Abus Magomedov got the better of Michel Pereira on the scorecards in a surprisingly underwhelming fight tonight at UFC On ESPN 66.
Round One
Solid right hand from Magomedov. Now a front kick to the body. Pereira with feints and Magomedov lands a body kick.
Left hook from Magomedov gets through well. Now a high kick that at least partially got through. Aggressive start from Magomedov here and it’s paying off so far.
Overhand right from Magomedov and then immediately into a takedown. Pereira able to get back up while facing the cage. Magomedov hops onto his back, but soon slides back off and continues to press Pereira into the cage.
Pereira able to break away. Surprisingly slow start from him though. Another hard punch for Magomedov. Missed front kick upstairs from him.
Light calf kick from Pereira. Low kick from Magomedov in response. Head kick attempt from Magomedov. Pereira just doesn’t seem himself so far as the round draws to a close.
Round Two
Leg kick for Magomedov. Jab for him. Now a push kick to the chest. Magomedov working for a single leg takedown now, but Pereira fights that off.
Right hand from Magomedov. Body kick for him as Pereira continues to offer very little in return. Slapping punch from Magomedov. Crowd is getting restless now. Absolutely nothing coming from Pereira.
Push kick to the body from Magomedov. Jab lands for Pereira. He lands a punch to the body too. Magomedov still the busier of the two though.
Round Three
Pereira starts the third round more aggressively, throwing punches with more purpose. A couple of jabs land for magomedov.
Magomedov tries for a takedown, but fails and Pereira grazed him with a knee as he righted himself. Front kick to the body from Pereira.
Body punch from Pereira. Left hand for Magomedov. Hard right scores for Magomedov and wobbles Pereira for a moment. Now he lands with a punch though.
One-two for Pereira. Tired punches from both men. Front kick to the body for Magomedov. Pereira stuffs a takedown from Magomedov and they stay on the mat afterwards as Pereira tries but fails to get a guillotine choke going.
Back on the feet. Magomedov with a hook. Final seconds of the round and Pereira trying to land a final few hooks, but not connecting cleanly.
Decision
A strange fight here then, with Pereira being uncharacteristically gun-shy for much of the contest, while Magomedov started brightly, but gradually slowed down. Nevertheless, he did enough to emerge with a unanimous decision victory (30-27 x3).
