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Usman Nurmagomedov Triumphs in PFL Road to Dubai Series
SportsGrid
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1/31/2025
Category
🥇
Sports
Transcript
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00:00
The PFL road to Dubai champions series we had a great card
00:05
Dagestan versus Russia versus Ireland there with of course number going up putting his undefeated record up against Hughes
00:12
He had a bunch of different
00:13
Dagestani versus Ireland fighters on the card a lot of great action that they had on max
00:18
Over the weekend it was a early fight card if you miss it make sure you go check it of course
00:22
Because it was over in Dubai so a lot earlier than most of us are used to fights here in the u.s.
00:27
Standard time of course if you watch it headline by a great battle
00:31
Let's you know get right into it give you a recap of what we saw that
00:34
Main event first of all who's been number going up versus Paul Hughes now of course
00:39
We're still not sure you know who's been walked out with the belt
00:43
It was so the belt or belt though which is supposed to be gone
00:45
So I don't know if that is going to translate into him being the PFL champion
00:49
But you know you had guys in Bellator shirts had guys in PFL shirts, but you had a packed arena out there in Dubai
00:56
He was with the 13-1 record coming in there talking a lot of smack to an O and PFL Bellator
01:01
Number go but it was 18 and O with one no contest was a champ was undefeated in his time in Bellator
01:06
That's why he had that lightweight title and he continues to be undefeated as he gets the win
01:11
By decision in the back and forth fight. We said that we thought never going over was gonna get this
01:15
We said either by sub or decision
01:18
He got it by decision in the end
01:20
It was early on number getting number going it was coming up and
01:24
Was aggressive both guys are throwing leg kicks and faints kind of feeling sure they're out
01:28
But no we're going to was letting more of the kicks
01:30
He was even throwing the body trying to the head Hughes eventually landed a nice shot
01:34
You know late in the round, but didn't do anything to it was when you just shook it off
01:38
That was his round in my opinion
01:39
It was the same on all three judges scorecards round two Hughes was a little more aggressive came forward with a good jab early
01:45
He knocked him down with a kick
01:47
But avoided the takedown there was a lot of theme for a lot of fight
01:51
Was that Hughes did a good job avoiding takedowns just like he did against AJ McKee and it would make this fight
01:58
You know pretty close because if he got taken out every time it would have been a situation where Usman would have dominated him
02:03
But only got less than half his knockdowns 49 overall
02:06
I thought that it was a good round for Hughes in that second round. I gave it to him on that one
02:11
Even at that point two of the judges gave it to Usman those round three
02:15
Both guys were learning some shots again back and forth
02:18
I was was going for a bunch of single-leg takedowns
02:21
He was getting out of them
02:22
But there are times where we've been learning some good elbows coming out of the clinch. I thought he got that round
02:28
But there was a point deduction for crotch shocks. We had a couple of both guys
02:33
So still all even on my card in the fourth round in the fifth round. I think this is where Usman took it
02:38
He ends up getting the decision 48 46
02:41
that's how I scored that on my card as well because the end of the fourth round he gets a nice takedown and
02:47
Ends up holding the position on top for the end of the round despite he was having some good moments in the fifth round
02:52
They're both clashing. They're both circling, you know again with some takedowns
02:55
And I think those takedowns were the ones that were the biggest difference for Usman because he's had his moments
03:01
You know, there was one point in the third
03:02
After he landed a crotch shot on Norma Gomez ever
03:05
He's got blood coming down his face and just playing it up to the crowd
03:09
I'm just looking kind of like a horror movie and he's loving it work in the crowd as they're waiting for Usman
03:14
It's it to recover and they get back into things. He was playing the crown. He loved it
03:18
He had some good shots. He had some good moments
03:20
But in the end as I said
03:22
I think it was the takedowns of Usman number Gomez
03:24
Despite he was doing a good job avoiding all of them that end up getting it for the champion
03:28
He gets the decision victory
03:30
I retained his title talked about how much respect he had for few Hughes talked about how
03:34
He was hurting after that fight that he was pushed way harder than he thought he would be pushed
03:38
Hughes gave his respect as well. You know, we saw both these guys actually on social media afterwards talking
03:43
You saw them in the cage
03:44
You also saw them on the PFL social media where they're showing them in the locker room
03:49
Talking back and forth. I have a lot of respect
03:51
I could be who's his cousin the trainer actually invited Hughes and his team to come to Dagestan and it kind of settled the beef and
03:59
Hugh seems all good for it except first wants a rematch and he wants it in Dublin. We'll see if they hold it there
04:06
We'll see or I'm sorry Belfast not Dublin. He wants in a Belfast
04:09
We'll see if the PFL is able to make that happen if they give it right to him or if they you know
04:14
Have a couple fights between these guys and other fighters before they eventually rematch
04:17
But he thinks that he'll be back there one time trying for that belt once more
04:21
I'm trying to give number government of that loss. Once again
04:23
The co-main event you have a team them cop the former Bellator light heavyweight champ going against Tim Johnson
04:29
The heavyweight because of course them cop moving up to every weight now in the PFL
04:33
This was a second fight there
04:34
John was a late replacement at the Bellator lost the Corey Anderson fight and the previous opponent before that as well
04:41
So, you know nemcov was gonna be the smaller guy was outweighed by about 20 pounds
04:45
But showed why he is still so dangerous
04:48
Just the way he was be able to avoid big shots the way he was able to still get takedowns against Johnson
04:53
It was a one-round fight where it was just nemcov taking Johnson down Johnson getting up
04:58
Nemcov tripping taking Johnson down Johnson getting back up over and over again until about you know
05:03
just over
05:04
two and a half minutes where he gets him down for the last time does nemcov
05:08
takes his back and
05:10
Just after three minutes into the fight gets the rear naked choke and ends it by submission by getting the tap from Johnson
05:16
So nemcov showing once again that he's going to be before set heavyweight
05:20
Even if he's going to be undersized, you know
05:23
Certain regards to some of these guys like Johnson who are going to be tipping the scales at just that heavyweight
05:28
Limit while he is gonna be about 20 pounds lighter, but we've seen before in MMA
05:32
You know if you're athletic if you're skilled if you're fast like an Andrei Arvalovsky
05:35
You know in that great shape like, you know his mentor Fedor
05:39
You don't have to be 265 to be good at heavyweight
05:41
You just have to be better than the other guy and he showed that he was over Tim Johnson
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