Abubakar Vagaev was able to beat Saygid Izagakhmaev by unanimous decision tonight at UFC Fight Night 282 in Abu Dhabi.
Round One
Izagakhmaev immediately wades in with a power punch, but Vageav avoids it and successfully transitions into a takedown.
Vagaev stifling Izagakhmaev against the cage as he tries to regain his base. Izagakhmaev gradually able to get upright, but Vagaev is still tight in the clinch.
Now Izagakhmaev is having a go at taking Vagaev down. He can’t keep him there though and Vagaev is quickly up and reverses the clinch against the cage, before landing another successful takedown.
A little ground-and-pound from Vagaev, and Izagakhmaev already has a cut near his right eyebrow. Vagaev crushes him up against the cage again.
Izagakhmaev trying for a heel hook and then uses that to get the space to stand up, but Vagaev is straight back into the clinch against the cage.
Vagaev lands a knee to the body. Another one appeared to stray close to the groin, but Izagakhmaev doesn’t complain and the action continues.
Izagakhmaev able to get back to striking range now. He lands a low kick. Straight punch gets through for Izagakhmaev late in the round.
Round Two
Izagakhmaev lands the jab. Now a low kick. Inside leg kick for Vagaev. Another low kick for him. Now a punch to the body.
Izagakhmaev with a low kick. Nice right hand for Vageav. Jab for Izagakhmaev. Uppercut for Vagaev and then goes to the body.
Leg kicks exchanged. Vagaev overloads on a punch that misses and Izagakhmaev capitalizes by going in and landing a takedown.
Vagaev back up with Izagakhmaev still clinched up. Vagaev reverses the position. More jockeying position now against the cage and Izagakhmaev lands a knee to the body. Vagaev tries for a single-leg but doesn’t get it. He does land a knee though.
In the center of the Octagon now and Vagaev rips to the body. Punch for him and an uppercut counter from Izagakhmaev.
Vagaev back to the clinch against the cage. Izagakhmaev trying to land a few knees to the body.
They back away to striking range. Izagakhmaev thinks about a takedown but doesn’t get it and Vagaev goes back to the clinch.
They separate and Vageav lands a couple of jabs. More clinch-work from him now. Good elbow over the top for Vagaev. Another short elbow now in the final 10 seconds of the round.
Round Three
Izagakhmaev loads up on a couple of winging punches but misses. Right hand for Vagaev. He lands a nice couple of punches. Now an uppercut gets through.
Izagakhmaev lands and Vageav tries for a takedown that’s stuffed. Izagakhmaev getting aggressive with more punches, but then ducks in for a potential takedown and almost goes into a guillotine counter from Vagaev.
Vagaev closing the distance now and gets a takedown. Izagakhmaev back up facing the cage with Vagaev clinching. Izagakhmaev dropping down and uses a kimura to prevent Vagaev from settling on top, managing to work back to his feet.
In the clinch again, but not much happening and the ref separates them. Powerful takedown from Vagaev though to get him back to the mat.
Izagakhmaev stands and now he’s pressing Vagaev up against the cage. He’s able to force a takedown and has an arm trapped from on top.
Izagakhmaev working into mount and thinking about an arm-triangle set-up here, but doesn’t quite get it in. Vagaev briefly goes to his stomach and then to his back again. He soon gives up his back again and Izagakhmaev is trying for a rear-naked choke without success.
Final seconds and Vagaev is back in mount and tries for an armbar, but Vagaev manages to defend it and so we’re headed to the scorecards.
Decision
Vagaev’s grinding wrestling and clinch-work helped him get the better of the first couple of rounds, but Izagakhmaev never gave up and was able to trouble him on the feet and on the mat in the final five minutes. It proved to be too late to change the outcome though, with Vagaev emerging with a unanimous decision victory (20-28 x3).
