Tank empty in round two
Magomedov loses UFC main fight to Strickland by TKO
7/2/2023 4:37 am
For Abus Magomedov it’s a big chance: the Düsseldorf MMA fighter can move up into the top 10 of the UFC by beating the American Sean Strickland. But at the martial arts event in Las Vegas, things are very different.
Düsseldorf-based MMA fighter Abus Magomedov lost to American Sean Strickland in the second round by technical knockout (TKO) in the main fight of UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas. It still looked very promising for the 32-year-old middleweight fighter after the first round in the octagon.
Magomedov started the first five minutes powerfully and brought in several kicks. Unfortunately, the 32-year-old’s fingers landed in Strickland’s eye after about a minute. Magomedov received a warning, after a three-minute break the game continued. The Düsseldorfer then dominated the round, especially with kicks to the front leg, a kick to the head touched the temple of the American, but he stayed on his feet. He even brought Strickland down on the first try, but couldn’t keep him there for long. An attempt to conquer the back of the opponent also failed.
In the second round then a completely different picture. Strickland found more and more the feeling for the right distance, brought more and more hits to the target. The American always landed good combinations against Magomedov, who had little to counter. The Düsseldorfer suddenly seemed drained, the complete dynamic was gone.
On shaky legs, the fighter from Germany could no longer save himself over the round. A minute before the end he went down after right straights. Strickland followed up in the ground and pound before the referee stepped in and declared the fight over.
Strickland had made fun of the Düsseldorfer, who was born in Dagestan in Russia, in the run-up to the fight. After the weigh-in and the official comparison, he called out to the audience: “Don’t trust any Germans”. There had been a discussion in advance as to why Magomedov in particular would get a fight against an opponent from the top 15 after winning the UFC.
The 32-year-old has simply had problems finding an opponent at all in recent months. Visa complications, cancellations and injuries from his opponents made for months of waiting. The fighter from the Düsseldorf UFC Gym had explained in the run-up to the fight that he also wanted to silence his critics with his performance.