Ivan OrekhovCorrespondent SportAll materialsIn Las Vegas (USA), the UFC tournament came to an end, in which four fighters from Russia and Kazakhstan performed at once. And almost everyone left the octagon with a raised hand — we analyze the triumphs of Nurmagomedov, Rakhmonov and Morozov, and also talk about the «robbery» of Tsarukyan in our operational report. At the APEX arena, Umar Nurmagomedov proved once again that he does not suffer from underestimation of opponents, so it's time for the league leadership to offer him more skillful opponents. It's a pity that the third fight in the UFC did not end with a third early victory. Sergey Morozov and Brian Keller got caught in the submission, but Nate Maness lived to see the referee's decision. Moreover, “survived” best describes how the American athlete fought: both in the standing and on the ground, Nurmagomedov took the owner of the octagon to school, turning the fight into a frank declasse of the US representative by the middle of the third round. Umar's record turned into a beautiful 15-0. Already in a fight, the Russian, who became a father a couple of days ago, will be able to count on at least getting into the top 15 bantamweight, and after another 3-4 fights, he can aim at the title holder. Of course, this alignment is ideal and implies a confident sweep of the division with zero in the “defeat” column. Referee lawlessness killed the main event. The fighters are on streaks of five and three wins in a row, respectively; at stake is getting into the top ten of the rating.
Poster of the UFC Vegas 57 tournament As a result, a bright felling ended in a scandal. The Russian of Armenian origin seemed to be not without problems, but still takes the labor victory on points. The way Arman worked with his legs on the Pole's body and roundhouse kicks for the entire 25 minutes was truly amazing. That is why it is surprising that the judges saw the victory of the Pole not even by a separate, but by unanimous decision. Okay, let's praise Gamrot: the underdog «knitted» Tsarukyan to the last, and in the fourth five-minute period he was completely close to a successful choke hold … Which, however, does not cancel the strange outcome of the fight. Light weight is becoming more and more interesting. And at the same time, Tsarukyan’s career also becomes more interesting: Akhalkalaki, who made his gorgeous debut in the UFC at a tournament in St. Petersburg in 2019, has turned into a universal top in three years, quickly joining the title race. Gamrot’s victory? An unfortunate set of circumstances. However, Arman's goals, despite today's misunderstanding, remain the same: the championship belt and revenge with Islam Makhachev. Perhaps in 2023 these goals will converge at one point. Judging by the latest Western media insiders, Khabib's successor may fight for the title with Charles Oliveira in October. It remains for Armand to accept “defeat” like a champion and return to the octagon as soon as possible.
