ABU DHABI – Umar Nurmagomedov’s wrestling proved to be too elite for Mario Bautista at UFC 321.
Nurmagomedov (19-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) survived an early knockdown to defeat Bautista (16-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). The bantamweight bout was part of the UFC 321 main card at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
To kick off Round 1, Bautista threw a kick which Nurmagomedov caught and converted into a takedown. Bautista got up, but Nurmagomedov slammed him down. Bautista latched onto Nurmagomedov’s knee, but the Russian fighter broke free and wound up in side control. Nurmagomedov was able to keep Bautista pinned down, before taking his back and riding out the rest of the round with a body triangle.
In Round 2, Bautista briefly dropped Nurmagomedov with a right knee, and followed it up with a hard body kick. However, Nurmagomedov was able to take him down shortly after and take his back again. Bautista reversed Nurmagomedov and used it to get back up. Bautista attempted to shoot on Nurmagomedov, but was stuffed. Nurmagomedov immediately countered with a takedown of his own and landed it. Bautista got back up eventually, but ate a body kick and a right hand.
In Round 3, Bautista pressed the action. He continued to attack the body as Nurmagomedov countered with a combination. He shot for multiple takedowns, and finally succeeded to get Bautista down to the mat. Every time Bautista got up, Nurmagomedov dragged him back down as he continued to chain wrestle to control the round. With seconds remaining, both fighters traded in the pocket.
During his post-fight interview, Nurmagomedov vowed to claim the UFC bantamweight title no matter who the champion is.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 321 results include:
- Umar Nurmagomedov def. Mario Bautista via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Alexander Volkov def. Jailton Almeida via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Azamat Murzakanov def. Aleksandar Rakic via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:11
- Quillan Salkilld def. Nasrat Haqparast via KO (head-kick) – Round 1, 2:30
- Ikram Aliskerov def. JunYong Park via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Ludovit Klein def. Mateusz Rebecki via majority decision (29-28, 28-27, 28-28)
- Valter Walker def. Louie Sutherland via submission (heel-hook) – Round 1, 1:24
- Nathaniel Wood def. Jose Delgado via unanimous (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Hamdy Abdelwahab def. Chris Barnett via unanimous decision (29-26, 29-27, 29-27)
- Mitch Raposo def. Azat Maksum via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-27, 29-27)
- Mizuki Inoue def. Jaqueline Amorim via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
