UFC 254 ‘Nurmagomedov vs. Gaethje’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

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Round 1

It’s time for the big show in the early hours for U.S.-based fans,
and we start this much anticipated pay-per-view event on the early
prelims with a 160-pound catchweight affair. Spanish submission
specialist Alvarez (17-2, 2-1 UFC), who has notched a whopping 88
percent of his wins by sub, faces off against durable Russian
Yakovlev (25-10-1, 3-5 UFC) after the former missed weight by
nearly four pounds. Referee Jason Herzog is in charge of the cage
for this card opener, and with a touch of gloves, away we go!
Yakovlev sways back and forth early to try to find an angle, and he
opens up with a head kick. His Spanish foe responds with a head
kick that gets blocked, and a body kick that is not nearly as
protected. When Alvarez throws a naked leg kick, Yakovlev crashes
forward into a takedown. The Russian leaves his neck exposed on the
way down, so Alvarez welcomes him down and snatches up a guillotine
choke. Yakovlev stays composed and nearly pulls his head out, but
Alvarez redoubles his effort and squeezes with all his might.
Alvarez locks up his legs and continues to burn out his arms, until
he cannot maintain this crushing grip and Yakovlev wrenches his
head free. In full guard, Yakovlev starts to get off some short
ground-and-pound, but Alvarez is quick to adjust and throw his legs
up for an armbar. Yakovlev falls to his back and he tries to roll
through the submission, but halfway through his rotation, the
Russian’s elbow hyperextends and he has to tap out. That is now
16 submissions across 18 wins for the Spaniard, who now posts
back-to-back first-round submission victories inside the Octagon.
Alvarez still maintains a spectacular 100 percent finish rate in
victory.

The Official Result

Joel Alvarez def. Alexander Yakovlev R1 3:00 via Submission
(Armbar)

Round 1

Keeping things moving, we shift gears to the women’s flyweight
division as Georgia-born Russian Jojua (8-3, 1-1 UFC) tries not to
“Fear The” Maverick (7-2, 0-0 UFC). This matchup between two
powerful 125ers will be officiated by referee Lukasz Bosacki, and
the two touch gloves to commence the violence. Maverick starts off
with a naked leg kick, and Jojua counters her with a sharp one-two.
Maverick goes to throw a front kick, but before she can extend her
leg, Jojua is on her with a crisp striking combination. Jojua
sticks out her left hand and follows it with a right, and does this
again. She wades through a left hook to fire off her right hand
again, and the Georgian’s nose is starting to mark up quickly.
Maverick strings together a series of punches, punctuating them
with a heavy leg kick. Maverick nails her with a left hand, and
then charges forward with a blitz of punches. The American pushes
out a side kick, and a left hand cracks Jojua on the nose to force
her to backpedal. Maverick lets fly body kick, and her strikes are
not singular as she continues to flurry with punches in bunches.
Maverick repeats this same combination to great effect, before
opening up with a superwoman punch. Jojua stands strong on front of
her and wings back a right hand, but Maverick is unfazed. “Fear the
Maverick” makes her opponent fear her striking by staying active
and landing practically at will, clattering an elbow off Jojua’s
face. When Jojua tries to charge forward, Maverick is ready with a
side kick to the body. Maverick keeps her advancing foe at bay with
a body kick from her lead leg, but Jojua walks through it to stand
and bang. Maverick allows her to do this so she can time two
blistering elbows that smash the nose of her opponent, and Jojua is
spraying crimson rain. The round ends in one last combination from
Maverick, and horror film fans rejoice as we can see that the
bridge of Jojua’s nose is slashed open with nearly an inch of split
flesh. As soon the horn sounds, Bosacki calls in the doctor, as
blood is pouring out like an elevator in the Overlook Hotel.
Jojua’s corner cannot stop the bleeding, and the doctor does not
want it to get worse, so he advises Bosacki to stop the fight.
Bosacki obliges, and the fight is over despite Jojua’s protests. In
the process, Maverick records her first career win by TKO or KO,
getting her opponent out at the 5:00 mark of the round.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Maverick
John Brannigan scores the round: 10-9 Maverick
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Maverick

The Official Result

Miranda Maverick def. Liana Jojua R1 5:00 via TKO (Doctor
Stoppage)

Round 1

Up next on the standard preliminary card is a light heavyweight
striker’s delight between Alvey (33-14, 1 NC, 10-9 UFC) and Jung
(13-2, 2-0 UFC), with the two combining for 29 knockouts across
their 46 career wins. Hoping not to get decked is referee Anders
Ohlsson, and there is no glove touch to precede the action. Jung
sprints out of his corner to take the center of the cage, and Alvey
backs himself up against the cage. Jun starts first with a body
kick, and his pressure is forcing Alvey to fight defensively and
not throw strikes. Alvey sneaks out a low calf kick and holds out
his right hand to keep Jung at bay. The South Korean connects with
a right hand, and flips up a head kick that gets blocked. Jung
kicks high and falls over, but Alvey allows him to stand back up
without any issue. Alvey gets off another calf kick, and Jung
swings and misses but does land with his own leg kick. Alvey rushes
in and scores a left hand, and runs through his opponent to reset
on the other side. Jung sticks Alvey over the top, and Alvey
responds with three sharp punches. Jung scores a few punches that
make Alvey wobble a little, but Alvey is ready to fire back by
launching a trio of strikes. They clash together and Alvey gets off
a left hand, and then both men land alternating leg kicks. Jung
times a right hand, but a stiff left hand counter catches Jung on
the chin to make him stumble. Jung laughs and presses into the
clinch, where Alvey welcomes him and gets off a few clinch strikes.
The South Korean wings an elbow, and Alvey just barely ducks it.
Alvey complains about a poke in the eye, but Ohlsson does not see
it so Jung starts to swing wildly. Jung lands flush a few times to
hurt Alvey, but Alvey is able to counter with a few punches and a
calf kick. Two looping hooks glance off Alvey’s intended target,
and he manages to get Jung off of him momentarily. When Jung comes
at him, Alvey counters with a left hand. Alvey cracks Jung with a
right hook, and the left hook that follows surprises Jung. A
blinking Alvey might have taken another eye poke, and the round
ends before Jung can capitalize.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Alvey
John Brannigan scores the round: 10-9 Alvey
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Alvey

Round 2

Like the beginning of last round, Jung comes out charging but stops
before engaging. Ohlsson admonishes Jung to close his fingers, as
the South Korean leaded with his fingers outstretched and got away
with a few eye pokes. Jung blitzes forward with a few punches that
knock Alvey around, but the American stays composed and wings a
left hook. Alvey chips away at his advancing adversary with a few
more calf kicks, and both men swing wildly and miss. Jung commits
to a heavy leg kick and thinks about letting rip an overhand right,
but instead targets the body. When Jung strides in, Alvey snaps out
a right hand to get Jung to recalculate his offense. Alvey clips
him again with a right hand, and Jung is playing the bull to
Alvey’s matador. Alvey hammers Jung’s chin with a left hand, and
follows suit with a combination that gets Jung’s attention. Another
solid leg kick from Alvey makes Jung stumble, and Alvey times the
off-balance position with a left straight. Alvey is successfully
able to counter an advancing Jung repeatedly, all while chopping at
the lead leg. Jung lets fly an inside low kick, and Alvey aims a
right hand counter that falls short, so Alvey follows it with a few
looping punches. Alvey races in with a few strikes, and resets on
the outside to get out of range. Alvey’s accurate calf kicks keep
landing, and Jung looks to disrupt these kicks with one-twos and
hooks. One such left hook causes a thin trickle of blood to leak
out of Alvey’s nose, but the American does not notice it. Instead,
he cracks Jung and then connects a few leg kicks. Alvey comes up
well shy of his intended target with a slow spinning wheel kick,
and the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Alvey
John Brannigan scores the round: 10-9 Alvey
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Alvey

Round 3

The two men greet in the final round with a glove touch, and Alvey
chops down the calf to start out the third frame. Alvey puts
together a one-two, and another leg kick turns into a punch
combination. Alvey wades forward with a few punches, and Jung
smashes him on the jaw with a right elbow to put Alvey down hard.
The American shakes out the cobwebs, kicks Jung off of him, and
springs back to his feet. Jung is on him, pressing Alvey against
the cage and landing a few right hands. Alvey manages to separate
and he is wearing it, but he goes right back to his bread and
butter with leg kicks and left hands. Alvey sticks, shifts and
nails Jung with a right uppercut to hurt Jung now. Alvey pours it
on, and Jung weathers the storm to try to unload another elbow, but
Alvey sees it coming and backs away. “Smile’n Sam” clicks another
kick off Jung’s calf, and he sees the opening to drill Jung in the
chin with another uppercut. Jung walks through the fire and blasts
Alvey with another elbow, and Alvey is hurt and on rubber legs.
Alvey falls back to the fence and survives the assault that comes
his way to tie up Jung in the clinch, and even considers a body
lock takedown but clings on tight to gather his faculties. Alvey
briefly reverses the position to set up a Thai clinch, but Jung
counters it effectively and ties up Alvey’s leg to fish for a trip
takedown. Alvey spins him around, gets turned back to the fence,
and he starts lifting up knees to the body. Jung loads up on
another lethal elbow, and Alvey takes it about as flush as one can
but still survives it. Alvey is possibly out on his feet and cut on
his eye, but he still flings back with reckless abandon to stave
off Jung. One final exciting exchange concludes this fun striking
battle.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Jung (29-28 Alvey)
John Brannigan scores the round: 10-9 Jung (29-28 Alvey)
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Jung (29-28 Alvey)

The Official Result

Sam Alvey vs. Da Un Jung is ruled a Split Draw (28-29, 29-28,
28-28)

Round 1

We are now set to be treated to what could be a high-flying
catchweight affair as “Cowboy” Oliveira (22-8-1, 2 NC; 11-6, 1 NC
UFC) looks to become the first man to defeat Kazakhstani newcomer
Rakhmonov (12-0, 0-0 UFC), with the latter potentially energized by
the release of “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.” The debuting
welterweight, who faces a man that missed weight by two pounds, has
never before gone the distance; Oliveira will have to mind his P’s
and Q’s, as will referee Lukasz Bosacki. They touch gloves, and
Oliveira swings and misses with a big leg kick. The Brazilian leaps
in to score a big right hand, and he darts out of the way to avoid
the counter. The two trade leg kicks, and Rakhmonov narrowly avoids
a long jab. Oliveira swings and misses with a pair of strikes, and
he is not able to get away to evade a booming leg kick that comes
at him. Oliveira sticks out a front kick a little too long, and
Rakhmonov grabs it but sets it down before he can do anything with
it. Oliveira gathers himself and fires off a few looping punches,
but each fall short. Rakhmonov sits down on a leg kick, and then
follows it with a few big punches. Rakhmonov steps in with a
cracking knee to the body, sending Oliveira falling back to the
cage. Rakhmonov pours it on with strikes as he senses he might have
hurt Oliveira but the Brazilian grabs hold of him to tie him up in
the clinch. Rakhmonov gets warned for grabbing the fence to keep
Oliveira trapped, and the two jockey for position against the cage.
Oliveira turns him around and starts ripping the body with knees,
and Rakhmonov manages to stay upright when Oliveira tries to trip
him down. Oliveira re-commits to a trip takedown, and Rakhmonov
drops low to grab Oliveira’s knee and take him down instead.
Neither succeed, and Oliveira bullies him back to the cage wall.
Oliveira drops down for a double, but the Kazakhstani fighter
stuffs it with ease only to take another knee to the torso. When
Rakhmonov tries to respond with his own knee, Oliveira once more
changes levels but is similarly thwarted. Oliveira continues to doggedly pursue a double leg
takedown, and Rakhmonov jumps guard to set up a guillotine choke.
Rakhmonov locks him down with his legs, and squeezes with every bit
of his energy. Oliveira wriggles, and presses on Rakhmonov to try
to pop his head out, but there is nothing doing. Seconds later,
Oliveira taps out so he does not go out. This is a statement
debut for Rakhmonov, who is still perfect at 13-0 with 13
finishes.

The Official Result

Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Alex Oliveira R1 4:40 via Submission
(Guillotine Choke)

Round 1

In another catchweight bout – this one at a pre-determined 140
pounds so no one missed weight — Kenney (15-2-1, 4-1 UFC) makes a
speedy return to action after winning three weeks ago, and he faces
Wood (17-4, 4-1 UFC). This likely fast-paced collision will be
overseen by referee Anders Ohlsson, and the two 140-pounders touch
gloves to seal the cage. Kenney begins with a leg kick, and Wood
slings back at him and gets off a hard right hand. Kenney lets rip
a leg kick, and he opens up with a body kick that worked wonders in
his last fight. Wood crowds him with a series of punches, and
Kenney is ready and waiting swing it out with him. The two men
trade heavy kicks and Kenney clips Wood at the end of a right hand.
The pace is furious in the early going, and Kenney strings together
a line of punches that sends Wood back. Kenney attacks the lead leg
twice and the body once with a thudding kick. When Wood kicks back,
Kenney not only catches it, but he makes sure that Wood eats one
back. Kenney steps in with a right, and the follow-up left lands
flush on the chin. Kenney pushes Wood back to the fence with a few
punches, and Wood swings wildly to get Kenney to back off. Wood
sticks out a jab a few times to disrupt the forward movement of
Kenney, so Kenney sits back and chips away with a leg kick before
darting forward with a one-two. Wood stabs at the body with a kick
and then kicks the lead leg, but Kenney does not let him rest by
firing right back. Kenney scores a big left hand, and then another
as Wood is content to kick. Kenney kicks the lead leg hard to stop
Wood’s momentum, and snaps Wood’s head back with a left hand.
Kenney ducks down and lands a big left hook, but Wood eats it like
a plate of bangers and mash. Kenney blasts Wood with a fierce left,
and Wood does not budge and fires right back. Kenney spins with a
kick to the body, and Wood catches him as he turns back around with
two punches. Kenney counters Wood’s looping left hook with a short
left hand, and the two come together and trade leather. Kenney
nearly kicks out the lead leg, and he follows it with a superman
punch. Wood spins with his own back kick, and Kenney absorbs it and
throws with fire and fury. The two trade until the bell, and what a
crazy first five minutes.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Kenney
John Brannigan scores the round: 10-9 Kenney
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Kenney

Round 2

The two fearless bantamweights pick up right where they left off,
swinging wildly and surprisingly seem to hurt one another briefly.
Kenney lands his heel on the side of the head with a spinning kick,
and Wood comes back at him without concern. Kenney scores a right
hook on the side of the head, and Wood stands and traces with him
all while working the occasional leg kick. Wood kicks at the lead
leg again, and Kenney shoots in for a takedown. He bails on it
before it gets stuffed, but he tries to set up a few strikes as his
pace appears to be slowing a little. Wood keeps active with leg
kicks and left hands, and his jab is starting to take effect.
Kenney comes in to swing hooks, but he misses and Wood takes
advantage of it with a few jabs. Kenney kicks the body, and the
Brit eats it and throws back a few punches at him. Kenney chops at
the lead leg and charges in to land a left hand, but Wood stands
firm and swipes at him with a few left hands. Wood is picking at
Kenney with left hands, and he steps forward with a right hand.
Kenney strings together three powerful hooks, but not before Wood
clips him with a left. Kenney loads up on a few big punches, and
the Brit defends against them and dances out of the way. Wood
circles on the outside, so the American crashes in for a takedown.
Wood stuffs it and he absorbs a right hand with no harm done.
Kenney cracks him at with a ferocious left hook, but Wood is able
to avoid the full brunt of it. Kenney tries to tie up in the
clinch, and Wood pushes him away but takes a knee to the body in
the process. Kenney swings and misses, and Wood is more accurate
and sticks him with his left. Kenney wades forward to throw looping
hooks, but “The Prospect” is composed and able to narrowly evade
these shots. Kenney attacks wildly and each strike misses, so he
follows it with a takedown attempt. Wood pushes him off and has his
lead leg chopped out beneath him. One final strike exchange wraps
up this fun second frame.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Wood
John Brannigan scores the round: 10-9 Wood
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Wood

Round 3

Both men clap their hands together to clock in the last round, and
Wood backs away to land a succession of quick leg kicks. Kenney
tries to counter, but the kicks get him to trip a little. Wood
walks forward with jabs and left hooks, and he snaps out a right
hand as Kenney walks him down. Kenney swings recklessly and Wood
avoids the strikes, but he takes a solid punch to the liver that
gives him momentary pause. Wood reaches with a left hook but he
cannot find his mark, so he changes levels to pursue a takedown but
Kenney does not flinch. Kenney walks forward and throws his left
hand, and he gets Wood to back up. Kenney sticks and moves to avoid
the jab, and comes over the top with a left hand. Wood dances back
and gets grabbed by the American, leading Kenney to circle around
and take Wood’s back. Wood drops to a knee against the fence, and
Kenney pulls him down for a second. Wood pops back to his feet and
puts both hands on the mat to avoid getting kneed in the head, and
see a large and sudden hematoma forming on Wood’s forehead above
his left eye. Kenney kicks Wood’s leg out and hops around to the
other side to try to put Wood down, but Wood is able to stay
upright. Wood defends his position with a potential guillotine
choke, but it is not threatening and more a tool to stand upright –
he does just this. Wood comes forward and shoots for his own
takedown, but Kenney laughs it off and slings heavy leather at his
opponent. Wood does the same, and Kenney even tries to pull off a
few up-elbows as they close the distance. Both men try and fail to
take the other down, and Kenney attacks the body effectively and
scores a right hand to sting Wood. Kenney eats a serious left hand
that makes his knees quake, but the American remains resolute and
rips a right hand to the chin of Wood. Kenney shows bleeding at the
corner of his eye but he rushes in to attack, and he plods forward
until the bitter end. This one will be close, but it sure was
thrilling.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Kenney (29-28 Kenney)
John Brannigan scores the round: 10-9 Wood (29-28 Wood)
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Kenney (29-28 Kenney)

The Official Result

Casey Kenney def. Nathaniel Wood via Unanimous Decision (29-28,
29-28, 30-27)

Round 1

Our preliminary headliner comes in the form of heavyweight rumble
for as long as it lasts, when “Skyscraper” Struve (29-12, 13-10
UFC) encounters the thunderous strikes of “Bam Bam” Tuivasa (9-3,
3-3 UFC). Chins will likely be tested and so will the cage floor
with 530 pounds of fury between the two, and these two have won
just three decisions across their total 38 wins between them. The
much smaller referee Jason Herzog may have his hands full here, but
the respect comes early as the two touch gloves. Struve jumps
forward with a front kick to the body, and then lands another with
his incredibly long legs. Tuivasa avoids a head kick that zooms by
his head, and Struve connects another front kick. Tuivasa swings
and miss with a crazy right hand, but the seven-footer is able to
roll with it. The Aussie kicks the lead leg once, and he presses
forward into the clinch. Tuivasa pushes heavy on his taller foe
while getting off a few knees to the thigh, and Struve attempts a
trip takedown that does not succeed. Tuivasa rips the body once,
and Struve considers a guillotine choke but Tuivasa breaks the
grip. “Bam Bam” pushes away, and he gets kicked in the torso for
his effort. Tuivasa returns fire with a big right hand, but
Struve’s chin stays together. The Dutchman kicks the lead leg and
keeps his distance, but he wades forward and slaps Tuivasa in the
face with a slow kick. Tuivasa bull-rushes him with a few looping
punches, and he closes the distance to get Struve tied up against
the cage wall. Tuivasa rings off an elbow on the break, and he
misses with the subsequent strikes. Tuivasa chops at the lead leg,
and he absorbs a body kick around the liver. The Aussie again
targets the leg, and he manages to avoid one that comes back while
attacking it again. Tuivasa kicks the other leg while Struve keeps
a long distance, and Struve connects with a few kicks to the
midsection. Tuivasa hammers the lead leg of “Skyscraper” to force
Struve to turn around and change his stance. Tuivasa blitzes with
some big punches, and an uppercut hurts Struve. The Aussie throws him down to the ground like a Tim
Boetsch toss, and when Struve scrambles back up, Tuivasa is on him
with a barrage of deadly punches. Two left hands, a few rights and
a couple to the body bust up Struve, but the felling blow comes in
the form of an uppercut that splits the uprights and sends the
seven-foot fighter crashing down to the ground. Herzog leaps in
to stop the fight with mere seconds left in the round, and Tuivasa
celebrates by jumping over the fence to search of a shoe – but UFC
officials do not allow him to pour beer in it. Rest assured, there
will be shoeys backstage.

The Official Result

Tai Tuivasa def. Stefan Struve R1 4:59 via KO (Punches)

Round 1

It’s time to get crazy, as the main card of UFC 254 begins with a
rematch of one of the more controversial results of 2020 between
Ankalaev (13-1, 4-1 UFC) and Cutelaba (15-5, 1 NC; 4-4 UFC). In a
light heavyweight clash that is very unlikely to reach the
scorecards, referee Anders Ohlsson will need to keep his head on a
swivel for the bout’s presumably short duration. There is no love
lost and no glove touch between these two men looking to separate
one another’s head from their shoulders, and neither man comes out
firing. Instead, Cutelaba slowly plods forward and kicks out a low
kick. The Moldovan fighter misses with a front kick, and Ankalaev
returns fire with a slapping leg kick. We have already reached the
point in the fight where their previous meeting was stopped, and a
very small number of strikes have landed. Ankalaev scores a front
kick and follows it with a right hook, but Cutelaba is unfazed.
Cutelaba swings and misses to the body, and Ankalaev is unable to
catch him with a counter. Both men land kicks one after the other,
and Cutelaba rushes in with a right hand. Cutelaba clips him with
another right hand, and Ankalaev responds with a body kick.
Cutelaba walks through it while pawing out a jab, and Ankalaev is
unable to find the home with a left hook. “The Hulk” swings and
misses wildly, and Ankalaev tags him on the way in with a crisp
right hand. Cutelaba charges in with a blitz, and after he lands,
Ankalaev counters with a knee up the middle. Cutelaba leads the
dance with several jabs and he is chasing after Ankalaev around the
cage, but the Russian circles around and sticks Cutelaba with a
straight left hand. Ankalaev times another left hand and counters
effectively with a short right hook when Cutelaba swings and
misses. Ankalaev cracks him with a sharp left hand, connecting it
right before Cutelaba was going to spin for a strike. “The Hulk”
regains his composure and blasts back to his feet, only to swing
and miss. Ankalaev sits back as Cutelaba charges in, and unloads a
hellacious left hook that sends Cutelaba falling to the canvas.
Ankalaev unleashes a fury of punches as he climbs on top, and while
Cutelaba is able to defend himself from a few, the Russian splits
the guard and puts Cutelaba out cold as he pounds on him. What a
way to end the rivalry, and there is no question in this
result.

The Official Result

Magomed Ankalaev def. Ion Cutelaba R1 4:19 via KO (Punches)

Round 1

The women’s flyweight division welcomes the next bout as Murphy
(13-4, 5-4 UFC) tries to keep her title aspirations intact against
short-notice replacement Shakirova (8-1, 0-0 UFC). The Octagon
ranger for this main card affair is referee Lukasz Bosacki, and
Murphy is not interested in touching gloves as she ignores her
opponent’s offer. Murphy walks forward and blocks a high front
kick, all while avoiding a leg kick. She takes an inside leg kick
and tries to fire off a one-two, but jumps in with a left hand.
Both women land punches at the same time, and Shakirova gets off a
leg kick and one that glances off Murphy’s elbow. The Uzbekistani
fighter lands a solid right hand, and Murphy gives her a body kick
for her efforts. Murphy counters a kick with a punch, and Shakirova
spins and glances a back fist off Murphy’s forehead. When Shakirova
gets off a leg kick, Murphy charges in with a few punches. “Lucky”
gets lucky when Shakirova hits a takedown, because she is able to
pop right back to her feet almost instantly. Murphy wades forward
with a few punches, forcing Shakirova to back away. Shakirova chops
at the lead leg and the two women trade punches, with Murphy
landing the more effective strikes as Shakirova ducks down. Murphy
leaps forward with a punch barrage, and she stings Shakirova with
an uppercut and a few additional punches. Shakirova has a body kick
and a spinning back kick clatter off her opponent’s guard, and
Murphy tries to chase her down but her own body kick is similarly
blocked. Shakirova ducks a hook from Murphy to grab hold of a
single, but Murphy defends it and hacks at the side of Shakirova’s
head with elbows. Shakirova attempts to change to a double, but
Murphy stands her up as she is pressed against the fence in a
clinch. Shakirova attempts a trip but cannot get Murphy down, so
she pushes off and kicks the body. A jumping front kick to the
midsection lands from the newcomer, and a few jabs from Murphy in
response end the round.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Murphy
John Brannigan scores the round: 10-9 Murphy
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Murphy

Round 2

Murphy rushes out of her corner to pressure her debuting opponent,
and reaches forward with a few punches and a head kick to follow.
None of those strikes connect, and Shakirova’s response in the form
of an overhand right and her own head kick are similarly
inaccurate. Murphy stands still as Shakirova misses with a few
strikes, only to march forward and land her own combination to push
Shakirova to the fence. Shakirova grabs hold of a clinch, and
Murphy obliges her by kneeing her in the midsection a few times.
Murphy walks down her slowing opponent, jumping out of the way from
a looping right hook. “Lucky Lauren” avoids strikes that fly at her
and ties Shakirova up again, where she lands knees and punches in
the clinch. Shakirova presses forward as if to take the fight down,
but Murphy bowls her over and lands in an open guard. Shakirova
tries to get off a few upkicks when Murphy springs up, and the
American dives around the side to take Shakirova’s back in an
instant. She immediately sets up a rear-naked choke, and it is
imminently dangerous and already under the chin. Murphy puts a
vice-like squeeze on the neck, and there is no escape for the
newcomer. When Shakirova taps out, Murphy records her first career
submission, while becoming the first woman to finish Shakirova.