Zabit Magomedsharipov (18-1-0) outlasted No. 11 Calvin Kattar (20-4-0) to collect the unanimous decision victory at UFC on ESPN+ 21 in Moscow on Saturday.
Magomedsharipov had to deal with the boxing of Kattar early, but soon found the range to unleash his trademark strikes, scoring a knockdown in the first round. Kattar bounced back in the final round, outworking a fatigued Magomedsharipov with strikes from the top and bottom, but the judges scored it 29-28, 29-28, and 29-28 in the end.
In the post-fight interview, Magomedsharipov attributed his slowdown in the third round to a staph infection he suffered during training. With the win, he has now undefeated in the octagon in six contests.
Kattar dropped to 20-4-0, but earned some respect on social media for his rugged performance.
Magomedsharipov and Kattar earned Fight of the Night, while Magomedsharipov Ankalaev and David Zawada earned paerformances of the night. Each fighter earned a $50,000 USD bonus.
The main event delivered tonight! @ToyoTires #UFCMoscow pic.twitter.com/DPJzDtxflY
— UFC (@ufc) November 9, 2019
MONEY MONEY MONEY 💰 #UFCMoscow pic.twitter.com/T4CG2mEzzR
— UFC (@ufc) November 9, 2019
Kenai Andrews checks in with his thoughts on the main card.
In case you missed the prelims:
MAGOMED ANKALAEV DEF. DALCHA LUNGIAMBULAVIA KO (KICK AND PUNCHES) R3 0:29
RUSTAM KHABILOV DEF. SERGEY KHANDOZHKO VIA UD (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
KARL ROBERSON DEF. ROMAN KOPYLOV VIA SUBMISSION (RNC) R3 4:01
DAVID ZAWADA DEF. ABUBAKAR NURMAGOMEDOV VIA SUBMISSION (TRIANGLE CHOKE) R1 2:50
ROOSEVELT ROBERTS DEF. ALEXANDER YAKOLEV VIA UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
PANNIE KIANZAD DEF. JESSICA-ROSE CLARK VIA UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
DAVEY GRANT DEF. GRIGORI POPOV VIA SD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
MAIN CARD
SHAMIL GAMZATOV VS. KLIDSON ABREU
Agree?
Shamil Gamzatov takes the split decision! #UFCMoscow pic.twitter.com/vGTvCezFgq
— UFC (@ufc) November 9, 2019
WINNER: SHAMIL GAMZATOV VIA SD (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
ANDREWS PREDICTION: SHAMIL GAMZATOV VIA TKO
Andrews: I thought Shamil would get the finish, but give credit Abreu for making him work for it.
RAMAZAN EMEEV VS. ROCCO MARTIN
A calf kick MACHINE!
🇺🇸 @TonyRoccoMartin #UFCMoscow pic.twitter.com/IlVEU0p7gZ
— UFC (@ufc) November 9, 2019
WINNER: ROCCO MARTIN VIA UD (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
ANDREWS PREDICTION: RAMAZAN EMEEV VIA UD
Andrews: Good win for Martin.
KHADIS IBRAGIMOV VS. ED HERMAN
These two can just ABSORB punishment! #UFCMoscow pic.twitter.com/vwbnYFbGNr
— UFC (@ufc) November 9, 2019
WINNER: ED HERMAN VIA UD (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
ANDREWS PREDICTION: KHADIS IBRAGIMOV VIA SUBMISSION
Andrews: Herman gets it done once again.
ZELIM IMADAEV VS. DANNY ROBERTS
"HE SPUN HIM 3️⃣6️⃣0️⃣!"@DanHotChocolate says good night! #UFCMoscow
➡️ Watch more now on ESPN+ ⬅️ pic.twitter.com/RxfM8yYvL6
— UFC (@ufc) November 9, 2019
WINNER: DANNY ROBERTS VIA TKO (PUNCHES) R2 4:54
ANDREWS PREDICTION: ZELIM AMADAEV VIA UD
Andrews: Wow! Roberts connected nicely. Just the type of win he needed.
#7 ALEXANDER VOLKOV VS. GREG HARDY
Straight shots connecting late!
🇷🇺 @AlexDragoVolkov #UFCMoscow pic.twitter.com/HaSfFUBkFK
— UFC (@ufc) November 9, 2019
WINNER: Alexander Volkov VIA SD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
ANDREWS PREDICTION: ALEXANDER VOLKOV VIA UD
Andrews: Hardy did well considering he was in here with a seasoned guy.
MAIN EVENT
#5 ZABIT MAGOMEDSHARIPOV VS. #11 CALVIN KATTAR
Makes it look easy 😨 #UFCMoscow pic.twitter.com/kwT36Iwsx0
— UFC (@ufc) November 9, 2019
WINNER: ZABIT MAGOMEDSHARIPOV VIA UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
ANDREWS PREDICTION: The skills of Zabit did overcome the grit of Kattar, but the three round limit helped.
