After the first two fights from UFC 148 on FX went 15 minutes, Gleison Tibau and Khabib Nurmagomedov fought in a major international affair. For the sake on my sanity, I will refer to Nurmagomedov as Khabib in this write-up. Khabib was 17-0 in his career coming into the fight, including an impressive win against Kamal Shalorus in his UFC debut. Tibau, the UFC veteran came into the fight with a 25-7 record, including wins in three straight (Kurt Pellegrino, Rafaello Oliveira and Rafael dos Anjos).
First Round
Both fighters attempted strikes in the early going, but
both fighters missed more than they connected. Midway through the round, Khabib
worked at a takedown, but was unable to take the tough Brazilian fighter down.
The younger Khabib attempted several wild strikes, but the technical Tibau
avoided. The round ended with another failed takedown attempt from Khabib.
My scorecard: Tibau, 10-9
Second Round
The round began with both fighters taking it easy with
strikes, as Khabib continued to work towards a takedown. Tibau prevented the
takedown and kept the fight on the feet. Tibau then used his strength to get a
takedown of his own, but was unable to hold the position. Once at the feet,
Khabib went for another takedown, but Tibau once again blocked it. The referee
separated them, allowing Khabib to attempt his wild strikes again, but Tibau
danced around and avoided the contact.
My scorecard: Tibau, 10-9
Third Round
This round was more of the same
from the first two. Tibau continued to block the takedown attempts from the
Russian and neither fighter landed any serious strikes. In the final seconds,
both fighters exchanged powerful strikes, but the round ended with both men
standing.
My scorecard: Tibau, 10-9
and overall 30-27
Official Decision: Unanimous
Decision (30-27x3) for Khabib Nurmagomedov
More from this contributor:
well you're obviously biased....
ReplyDeleteHorrible, bias analysis. Khabib won.
ReplyDeleteTibau should've got the win, by far
ReplyDeleteI don't see how my analysis was biased. It's like saying the judges ruling in a fight is biased. I had Tibau winning that fight, and the in my opinion, he was robbed.
ReplyDeleteTibau landed a few light punches, Khabib none. But Khabib showed huge aggression and cage control. He was dominant that way, always trying for the takedown, even though he never scored one. I think that is why he was given the unanimous decision.
ReplyDeleteI think the right decision was unanimous by 30:29 for Khabib.