tries to open up against the fence before tying up. Short left hand and sprawl. 10-9 Perez.
Round 3: Low kick from Mokaev. Counter left and level change, strong sprawl by Perez. Perez holding onto the front headlock a minute in. Nice sit-through by Mokaev to get the rear body lock. He tries to kick out Perez’s base, then takes him down. Back up goes Perez and back down goes Perez thanks to a German suplex from Mokaev. Perez again scrambles to his feet, Mokaev attached. They separate two minutes in. Mokaev fires a reactive shot, Perez sprawls. Mokaev potshotting off the back foot, then shoots when Perez steps in. Another strong sprawl by Perez with two minutes to go.
Mokaev tries to drive through, no dice. They separate. Perez advancing but not throwing. Mokaev shoots again, denied again. One minute to go. Mokaev firing straight punches as he retreats. Perez catches him changing levels with an uppercut and sprawls again. Knee from Perez, Mokaev sits through for a body lock. 10-9 Mokaev.
Final result: Mokaev def. Perez by unanimous decision
135 lbs.: Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Bekzat Almakhan
Round 1: Almakhan tries a head kick, eats a low kick. Body kick from Almakhan strays low. Nurmagomedov ducks in and Almakhan catches him in the temple with an overhand right that floors him. Nurmagomedov scrambles through to land on top in half guard. Side control a minute in. Nurmagomedov spins to his back and puts in a hook. Both hooks in at the two-minute mark. Short right hands by Nurmagomedov after cinching up the body triangle. Two minutes to go.
Nurmagomedov alternating between landing short punches and hunting the RNC. Almakhan regains guard. Solid elbows by Nurmagomedov. 10-9 Nurmagomedov.
Round 2: Nurmagomedov firing kicks, Almakhan punches. Clean punch from Nurmagomedov to set up an easy double-leg into guard. Elbows from Nurmagomedov, then a slick move to side control. Nice scramble by Almakhan and a head kick on the way out two minutes in. Nurmagomedov shoots under an overhand right to take him down into side control. Almakhan regains guard, eating elbows. Full mount for Nurmagomedov with two minutes to work.
Nurmagomedov postures up and bombs away, but Almakhan explodes to his feet. Nurmagomedov immediately takes him down again and looks for the back. Full mount, nice elbows. One minute to go. Nurmagomedov bombing away. Almakhan making a heroic effort to stand but only manages to regain half guard. Nurmagomedov takes the back when Almakhan tries to scoot to the fence. 10-8 Nurmagomedov.
Round 3: Counter right from Almakhan met by a head kick. He just misses with a lunging overhand. Nurmagomedov shoots under a jab and spins him down with a single-leg. Landing elbows from half guard. Solid left hands two minutes in. Almakhan scoots to the fence and Nurmagomedov pins a hand before taking his back, flattening him out. Two minutes to go.
More back control from Nurmagomedov. Almakhan warned for fingers in the glove. Punches from Nurmagomedov, who moves to mount. Solid elbows. He postures up and drops punches in the final 10 seconds. 10-9 Nurmagomedov.
Final result: Nurmagomedov def. Almakhan by unanimous decision
125 lbs.: Stephen Erceg vs. Matt Schnell
Round 1: Schnell advancing behind the jab, gets stung with a right cross. He ties up, flurries on the exit, then ties up again. Separation. More pressure from Schnell a minute in. Erceg pawing with the jab, looking for the counter right. Nice exchange in the center. Knee from Erceg inside. Two minutes in. Hard 3-2. Low kick, counter 1-2. Erceg continuing to pick Schnell off as the latter steps in and Schnell’s busted up above the left eye. Heavy exchange with two minutes to go.
Another clean right hand from Erceg, who avoids a flurry. Hard exchanges and Schnell stumbles back after eating a right cross. Erceg tries to follow up and gets cracked by a right cross in return. One minute to go. Body kick by Erceg after just missing a pair of crosses. He shoots, denied. Heavy overhand right. Clean 1-2 and one more jab before the bell. 10-9 Erceg.
Round 2: Schnell continuing to try and pressure. Erceg fires a right cross to the body, then comes up with a left hook on the button that instantly turns out Schnell’s lights.
Final result: Erceg def. Schnell by KO (punch)
185 lbs.: Eryk Anders vs. Jamie Pickett
Round 1: Anders slowly advancing as Pickett circles near the fence. He fires a left hand and changes levels, looking for a single-leg. One minute in. Solid knee by Pickett. Ref wants more action. Jockeying for position. Two minutes in. Anders body shots, Pickett knees. They separate. 1-2 from Anders, who walks into a counter right that briefly buckles his legs. He pops back up and gets back in pursuit, firing a head kick and shooting again. This one’s better and he gets the body lock with two minutes to go.
Anders fishing for a trip. Pickett turns to face him and avoids a double-leg. Solid lefts from Anders on on the exit, but he gets too eager and Pickett sits him down with a straight right. Anders again manages to survive and hits a takedown with a minute to go. Pickett stuck on his seat against the fence. Hard knee by Anders on the way up. Anders wades in with strikes, then gets the body lock again. 10-9 Pickett.
Round 2: Inside low kick from Anders. Pickett tries a head kick. Firing off his back foot. Anders ties up against the fence a minute in. He locks his hands, Pickett pummels under. Nice knees from Pickett and they trade hard crosses on the break. Anders briefly ties up again, lands on the exit two minutes in. Straight shots from Pickett, who throws an ill-advised knee that lets Anders lock his hands and take him down against the fence. Anders tries to jump on his back, settles for putting him on the fence again with two minutes to go.
Anders looks for a single-leg, can’t find it. Pickett tries to flurry. Anders lands a knee downstairs. Another knee, then a pair of solid punches against the fence before hitting another double-leg and moving to mount with a minute to go. Looking for the back, landing punches. Pickett gets to his knees, eating more shots. 10-9 Anders.
Round 3: Anders continuing to pressure, times a nice double-leg under Pickett’s flurry and takes Pickett down away from the fence this time. On top in half guard. One minute in. Pickett regains guard after a time and Anders goes to work with elbows, opening a cut on Pickett’s forehead. Two minutes in. Anders gets the giftwrap and whacks away until Pickett gives up his back, but Pickett manages to get to his feet, Anders still attached. Two minutes to go.
Another takedown by Anders. Chipping away from half guard. One minute to go. Anders rides out the round. 10-9 Anders.
Final result: Anders def. Pickett by unanimous decision
135 lbs.: Vinicius Oliveira vs. Bernardo Sopaj
Round 1: Oliveira comes out southpaw, slowly advancing. Both fall short with kicks. Both swing big, neither lands clean. Oliveira tries a body kick a minute in, then eats a hard low kick. Sopaj catches a body kick and comes back with a left hook. Oliveira answers with hard leg kicks. Sopaj falls short with a left hook two minutes in. Oliveira telegraphs a spinning back kick and Sopaj takes him down into half guard. Oliveira turns to threaten a leg, no dice. He regains guard with just over two minutes to go.
Short punches from Sopaj. Oliveira threatens an arm to make space and get to his feet, where Sopaj stalks him along the fence. 1-2, head kick by Sopaj. Oliveira cracks him with another heavy calf kick, then eats a body shot. One minute to go. Calf kick by Sopaj, then a double-leg into mount. Heavy right hands as Oliveira regains guard. Nice elbow. Diving punches in the final seconds. 10-9 Sopaj.
Round 2: Sopaj goes right back to the takedown, and though Oliveira fights off the first shot with a whizzer, his attempt to hit a trip allows Sopaj to drag him down. Sopaj quickly takes the back, slipping in both hooks and dropping punches. One minute in. Heavy shots from Sopaj as Oliveira regains half guard. Sopaj continuing to do damage, looking for mount. Two minutes in. Oliveira turns and Sopaj again slips in the hooks, hammering with punches. Oliveira stuck on his knees as Sopaj chips away. Oliveira works to his feet, Sopaj playing backpack.
Oliveira manages to peel him off and take top position, bombing away with brutal right hands. Heavy shots from Oliveira. Sopaj works to his feet, gets spun back down into guard. Oliveira continuing to do damage, diving in with brutal blows. One minute to go. Oliveira threatening an arm triangle, loses it, goes back to dropping punches and elbows. Sopaj gets to his feet and Oliveira unloads on the break. Sharp counter lefts by Sopaj. Oliveira scrambles him with a vicious uppercut, then a head kick on the exit. Sopaj makes it to the bell but he is not all there. 10-9 Oliveira.
Round 3: Oliveira goes back to stalking, firing kicks. Heavy straight left by Sopaj, wild swings from Oliveira in return. Sopaj tries a dart left. One minute in. Oliveira cracks him with a pull counter right and chases him down with big swings. Low kick to body kick. Another low kick spins Sopaj around. Oliveira wading in with haymakers, takes himself off his feet after landing a 1-2. Two minutes in. Sopaj trying to pressure, eats hard low kicks, comes back with a straight left. 1-2 from Oliveira, low kick to flurry. Sopaj is gassed to death but somehow withstanding some huge punches. Straight right from Oliveira in the next flurry. Two minutes to go.
Oliveira hurts him with a low kick and straight right. He’s spent too but has more in the tank than Sopaj. Another low kick, then a looping overhand right. Heavy low kicks. Sopaj trying to fire back but getting the worst of it. One minute to go. Oliveira shoots, then flurries on the break. Calf kick to left hook by Oliveira has Sopaj stumbling back, and as Sopaj hits the fence, Oliveira chases him down with an absolute beauty of a flying knee to the jaw. Sopaj goes down face-first and we have a Knockout of the Year frontrunner.
Final result: Oliveira def. Sopaj by KO (flying knee) — WATCH HIGHLIGHTS!
135 lbs.: Javid Basharat vs. Aiemann Zahabi
Round 1: Basharat patiently advancing as Zahabi circles. Solid check from Basharat and he comes back with kicks of his own. 1-2 from Zahabi, who eats a body kick as he disengages and checks a low kick behind it. Basharat tries a side kick. Still at sparring pace so far, more feints than strikes on both sides. Two minutes in. Basharat backs away from a flurry and tries a head kick. Zahabi now trying to press the action as Basharat flashes counters. Clash of heads. Basharat feints a spin, walks into a jab. Solid low kick by Zahabi, Basharat back on the front foot. Nice body kick with two minutes to go.
Zahabi lands a long 1-2, just avoids a heel kick. Sneaky back kick to the body by Basharat as he retreats. Basharat whiffs on a flying knee, then knocks Zahabi over with another back kick. One minute to go. Sharp 1-2. Low kick from Zahabi in return. Basharat looking a bit more aggressive with his kicks. Zahabi doubles up the right kick. 10-9 Basharat.
Round 2: Some heavier exchanges to start the round, both men connecting. Counter rights by Zahabi, jab by Basharat. One minute in. Heavy flurry from Zahabi catches Basharat leaning. Basharat potshotting with straight punches. Zahabi waiting to counter as Basharat bounces shots off his guard. Head kick attempt. Two minutes in. Intercepting knee, then a slick uppercut that lands flash. Zahabi sits down on some heavy swings of his own. Basharat in the flow, avoiding most of what Zahabi sends his way. Nice exchanges. Two minutes to go.
Zahabi body shot. He’s trying to pressure at this point. He denies a shot, avoids an elbow, lands a 1-2. Lead left by Basharat. More trades in the center. One minute to go. Zahabi denies a shot and briefly threatens from the front headlock before they return to their feet. More good takedown defense by Zahabi, who eats a straight left. Counter two-piece by Zahabi. Left hook, then a counter right that briefly drops Basharat. Basharat pursues and tries to get it back before the bell. 10-9 Zahabi.
Round 3: Basharat pursuing behind the jab. Spinning back kick lands downstairs. Zahabi continuing to circle and wait for his opportunities. One minute in. Good exchange in the center, overhand right by Zahabi. Nice body kick. Basharat tries to back him up, landing 1-2s. Solid left through the guard. Chorus crashes for a bit, but they continue to have back-and-forth exchanges. Two minutes to go.
Nice combos from Basharat, head kick from Zahabi in return. More jabs by Zahabi, who eats a long right cross. Zahabi pushing forward and landing well. One minute to go. Big uppercut by Zahabi, who absorbs a spinning elbow and grabs a body lock. Basharat tries a throw before exiting. Basharat seems like he’s out of steam as Zahabi chases with haymakers. Some sloppy exchanges to end the fight. 10-9 Zahabi; comes down to the second round.
Final result: Zahabi def. Basharat by unanimous decision
185 lbs.: Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Claudio Ribeiro
Round 1: Duncan sharpshooting early with punches and kicks. Spinning elbow blocked. Ribeiro looks a step behind in the first minute, keeping a high guard but little else. Spinning back kick from Duncan. He’s enjoying target practice at the moment, trying to snipe his way through Ribeiro’s guard. Ribeiro eats an elbow and tries to chase without success two minutes in. Duncan backs him to the fence and cracks him with a series of heavy elbows while manipulating his guard. Ribeiro sprints after him, eating a nasty right hand in the process. More sharpshooting with two minutes to go.
RIbeiro catches a front kick and nearly eats a Joaquin Buckley-style spinning kick for it before putting Duncan on the fence. RIbeiro tries a spinning elbow, gives up double underhooks. One minute to go. Knees to the thigh from Duncan. Ribeiro reverses. They end the round there. 10-9 Duncan.
Round 2: Ribeiro tries to charge after him with haymakers before tying up against the fence. Duncan separates and tries a flying knee before tying up himself. Good level change a minute in and he slams Ribeiro into side control. Quick move to mount and here come the punches and elbows. Duncan hammers until Ribeiro gives up his back, then continues dropping punches until the ref steps in.
Final result: Duncan def. Ribeiro by TKO (punches)
155 lbs.: Ludovit Klein vs. A.J. Cunningham
Round 1: Klein catches a body kick and takes Cunningham down into guard. Good left hand on the way up, nasty body shot, body kick. His next takedown gets Cunningham to a knee against the fence a minute in. Knee on the way up, then more body shots. Trading in the center. Klein straight left, Cunningham body and low kicks. Klein tries a head kick two minutes in. Inside low kicks landing for Cunningham. Klein answers with a nasty combo, capped by a head kick. Hard exchange in the center. Klein landing the better shots but Cunningham’s finding the mark at times. Vicious 1-2 from Klein, counter two-piece from Cunningham. Two minutes to go.
Both men throwing heat. 1-2-3 by Klein. Inside low kick exchange, straight left by Klein. Cunningham to the body. One minute to go. Hard body shots from Klein in return. More body shots, then a 1-2 and elbow against the fence. Klein putting on a clinic. 1-2-3-head kick, body shots, then a snap kick to the body finally sends Cunningham to his knees.
Final result: Klein def. Cunningham by TKO (body kick and punches) — WATCH HIGHLIGHTS!
155 lbs.: Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady vs. Loik Radzhabov
Round 1: Al-Selwady immediately gets to circling and firing leg kicks. Radzhabov tries a flying kick. Slick movement from Al-Selwady, who follows a spinning back kick with a leg kick. One minute in. Leg kick to overhand right, Radzhabov doesn’t manage to tie up. Body shots form Al-Selwady, who eats a short uppercut but gets double underhooks when Radzhabov ties up. Grinding against the fence. Two minutes in. Radzhabov peels away the body lock and separates. Solid combo by Radzhabov against the fence. HE catches Al-Selwady on one leg and drops him with a right hand, following him down and swarming with punches. Body lock with two minutes to go.
Radzhabov looking for the back, hitting mat returns and landing punches. One minute to go. Al-Selwady escapes the front headlock and the ref pauses the action to warn them both for grabbing the fence. Another nice counter right by Radzhabov, then some heavy knees from the front headlock. Al-Selwady blasts him with an overhand right in return, then tries a spinning back kick. One more overhand right. Fun round. 10-9 Radzhabov.
Round 2: More pressure from Radzhabov, who fights off a takedown after Al-Selwady catches a knee. They separate soon after. Hard low kick from Al-Selwady, then another. One minute in. Counter overhand by Al-Selwady, playing matador. Heavy leg kick. Radzhabov tries a flying knee and Al-Selwady swats him out of the air with an overhand right. Al-Selwady building steam. Two minutes in. Switching stance, circling, solid overhand right. Radzhabov wading after him and firing front kicks. He’s still trying to time Al-Selwady’s kicks with counter rights. Al-Selwady shoots, settles for the front headlock with two minutes to go.
Radzhabov pops his head out and walks into an overhand right. Al-Selwady ducks a right hand, looks for a single-leg, cracks him with another overhand right. Perfectly timed double-leg puts him on top in half guard. Brief move to side control, back to half guard Radzhabov scrambles up, tries a knee, and walks into another counter. 10-9 Al-Selwady.
Round 3: Al-Selwady limp-legs out of a single-leg, then hits a double-legs of his own and lands right hands on the way up. Spinning back kick whiffs, counter left hook doesn’t. Out of nowhere, though, Radzhabov uncorks an overhand right htat lands right on the temple. Al-Selwady’s out after the first couple follow-ups, but the ref lets Radzhabov hammer his unconscious body for a good five seconds before stepping in.
Final result: Radzhabov def. Al-Selwady by KO (punches) — WATCH HIGHLIGHTS!
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