Garry defeats Belal in the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/X/UFC
Ian Garry had to overcome himself at UFC Qatar. At the event held this Saturday (22), the Irishman faced Belal Muhammad , former welterweight champion (up to 77,1 kg), and obtained the biggest victory of his career. After 15 minutes of action, 'The Future' prevailed over the veteran by unanimous decision of the judges.
Now, Garry is closer to a title shot against champion Islam Makhachev . The Irishman has two consecutive wins ( Carlos Prates and Belal Muhammad ) and should move from sixth to second place, currently held by his most recent victim. 'The Future' is so excited about his current career moment that he wasted no time in challenging the Russian, right there in the octagon.
See too
Garry controls and punishes veteran.
Right from the start, Garry used and abused his kicks. Belal reacted, pressured him, but received an eye poke. Despite the scare, Belal returned to the fight. More skillful and quick, Garry continued landing low kicks. Resilient, Belal advanced and landed a dangerous straight punch to his opponent's face on two occasions.
Bigger and more technically skilled, Garry destabilized Belal with a low kick. At the end of the round, Belal went for a takedown and managed to clinch with Garry, pushing him against the cage. Alert, Garry managed to escape the position, continued kicking Belal's leg and throwing punches to his face. Again, Belal tried for a takedown on Garry, but was unsuccessful.
In the second round, Belal came back more aggressively and landed powerful punches on Garry. In response, Garry delivered a powerful punch to Belal's face. Then, Belal clinched with Garry and elbowed him in the face. In the exchange, Garry landed kicks and punches on Belal. Again, Belal took Garry to the cage, trying to control the fight, but he couldn't.
Again, Belal attempted a takedown, but was unsuccessful in bringing Garry down. In the exchanges, Garry landed some good low kicks on Belal, but unintentionally poked him in the eye for the second time. Towards the end of the round, the fighters exchanged blows.
In the third and final round, Belal cornered Garry against the cage and landed some good punches. In response, Garry circled and threw kicks and punches at Belal. Sensing Garry's increasing power, Belal grabbed him, but couldn't control him. In the center of the octagon, the fighters resumed exchanging blows with everything they had.
Aware of the damage he was causing with his kicks, Garry launched three in quick succession. Immediately, Belal took his rival to the cage again, but didn't capitalize on the opportunity. In the striking exchanges, Garry proved more active. Tenacious, Belal startled Garry with punches. At the end of the 15 minutes of action, Garry emerged victorious by unanimous decision of the judges.
Oezdemir annihilates opponent
Oezdemir celebrates his UFC victory. Photo: Reproduction/X/UFC
In the light heavyweight division (up to 93 kg), Volkan Oezdemir made short work of Alonzo Menifield . The Swiss fighter, known for delivering brutal and devastating knockouts, scored another one. In just over a minute, 'No Time' displayed power, precision, and technique to knock out the American.
Although the fight was quick, Oezdemir had already shaken Menifield. Sensing the 'smell of blood', the Swiss fighter didn't let the opportunity pass and ended the fight with a brutal blitz on his opponent. The sequence of blows was so strong that the American lost consciousness on his feet.
With this important result, Oezdemir recovered in the UFC. Now, the Swiss fighter has three wins in his last four fights. Happy with the victory, the athlete, ranked ninth in the division, asked to face someone in the top 5.
View this photo on Instagram
Orolbai destroys opponent.
Orolbai defeats Hermansson in the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/X/UFC
The welterweight division has received a significant boost. After trying his luck at lightweight (up to 70,3 kg), Myktybek Orolbai moved up a division and made a strong impact, winning by knockout in the first round. The Kyrgyzstani's victim was veteran Jack Hermansson , who dropped down from middleweight (up to 83,9 kg) to the welterweight division.
Powerful and gaining more and more confidence in his striking, Orolbai ignored the fact that the Swede had a larger physique and pressured him. The Kyrgyzstani, who was already landing the most impactful blows of the fight, brutally knocked out Hermansson with a clean straight punch to his temple.
This was Orolbai's second consecutive victory, and by a quick finish, showing he is open to fighting in both the lightweight and welterweight divisions. On the other hand, Hermansson is going through a bad phase in his career, having lost two consecutive fights and being brutally knocked out.
UFC Qatar Results
MAIN CARD
Lightweight (up to 70,3 kg): Arman Tsarukyan defeated Dan Hooker by submission (katagatame) at 3:44 of round 2.
Welterweight (up to 77,1 kg): Ian Garry defeated Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Light heavyweight (up to 93 kg): Volkan Oezdemir defeated Alonzo Menifield by knockout (punch) at 1:27 of round 1.
Welterweight (up to 77,1 kg): Myktybek Orolbai defeated Jack Hermansson by knockout (punch) at 2:46 of round 1.
Heavyweight (up to 120,2 kg): Waldo Cortes-Acosta defeated Shamil Gaziev by knockout (punch) at 1:22 of round 1.
Flyweight (up to 57 kg): Kyoji Horiguchi defeated Tagir Ulanbekov by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:18 of round 3.
PRELIMINARY CARD
Featherweight (up to 65,8 kg): Luke Riley defeated Bogdan Grad by technical knockout (punches) at 30 seconds of round 2.
Welterweight (up to 77,1 kg): Nicolas Dalby defeated Saygid Izagakhmaev by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Flyweight (up to 57 kg): Asu Almabayev defeated Alex Perez by submission (guillotine choke) at 22 seconds of round 3.
Light heavyweight (up to 93 kg): Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev defeated Raffael Cerqueira by submission (rear-naked choke) at 33 seconds of round 1.
Bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg): Aleksandre Topuria defeated Bekzat Almakhan by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Middleweight (up to 83,9 kg): Ismail Naurdiev defeated Ryan Loder by knockout (punch) at 1:26 of Round 1.
Lightweight (up to 70,3 kg): Nurullo Aliev defeated Shem Rock by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Heavyweight (up to 120,2 kg): Denzel Freeman defeated Marek Bujło by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Exclusive: Michael PQD talks about his brutal UFC debut victory.
You need to log in to comment.