Bryce Mitchell returned to the UFC Abu Dhabi victory column, citing the decisive victory over Nurmagomedov in his bantamweight debut.
Mitchell put up early pressure and managed to get success with the clinch, but ultimately paid off the aggression and ate a completely timing knee from Nurmagomedov in the three minutes of the opening round. Schott sat in “The Trouble of a Bad Crime” and urged Daguestani to jump on top and land some ground strikes before settling on Mitchell’s guard.
Mitchell returned before the end of the round, but a knee from Nurmagomedov would have been enough to swing the scorecard in his favor.
Mitchell wasted the second shot for a takedown, taking Nurmagomedov to the mat and fishing for Kimura. Nurmagomedov defended and used a fence to reverse positions, but neither fighter jet was in the way of the attack through the round.
Thug Nasty’ shot a takedown right away for the third time, but he nearly paid the price and let himself go into a momentary tight guillotine. Eventually, he managed to reverse position and regain top control near the fence. Mitchell was pleased to hold the position for the remaining three minutes of the fight, securing a much-needed decision victory.
Official Results:Bryce Mitchell def. Nurmagomedov said via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).