— MMA Fire 2.0 (@FireMMAVids)
October 22, 2022
Non-stop pressure was the name of the game for Belal
Muhammad.
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The VFS Academy product proved his worth in the Ultimate Fighting
Championship welterweight division yet again, as he took out the
previously unbeaten Sean Brady
with punches in the second round of their featured UFC 280 prelim
on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Muhammad (22-3, 13-3 UFC) brought it to a close 4:47 into Round 2,
posting his first victory via knockout or technical knockout since
September 2016.
Brady (15-1, 5-1 UFC) tried to keep the former Titan Fighting
Championship titleholder at bay with leg kicks and counters but
never managed to draw the action to the canvas, where his
world-class jiu-jitsu skills might have come into play. Muhammad
connected with an overhand right late in the second round, hit the
accelerator and unleashed a burst of unanswered punches that
prompted referee Lukasz Bosacki while a visibly compromised Brady
was still upright.
Promising Borralho Flummoxes Muradov
Dana White’s Contender Series alum Caio
Borralho called upon takedowns, positional advances and an
active submission game in capturing a unanimous decision over
Monster Gym standout Makhmud
Muradov in a three-round middleweight clash. Borralho (13-1,
3-0 UFC) carried all three scorecards: 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.
Muradov (25-8, 3-2 UFC) was a step or two behind for much of the
match. Borralho achieved full mount in all three rounds, stayed
busy on top and diligently hunted for rear-naked chokes,
arm-triangles and armbars. While his efforts failed to net the
desired finish, they forced Muradov to play defense and kept him
out of his comfort zone for long stretches.
Borralho, 29, will ride a 10-fight winning streak into his next
assignment.
Determined Krylov Sinks Oezdemir
Former Fight Nights Global champion Nikita
Krylov overcame an inauspicious start to lay claim to a
unanimous decision over Volkan
Oezdemir in a three-round confrontation between Top 10 light
heavyweights. All three members of the cageside judiciary scored it
for Krylov (29-9, 10-7 UFC): 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.
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Oezdemir (18-7, 6-6 UFC) had the Ukrainian
on the run with a series of clubbing right hands in the opening
round but failed to dictate the terms of their engagement. Krylov
slowly turned the tide in his favor throughout a chaotic first five
minutes, then seized the reins. He battered Oezdemir with power
punches and thudding kicks to the head but did his best work with
takedowns, ground-and-pound and top control. Krylov kept his foot
on the gas down the stretch, stamping out whatever fight was left
in the fading Swiss striker.
It was just the second decision win of Krylov’s 38-fight
career.
Resurgent Nurmagomedov Handles Omargadzhiev
Onetime Professional Fighters League quarterfinalist
Abubakar
Nurmagomedov posted his second win in as many outings with a
unanimous decision over Gadzhi
Omargadzhiev in a three-round welterweight tilt. Nurmagomedov
(17-3-1, 2-1 UFC) swept the scorecards with 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27
nods from the judges.
In what was a pedestrian effort on both sides, Nurmagomedov managed
to keep his nose in front. He delivered timely takedowns, used an
effective sprawl and made the more memorable connections with his
hands. Omargadzhiev (13-2, 0-2 UFC) moved on a guillotine choke in
the first round and a kneebar in the second but went nowhere with
either maneuver. Fatigue took a bite out of the two men in Round 3,
the collective pace slowing to a crawl.
After a 13-0 start to his career, Omargadzhiev has come up short in
back-to-back bouts.
Crafty Petrosyan Outpoints Dobson
Sharp leg kicks and crisp one-twos spurred Armen
Petrosyan to a unanimous decision over fellow Dana White’s Contender Series graduate A.J. Dobson
in a three-round middleweight scrap. All three cageside judges
struck 30-27 scorecards for Petrosyan (8-2, 2-1 UFC).
Output was an issue for Dobson (6-2, 0-2 UFC), who seemed hesitant
to pull the trigger against the Armenian muay thai stylist. The
Mark
Coleman protégé was also ineffective with his takedowns,
failing to consolidate them with meaningful follow-up attacks. On
the feet, Dobson was little more than a sitting duck. Petroysan
picked him apart with a death-by-a-thousand-cuts approach from the
perimeter, leaning on his technical and tactical superiority in the
standup exchanges.
Petrosyan has rattled off four victories in five appearances.
Mokaev Armbar Dismisses Gordon
KHK MMA Team prospect Muhammad
Mokaev kept his perfect professional record intact, as he put
away onetime TKO Major League MMA titleholder Malcolm
Gordon with an armbar in the third round of their flyweight
pairing. Gordon (14-6, 2-3 UFC) conceded defeat 4:26 into Round 3,
his modest two-fight winning streak having run its course.
Mokaev (9-0, 3-0 UFC) took charge with takedowns and positional
control, dodged a bullet late in the second round—he wandered into
a rear-naked choke attempt—and largely controlled the exchanges.
The Brave Combat Federation veteran executed a takedown midway
through Round 3, snuck around to Gordon’s back and transitioned to
the fight-ending armbar.
The 22-year-old Mokaev has submitted three of his past four
opponents.
Rosa Stifles Struggling Lansberg
Repeated takedowns, effective ground-and-pound and asphyxiating top
control carried Parana Vale Tudo’s Karol Rosa
to a majority decision over former Superior Challenge champion
Lina
Lansberg in a three-round women’s flyweight affair. Scores were
29-27, 29-27 and 29-28.
Rosa (16-4, 5-1 UFC) weathered an early knockdown and went about
exploiting the weaknesses in her counterpart’s approach. She struck
for takedowns in the first and second rounds, settled in half guard
and piled up points with short-range punches and elbows. Lansberg
(10-7, 4-6 UFC) offered little resistance. Rosa—who was docked a
point for an illegal knee strike in the middle stanza—turned to the
clinch in Round 3, where she connected in combination, mixed in
standing elbows and put the Swede in genuine peril.
Lansberg, 40, has lost three fights in a row.