WHAT A DEBUT FOR ABUS MAGOMEDOV 👏
#UFCParis pic.twitter.com/5rV1V8Ds3W— ESPN MMA (@espnmma)
September 3, 2022
Abusupiyan
Magomedov took the scorched-earth approach.
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The 32-year-old Russian wowed the crowd in his long-awaited
Ultimate Fighting Championship debut, as he obliterated
Dustin
Stoltzfus with a front kick to the face and follow-up punches
in the first round of their featured
UFC Fight Night 209 prelim on Saturday at Accor Arena in
France. A short-notice replacement for Makhmud
Muradov, Stoltzfus (14-5, 1-4 UFC) bowed out 19 seconds into
Round 1.
Magomedov (25-4-1, 1-0 UFC) forced the Dana White’s Contender
Series alum to retreat after eating the front kick, backed it up
with a right uppercut and leveled him with hooks from both hands
before he pounded away with punches for a spectacular stoppage. It
was the sixth sub-minute finish of the former two-division Superior
Fighting Championship titleholder’s career.
Haqparast Outduels Ex-Teammate Makdessi
Tristar Gym standout Nasrat
Haqparast closed the book on the first two-fight losing streak
of his career with a unanimous decision over onetime stablemate
John
Makdessi in a three-round lightweight confrontation. Haqparast
(14-5, 6-4 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28
marks from the judges.
Makdessi (18-8, 11-8 UFC) leaned on intense pressure and an active
kicking game but failed to corral his more elusive counterpart.
Haqparast decked the Canadian with a counter left hook in the
second round, started stringing together combinations and appeared
to be equally effective in targeting the body and head. He mixed in
two takedowns late in Round 3 to add some insurance.
The 37-year-old Makdessi has lost two of his last three fights.
Ziam Sinks Unbeaten Figlak
Sanford MMA’s Fares Ziam
bounced back from his Feb. 26 loss to Terrance
McKinney with a unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten
Michael Figlak in a three-round lightweight tilt: All three members
of the judiciary sided with Ziam (13-4, 3-2 UFC): 30-27, 30-27 and
29-28.
Figlak (8-1, 0-1 UFC) was aggressive at the outset, perhaps to a
fault, but found himself outmatched in virtually every phase. Ziam
drew blood with some ground-and-pound in the first round, staggered
the Trojan Free Fighters standout with an exquisite close-quarters
spinning elbow in the second and fought through some brief
adversity in the third. There, Figlak scrambled to the back at one
point and climbed to full mount, only to surrender position moments
later.
Ziam, 25, has rattled off three victories across his past four
appearances.
St. Denis Wrecks Replacement Miranda
Venum Training Camp rep Benoit St.
Denis struck down Gabriel
Miranda with punches in the second round of their action-packed
lightweight encounter. A short-notice fill-in for Christos
Giagos, Miranda (16-6, 0-1 UFC) checked out 16 seconds into
Round 2.
St. Denis (10-1, 2-1 UFC) was relentless in his pursuit. The
Frenchman fed off the energy of the hometown crowd, set the tone
with an early body kick, walked through the shots with which the
Brazilian tried to answer and wore him down with an accumulation of
punishment. He knocked down Miranda twice inside of five minutes,
had him teetering on the brink at the end of the first round and
picked up where he left off as soon as the middle stanza was
underway.
St. Denis floored the MMA Masters standout with a clean right hook,
trailed him to the canvas and finished it with follow-up
punches.
The setback was Miranda’s first in nearly four years.
Quinonez Zaps Reeling Taha
Entram Gym prospect Christian
Quinonez buried former Fair Fighting Championship titleholder
Khalid
Taha with punches in the first round of their bantamweight
clash. Winless since April 13, 2019, Taha (13-5, 1-4 UFC) succumbed
to blows 3:15 into Round 1.
A late-notice substitution for Taylor
Lapilus, Quinonez (18-3, 1-0 UFC) made the most of his
opportunity. The Dana White’s Contender Series graduate kept Taha
at bay with a consistent jab, dodged the return fire and handled
his business inside the Octagon. Quinonez dropped the German
with a right hook over the top, drove him to his back and sealed
the deal with a quick burst of hammer-to-nail punches.
The 26-year-old Quinonez will carry a five-fight winning streak
into his next assignment.
Eggar Choke Submits Perez
Buddy Gym export Stephanie
Egger rebounded from an Aug. 6 submission defeat to Mayra
Bueno Silva, as she put away promotional newcomer Ailin Perez
with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their women’s
featherweight pairing. A short-notice replacement for Zarah
Fairn dos Santos, Egger (8-3, 3-2 UFC) brought it to a close
4:54 into Round 2.
Perez (7-2, 0-1 UFC) did not factor into the equation much. Egger
executed multiple throws and trip takedowns, dominated the
grappling exchanges and effectively shut down the former Samurai
Fight House champion on the mat. Late in the second round, the
Swiss judoka advanced to Perez’s back,
distracted her with ground-and-pound and cinched the fight-ending
choke.
Egger, 34, has won three of her past four bouts.