Overview
- Nurmagomedov defeated Bautista by unanimous decision with 30-27 scores across the board after a wrestling-heavy performance featuring about ten takedowns.
- Bautista briefly floored Nurmagomedov with a second-round knee, but the Dagestani contender recovered and reestablished control.
- The victory snapped Bautista’s eight-fight winning streak and restored Nurmagomedov’s position near the top of the bantamweight division.
- Post-fight, Nurmagomedov vowed to challenge for the belt and pointed to the Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan title fight at UFC 323 on Dec. 6 as the determinant of his next target.
- Nurmagomedov admitted he underestimated Bautista and needs to fix a defensive habit, and he said he is open to a quick turnaround against names like Deiveson Figueiredo or Aiemann Zahabi if a title bout is not immediate.