Rafael Fiziev appeared to be on his way to a solid-but-not-spectacular decision triumph over Rafael dos Anjos, but hen lightning struck.
Fiziev took another significant step toward title contention in the lightweight division with a fifth-round technical knockout victory against dos Anjos in the UFC on ESPN 39 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Referee Mark Smith waved off the fight 18 seconds into the fifth round, giving the Tiger Muay Thai standout his first main event victory in the Octagon. Fiziev has won six straight fights at 155 pounds, the fourth-longest active winning streak in the division.
Exhibiting stellar defensive wrestling in addition to his multi-faceted striking arsenal, Fiziev appeared to be build a solid lead on the scorecards heading into the championship rounds as he stuffed multiple takedowns while attacking with punching combinations, kicks to all levels, leaping knees and standing elbows. Dos Anjos made a final push in Round 4, landing a jumping knee and a left hand before securing a rare takedown late in the period.
Fiziev showed he had plenty left in the tank in the first fifth round of his professional career. After feinting a right knee, “Ataman” sent his foe tumbling to the canvas with a massive left hook. From there, one perfectly-placed standing-to-ground punch ended dos Anjos’ night in shocking fashion.
“Now we know who is the best Rafael in the UFC,” Fiziev said. “Who says I don’t have cardio? Who says he’s gonna take me down and submit me?… Now he knows my power.”
Borralho Stymies Petrosyan
Caio Borralho used takedowns and positional control to garner a unanimous decision victory against Armen Petrosyan in a middleweight matchup of ex-Dana White’s Contender Series competitors. The 29-year-old Brazilian received tallies of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 from the judges to win his ninth straight professional outing.
Petrosyan (7-2, 1-1 UFC) was never able to unleash his vaunted striking. Borralho (12-1, 1 NC, 2-0 UFC) exploded for powerful takedowns, planting his adversary on the canvas on multiple occasions with relative ease. Once there, Borralho spent much of the first two frames attached to Petrosyan’s back, though he was unable to secure a submission. The final round wasn’t quite as dominant, but Borralho again neutralized Petrosyan through takedowns and clinch work for much of the period.
Nurmagomedov Fends Off Silva de Andrade
Former World Fighting Championship Akhmat title holder Said Nurmagomedov extended his winning streak to three with a unanimous decision triumph against Douglas Silva de Andrade in a competitive bantamweight affair. All three judges saw the fight in favor of the 30-year-old Dagestani: 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.
Nurmagomedov attacked with his typical array of flashy kicks and spinning attacks for much of the contest, but Andrade did well to block or elude some of the most potentially damaging offerings. Still, Nurmagomedov (16-2, 5-1 UFC) bloodied his Brazilian foe in the clinch and kept him off balance with a versatile arsenal. De Andrade’s (28-5, 1 NC, 6-5 UFC) approach was characterized by sporadic bursts of aggression, including a spinning backfist late in Round 2 that appeared to briefly stun Nurmagomedov before the horn.
Sherman Overwhelms Vanderaa
Chase Sherman earned a much-needed win, as he scored a technical knockout victory against Jared Vanderaa in a matchup of struggling heavyweights. “The Vanilla Gorilla” brought the fight to a close with a barrage of punches against the fence at the 3:10 mark of Round 3. Sherman (16-10, 4-9 UFC) snapped a four-bout skid in victory, while Vanderaa (12-9, 1-5 UFC) saw his losing streak extend to four.
Sherman was the superior boxer throughout, exhibiting skilled head movement and solid body-head combinations against his slower opponent. Vanderaa kept marching forward, however, and he began to do damage behind his jab and some thudding low kicks. Momentum shifted in Round 3, when a clean multi-punch combination from Sherman had Vanderaa reeling near the fence. Sensing the end was imminent, Sherman poured it on, and Vanderaa had no choice but to cover up and fall to his seat as referee Mark Smith stepped in on his behalf.
Zahabi Outpoints Turcios
Tristar Gym representative Aiemann Zahabi captured a unanimous decision against “The Ultimate Fighter 29” winner Ricky Turcios in a relatively uneventful bantamweight encounter. All three judges submitted 29-28 scorecards in favor of Firas Zahabi’s younger brother.
In a bout where significant offense came at a premium, Zahabi (9-2, 3-2 UFC) remained measured in his approach. The 34-year-old Canadian countered effectively and landed his fair share of jabs and low kicks to rack up points on the scorecards. In the meantime, Turcios offered plenty of demonstrative language and big karate movements, but he failed to find the range on the majority of his attacks. According to UFCStats.com, Turcios (11-3, 1-1 UFC) connected on just 27 of 235 significant strike attempts — an 11% success rate.
Mullarkey Wins Firefight Against Johnson
Jamie Mullarkey survived a slugfest against “The Ultimate Fighter 12” finalist Michael Johnson, winning an entertaining split decision in a lightweight duel. Judges Anthony Maness and Derek Cleary submitted 29-28 tallies for Mullarkey (15-5, 3-3 UFC), while Michael Bell had it 29-28 in favor of “The Menace.”
Johnson’s renowned handspeed took centerstage in Round 1, when he floored Mullarkey with a left hook during a furious exchange in the early going. The Aussie regained his bearings and rallied to stagger Johnson with a right hand-left hook combination late in the period — setting the stage for an all-action affair. Mullarkey’s momentum carried over into the second frame, when he kept Johnson on his heels with a multi-faceted attack that included punching combinations to the head, kicks and knees and elbows in close quarters.
Johnson (20-18, 12-14 UFC) seemed to regain his footing in the final stanza, as he tagged Mullarkey with several hard counters and appeared to have an edge in volume down the stretch. Despite his best efforts, Johnson fell to 1-5 in his last six UFC appearances dating back to March 2019.
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