Shamil
Gaziev’s first career defeat was a harsh dose of reality.
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After relying on his grappling to win the opening round of the
UFC Fight Night 238 headliner against Jairzinho
Rozenstruik, Gaziev faded badly from that point forward. For
the next three rounds. his wrestling was denied and absorbed
multiple jabs from his opponent, an assault which led to the bout
being waved off by referee Marc Goddard
before the fifth round.
While it appeared that Gaziev’s resolve weakened over the course of
the bout, he released a post-fight statement on social media vowing
to get better.
“First of all, congratulations [Jairzinho
Rozenstruik]. Good job today,” Gaziev wrote on X. “Got eye and
nose damage in [the second round] and couldn’t follow [the] fight
plan. If anyone thinks it will break me, I will disappoint you. I’m
going to return [to the] gym in the coming days, and I promise my
fans to get better.”
First of all congratulations @JairRozenstruik,good
job today.
Got eye and nose damage in 2nd round and couldn’t follow fight
plan.
If anyone thinks it will break me, I will disappoint you,I’m going
to return gym in the coming days and I promise my fans to get
better.— Shamil Gaziev (@GazievMMA)
March 3, 2024
The 34-year-old Gaziev began his professional tenue with 12
consecutive triumphs. He earned a UFC deal with a first-round
submission of Greg
Velasco on
Dana White’s Contender Series in September 2023, and he
continued that momentum by halting Martin
Buday’s 12-fight winning streak in his Octagon debut at UFC
296. As a result, he entered the matchup with Rozenstruik as the
betting favorite before his opponent imposed his will down the
stretch