UFC Fight Night 163 Results: Fighter suffers first loss in five years, Greg Hardy gets outclassed, big one-punch knockout
The latest edition of Fight Night emanated from the CSKA Arena in Moscow and the stacked card was headlined by a highly-anticipated Featherweight contest between the #7 ranked Zabit Magomedsharipov and the #11 ranked Calvin Kattar.
Greg Hardy returned to Octagon for the first time since his controversial outing at UFC on ESPN 6 in October when his win was overturned to a no-decision after he was caught using an inhaler between rounds. The former NFL star took on Alexander Volkov in the co-main event of the evening.
Top Russian talents from the UFC were also featured in a fight card that didn't fail to disappoint the fight fanatics in Russia.
So without any further delay, here are the results and highlights of UFC Fight Night 163 from Moscow:
UFC Fight Night 163 Results: Prelims
Magomed Ankalaev def. Dalcha Lungiambula via TKO (front kick) (0:29, Round 3)
Rustam Khabilov def. Sergey Khandozhko via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Karl Roberson def. Roman Kopylov via submission (rear-naked choke) (4:01, Round 3)
David Zawada def. Abubakar Nurmagomedov via submission (triangle choke) (2:50, Round 1)
Roosevelt Roberts def. Alexander Yakovlev via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Pannie Kianzad def. Jessica-Rose Clark via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Davey Grant def. Grigorii Popov via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
UFC Fight Night 163 Results: Main Card
#1 Shamil Gamzatov vs. Klidson Farias de Abreu (Light Heavyweight)
Coming into the UFC with a spotless record, all the eyes were on UFC debutant Shamil Gamzatov. However, the undefeated Russian wasn't in for an easy challenge in his first UFC fight as his Brazilian opponent was no pushover.
Round 1: Abreu began in southpaw while Gamzatov took the orthodox position. The Brazilian was the one pushing forward in the early stages.
Gamzatov tried to create some distance with the oblique kicks. Abreu attacked the legs with low kicks while also trying to mix it up with shots to the body. He attempted a lead left but Gamzatov kept his guard up.
Abreu then went for a flying knee but Gamzatov saw it coming from a mile away and got out of the way. The Russian fired kicks to Abreu's body with the occasional punches being added in equal measure.
Gamzatov looked for the short left. He connected with a jab but ate a counter hook. Gamzatov went low but got hit with a kick up high.
Both men exchanged a few shots in the pocket but none of them landed cleanly. Gamzatov couldn't get his range going in the first round, which ended without any fireworks. While it was a tough round to score, Abreu may have edged it as he was the one pressing forward.
Round 2: Urso Branco continued with his press on Gamzatov, who looked to get his range in place. He attempted a few straight lefts but Abreu was moving his head well and answered with kicks to the legs and body of the Russian.
Gamzatov tried a strike to Abreu's body. The Brazilian tagged the Russian with a good right. It was surprising to note that there were zero takedown attempts with both men content with the stand-up style of the fight.
Gamzatov went high for two consecutive head kicks, one of which grazed Abreu's head. The undefeated Russian began to press forward but Abreu connected with a counter hook.
The BJJ expert finally got the fight to the ground by taking Gamzatov down to the mat. The Russian got back up with five seconds left to go in the round. Abreu got another round in the bag and Gamzatov had everything to work for in the final five minutes.
Round 3: Gamzatov went high and low with the kicks. Abreu moved well to avoid the stikes and sent in two consecutive kicks to the inside of Gamzatov's thighs.
Abreu's distance management was on point today as he got out of a majority of the incoming strikes. Gamzatov kept throwing and he kept missing. That was the story of the fight.
In the meantime, Abreu scored points with the leg kicks and counter shots. Gamzatov finally got the crowd going with a lead right that sent Abreu back.
The Russian found his range with a few well-timed strikes. A knee and punch to the body from Gamzatov gave the fans in Moscow something to cheer about. The Russian went for an overhead right and missed. Abreu took advantage of Gamzatov losing his position and locked his arms around the body of the Russian.
They engaged in a clinch up against the fence with Gamzatov switching positions, changing levels and looking to get a takedown. The fight was back in the center with 30 seconds on the lock. Abreu shot for the takedown but it was stuffed with ease. The fight came to a close with Gamzatov defending an attempted takedown with his back against the cage.
Result: Shamil Gamzatov def. Klidson Abreu via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Despite Abreu having better moments in the fight, it was a close encounter and in the end, the hometown boy got the nod on the judges' scorecards. While it wasn't the most convincing of debuts for the undefeated Russian, but he wouldn't mind the win either.