Can MVP Fraud Check the Up-and-Coming Prospect and Will Izzy Get Back to His Winning Ways?
The UFC returns to Saudi Arabia for UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs Imavov. The Main card is stacked with intriguing stylist matchups throughout. I will break down each fight from start to finish. Can Israel Adesanya pull off a vintage performance against Nassourdine Imavov and can Michael Page stop the rising prospect Sharaputdin Magomedov in his tracks?
The first fight on the main card is a fun matchup at Lightweight between Fares Ziam and Mike Davis. Davis started aggressively looking for a takedown early but was countered and taken down by Ziam. Davis was able to get back to his feet but repeatedly kept pulling guard. Both fighters landed clean shots in the pocket with Ziam landing the better shots. As the round was coming to an end Davis was able to land a huge takedown and do some damage on the ground. I give the first round to Ziam. Davis came out aggressive again landing big shots before trying to clinch again, Ziam was able to land a huge knee that cut Davis and was able to pick him up and land a takedown. Davis was able to use a calf slicer to put Ziam in a bad spot. Davis is bleeding everywhere which has helped both fighters slip out of bad positions. Davis could barely get up after the round ended, it’s 2-0 Ziam going into the last round. Ziam was able to land another takedown early into the third round. Ziam used a lot of control time and when Davis was able to get up he was caught with a nasty elbow that cut him once again. Ziam took him down again but was countered and got himself cut with an elbow. Ziam was able to hold on and secure the unanimous decision victory.
The second fight on the card was a Bantamweight scrap between Said Nurmagomedov and Vinicius Oliveira. After a one-year layoff, Said looked on point landing huge leg kicks and a spinning back kick that sat Olivera down. Both fighters went back and forth exchanging clinch positions before an eye point stopped the action. It was a fast-paced fight with Said taking round one. Olivera came out looking better on the feet before securing a takedown. A crazy nonstop slugfest. I give the second round to Olivera tying it up one to one. Olivera came out swinging again with Said looking exhausted he was able to get on top and land some nice shots. It was a close fight throughout but Said slowed down significantly after round one Vinicius Olivera was able to win by unanimous decision.
The third fight on the main card is going to be a striking brawl between two powerhouses Sergei Pavlovich and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Both fighters came out timid with the power each fighter possessed. When Pavlovich was able to let his hands go he landed some big shots in close and was able to end up in top position to take round one. Round two started with both fighters fainting again with not much action happening. Pavloich landed a big straight right that knocked Rozenstruik down and gained top control once again. It is two rounds in the books for Pavloich with Rozenstruik needing a finish in round three. Pavloich was able to get the fight back on the ground early in round three. He was able to control Rozenstruik for the majority of the round to win the fight by unanimous decision. This was a nice bounce-back win for Pavloich after two straight losses.
The Co-Main Event is an exciting striking matchup between Michael Page and Sharaputdin Magomedov. Both fighters came out trying to make reads and figure out each other. MVP was able to land the bigger more effective strikers in the round with Magomedov only landing leg kicks effectively. Magomedov is becoming gun-shy he can not figure MVP out and is slowly getting picked apart on the feet. I have MVP up two rounds going into round three. The third round started the same way the first two had with MVP throwing a lot of feints and Magomedov biting on all of them. Magomedov was able to land some nice shots late in the fight that could potentially win him the round. MVP won the fight by unanimous decision taking Magomedov zero from him.
The Main Event was a high-stakes fight between former Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya and surging title contender Nassourdine Imavov. Izzy came out sharp using his kicks effectively and landing some good jabs in close. Imavov was able to land a massive uppercut late in the round but Izzy was able to counter with a right hook and go back to work in space. Imaovov landed a huge overhand right that dropped Izzy and was able to finish him on the ground and secure a huge KO victory over the former Champion to end the night.
