Mateusz Gamrot Edges Arman Tsarukyan in Competitive UFC on ESPN 38 Headliner

Mateusz Gamrot stayed the course, and it paid off in the deep waters of championship rounds.

The former KSW two-division champion relied on superior pace and grappling to capture a narrow unanimous decision triumph against Arman Tsarukyan in the UFC on ESPN 38 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. All three judges submitted 48-47 scorecards for Gamrot in a bout that was extremely difficult to score. The 31-year-old Pole has won four straight in Ultimate Fighting Championship competition.

Tsarukyan (18-3, 5-2 UFC) held up well in the first 25-minute fight of his career. He landed kicks to all levels, including multiple thudding kicks to the body and defended numerous Gamrot (21-1, 4-1 UFC) takedown attempts in the early going. Scrambles and grappling exchanges were fast and furious throughout the contest, but Gamrot began to wear on Tsarukyan down the stretch. Gamrot was credited with six successful takedowns, according to UFCStats.com, and though he couldn’t keep his opponent down for long, he made Tsarukyan work defending body locks and back takes near the fence. By Round 4, Tsarukyan was caught taking a few long looks at the clock.

While Tsarukyan had a more well-round striking arsenal, particularly with attacks to the body and legs, Gamrot held a 68-to-43 advantage in significant head strikes — a testament to his advantage in the boxing aspect of the bout. In the aftermath of his biggest victory to date, Gamrot called out two-time title challenger Justin Gaethje.

Rakhmonov Keeps Finishing Streak Alive Against Magny

Shavkat Rakhmonov took a major step toward contention in the welterweight division, as he submitted Neil Magny in the second round of their co-main event matchup. The Kazakhstan Top Team representative forced Magny to tap to a guillotine choke at the 4:58 mark of Round 2. The 27-year-old has finished all 16 of his opponents, including four within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Rakhmonov (16-0, 4-0 UFC) asserted his dominance from the outset, landing a takedown early in the opening stanza and staying heavy on top while landing ground-and-pound from above. Magny (26-9, 19-8 UFC) did his best to stay active with his guard and threaten with leg locks and upkicks, but Rakhmonov remained in control. It was more of the same in Round 2 for Rakhmonov, who appeared set to enter the third period for the first time in his UFC career before falling back for a guillotine in the waning seconds. Though Magny knew he only needed to survive for a few more seconds, the squeeze was too tight to resist.

It was Magny’s first submission defeat since he succumbed to an arm-triangle choke from Rafael dos Anjos on Sept. 9, 2017.

Parisian Pounds Out Baudot

“The Ultimate Fighter 28” cast member Josh Parisian weathered some early adversity for a technical knockout victory against Frenchman Alan Baudot in a back-and-forth heavyweight encounter. A barrage of punches from back mount ended the bout at the 3:04 mark of Round 2, giving Parisian his 11th career KO/TKO victory.

Baudot appeared to be on the verge of a finish in the opening stanza, when he dropped Parisian with a hammerfist in close quarters and followed up with devastating ground-and-pound that nearly closed his opponent’s left eye. Parisian maintained his wits and shifted momentum with a late first-round takedown and punches from above before the horn. That carried over into the second frame, as Parisian grounded Baudot (8-4, 0-3, 1 NC UFC) twice and teed off with more ground-and-pound. While Baudot survived the initial salvo, he had nothing left in the tank once Parisian (15-5, 2-2 UFC) took his back and took aim with his finishing flurry.

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Moises Taps Giagos

Thiago Moises ended a two-bout skid in emphatic fashion, submitting Christos Giagos with a rear-naked choke in a lightweight showdown. The American Top Team product elicited a tapout from his opponent at the 3:05 mark of Round 1.

Moises (16-6, 5-4 UFC) wasted little time closing the distance on Giagos (19-10, 5-6 UFC), though he did absorb a heavy shot on his takedown entry. From there, the former Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion spun around, jumped on Giagos’ back and locked in a body triangle. With Giagos still standing, Moises landed short punches to the head and threatened chokes with both arms before sliding his right arm under the neck and earning the submission with a single-arm squeeze.

Nurmagomedov Dominates Maness

Umar Nurmagomedov looked every bit the part of a rising bantamweight prospect in a lopsided unanimous decision triumph over Nathan Maness. The Eagles MMA member received scorecards of 30-27, 30-26 and 30-25 to extended his unbeaten streak to 15. Maness had a four-bout winning streak snapped in defeat.

Maness (14-2, 3-1 UFC) was never a factor. Nurmagomedov (15-0, 3-0 UFC) landed takedowns in each frame, advanced from one dominant position to another and dropped punishing elbows from above — including one that caused severe swelling on his opponent’s forehead. While much of the contest took place on the canvas, Nurmagomedov flashed his kickboxing prowess in Round 3, landing a variety of kicks, most notably a spectacular push kick to Maness’ face. About the only thing that Nurmagomedov didn’t do was secure a finish, as he went the distance for the first time since November 2019.

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Curtis Keeps Fight Upright, Batters Vieira

Impenetrable takedown defense and varied punching combinations carried Chris Curtis to a unanimous decision triumph over decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion Rodolfo Vieira in a middleweight feature. “Action Man” received a trio of 29-28 tallies for his eighth consecutive professional triumph.

Vieira (8-2, 3-2 UFC) displayed improved conditioning and striking, but without his grappling as a factor, it wasn’t enough to overcome a more well-rounded opponent. Curtis (29-8, 3-0 UFC) got stronger as the time went on, defending all 20 of Vieira’s takedown attempts while repeatedly tagging his foe with punches to the head and body. Vieira enjoyed some success landing straight punches and leg kicks, but his effectiveness faded in the later portions of the fight, which led to him shooting repeatedly for poorly-disguised takedowns.

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