Sean Strickland Breaks Down Abusupiyan Magomedov in UFC on ESPN 48 Main Event

After a slow start, Sean Strickland turned Abusupiyan Magomedov into his personal punching bag.

Strickland weathered his opponent’s sprint — along with a fairly deep eye poke — in Round 1, then turned up the heat for a technical knockout victory in the UFC on ESPN 48 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. “Tarzan” brought the show to a close behind a flurry of punches on the canvas 4:20 into the second period.

Magomedov (25-5-1, 1-1 UFC), who was widely viewed as a questionable choice of opponent when the fight was announced, came out firing in the opening stanza — though an inadvertent eye poke from the Russian in the opening moments almost ended the contest before it began. Strickland (27-5, 14-5 UFC) was able to recover, and he spent most of the frame on his heels as Magomedov attacked with low kicks, front kicks to the body and looping hooks to the head. The 2018 PFL finalist ended the stanza with a takedown, but the grappling exchange that ensued signaled the beginning of the end for Magomedov, who appeared to be visibly gassed after Strickland scrambled to his feet.

Strickland sensed the shift in momentum as he pressed the action from the outset of Round 2 behind flurries of straight punches. The ex-King of the Cage champion kept the pressure on, sticking his trademark left jab along with impactful right hands. Magomedov could do little more than cover up near the fence until the pronlonged assault sent him to the canvas. From there, “Tarzan” unloaded with approximately 10 to 11 unanswered ground strikes before referee Mark Smith stepped in to rescue Magomedov. When all was said and done, Strickland outlanded Magomeodv by a whopping 70-to-15 count in signifcant strikes in the lopsided second round.

Dawson Dominates Ismagulov

American Top Team product Grant Dawson overwhelmed Damir Ismagulov with his grappling for the better part of 15 minutes in a lopsided unanimous decision triumph in the evening’s lightweight co-main event. The 29-year-old Nebraskan received scorecards of 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27 from the cageside judges to extend his unbeaten streak to 12. Ismagulov has dropped back-to-back fights after winning 19 consecutive outings from 2015 to 2022.

While a finish didn’t arrive, it wasn’t for a lack of trying on Dawson’s part. The former Dana White’s Contender Series competitor secured takedowns and attached himself to his opponent’s back in each frame, racking up well over 10 minutes of control time in the process. Once there, Dawson (20-1-1, 8-0-1 UFC) trapped Ismagulov (24-3, 5-2 UFC) in body triangles on multiple occasions while repeatedly hunting for chokes. When the Russian attempted to escape, Dawson deftly moved to mount and teed off with ground-and-pound. Outside of landing some solid jabs and right hands early in Round 2, Ismagulov struggled to author any moments of note.

Morales Outduels Griffin

Crisp striking and stout takedown defense propelled Entram Gym member Michael Morales to a unanimous decision victory against ex-West Coast Fighting Championship title holder Max Griffin in a welterweight matchup. All three judges scored the bout 29-28 for Morales, who went the distance for the first time in his UFC tenure.

Griffin (19-10, 7-8 UFC) did his best to make it an ugly affair and for a round it worked, as he landed punching combinations to cause swelling under his foe’s right eye and slowed down the pace with takedown attempts and clinch work against the fence. However, Morales (15-0, 3-0 UFC) got stronger as the fight continued. He tagged Griffin consistently with straight punches, and notably had his foe reeling after some solid right-hand connections in the second stanza. In the meantime, the Ecuadorean’s takedown defense held up for the duration of the fight, despite Griffin’s multiple attempts to get the action to the canvas.

Lipski Holds Off Gatto

Former KSW champion Ariane Lipski edged Melissa Gatto via split decision in a competitive flyweight duel. Judges Sal D’Amato scored it 30-27 and Chris Lee saw it 29-28 — both for Lipski, while Adalaide Byrd submitted a 29-28 tally for Gatto. Lipski (16-8, 5-5 UFC) has won three of her last four promotional appearances.

Lipski was the advancing party for much of the bout, as she found periodic success with punching combinations and the occasional kick. Gatto, meanwhile, relied on straight punches and grinding clinch work, but she was unable to land any of her seven takedown attempts. That led to a potentially key moment in the third frame, when Lipski reversed a takedown and spent some time in top position. Gatto, who was returning from a 14-month layoff, has lost back-to-back outings.

St. Denis Secures Third Straight Finish

Paris native Benoit St. Denis submitted Cerrado MMA export Ismael Bonfim with a rear-naked choke 4:48 into the opening stanza of a lightweight clash. St. Denis has finished three straight UFC opponents after taking a brutal beating against Elizeu dos Santos in his promotional debut.

St. Denis (11-1, 3-1 UFC) began the contest by attacking Bonfim (19-4, 1-1 UFC) repeatedly with body kicks before changing levels for a takedown. The Frenchman briefly assumed full mount, but Bonfim was able to reverse out of the predicament. The Brazilian flashed his power on the feet, but St. Denis was able to secure a second takedown and then work his way to his opponent’s back later in the frame. St. Denis then adjusted the choke, and though it wasn’t completely under Bonfim’s neck, the squeeze was tight enough to elicit a tapout. It was Bonfim’s first defeat since July 19, 2014.

Ruziboev Obliterates Ferreira

Octagon newcomer Nursulton Ruziboev extended his professional winning streak to nine, knocking out the previously undefeated Bruno Ferreira in the opening stanza of the middleweight feature. Ruziboev (35-8-2, 1-0 UFC) ended his opponent’s night just 77 seconds into Round 1. The Uzbekistan native has finished 33 of his 35 career triumphs inside the distance, with 24 of those — including all nine of his current streak — coming inside of a round.

Ruziboev set the stage for the finish when he caught a Ferreira kick and countered with a big right hand over the top that took the Brazilian off his feet immediately. He then followed Ferreira (10-1, 1-1 UFC) to the canvas to seal his victory with four massive right hands before referee Mark Smith could intervene.

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