Aimann Zahabi counter-struck his way to a fairly uneventful unanimous decision victory over Ricky Turcios tonight at UFC On ESPN 39.
Round One:
Turcios fires out the jab. Now he’s trying for a head kick that misses. Another one comes up short.
Zahabi actively keeping his distance for the time being. Front kick from Turcios. Zahabi comes darting forward with punches but doesn’t find the target.
Body kick from Turcios. He lands another. Front kick to the body from him. Hard body kick from Zahabi now.
Kick upstairs attempted by Turcios. He loses his footing for a moment, but Zahabi can’t capitalize.
A couple of punches for Zahabi. Right and left hand from Turcios comes off the guard. As does a kick.
Inside leg kick from Turcios. Inside leg kick from Zahabi knocks Turcios off-balance, but he rights himself quickly.
Solid body kick from Zahabi and Turcios responds with a leg kick. Front kick from Turcios doesn’t pay off and Zahabi lands a leg kick.
Missed kick upstairs from Turcios. More front kicks don’t find the target. Turcios flicking out the jab now towards the end of the round and Zahabi tries to respond, but nobody really lands anything meaningful.
Round Two:
Kick upstairs from Turcios without impact. Body kick from Zahabi. Leg kick from Turcios and a punch in response from Zahabi. Leg kick from Zahabi.
Body kick for Zahabi. Head kick from Turcios blocked and then Zahabi responds with a leg kick counter.
Punches comes up short for Turcios and Zahabi targets the body. Turcios struggling to find his range here with all these kicks.
Jab lands for Zahabi. Light jab from Turcios. He lands another jab and tries for a kick. Body kick from Zahabi. Now a looping left hand from him.
Jab for Zahabi and hook. Turcios starting to let his hands go more now. Leg kicks exchanged.
Another leg kick for Zahabi. Body kick from Turcios. Inside leg kick from Zahabi after Turcios doesn’t fully commit to a one-two.
Push kick to the body from Turcios. Turcios pressing forward and flicking out the jab, finding the target a few times without landing with any real impact.
Round Three:
Inside leg kick from Zahabi. Light jabs from Turcios. Now an oblique kick from him. Another inside leg kick from Zahabi and then one to the outside of the calf.
Punches off the guard of Zahabi from Turcios. Another leg kick from Zahabi. More inside leg kicks. One-two from Turcios off the guard.
Zahabi continually going to the inside leg kick. Turcios still struggling to land with any frequency.
Turcios jumping into a body kick. Jabs from Zahabi and then the leg kick. Turcios with light punches and a kick.
Nice jab through the guard from Zahabi. Right hand gets through for Turcios. Inside leg kick from Zahabi and a left hook.
Looping right hook from Turcios. Outside leg kick from Zahabi. Turcios swatting the air with his jab. Kick to the body from Turcios.
Another light body kick from Turcios and counter punch from Zahabi. We’re headed to the judges scorecards.
Decision:
A less than thrilling fight here then with Turcios engaging in busy work without finding the mark very often and when he did there was little impact to it. Meanwhile, Zahabi fought in a very reserved fashion, but countered effectively with leg kicks and the occasional punch throughout the bout and as such earns a unanimous decision victory (29-28 x3).
