A suffocating wrestling performance matched with a series of point deductions to opponent Tahir Abdullaev earned Khotam Boynazarov the UAE Warriors Welterweight Championship on Tuesday.
Boynazarov prevailed via unanimous decision by a wide margin, dethroning 170-pound champ Abdullaev in the main event of a card from the ADNEC Exhibition Center in Abu Dhabi this week.
Abdullaev, who was looking to defend his title for the first time, found himself significantly behind in the fight early. The Azerbaijani vet was handed two point deductions in just the opening round due to repeatedly grabbing the fence while defending takedown attempts. These rule violations put Abdullaev behind by three points – the equivalent of losing three rounds normally – after just five minutes of action, making the chance of him prevailing via decision quite slim already.
The odds of an Abdullaev victory, especially on scorecards, looked even more rough as the fight progressed. Boynazarov secured numerous takedowns in the rounds that followed, putting Adbullaev down numerous times.
Abdullaev was able to score his own takedowns, notably putting Boynazarov on the mat a few times in the third round. However, Boynazarov was quick to spring back to his feet and prevent the positions from meaning much in the eyes of the judges. Arguably the best moment for Abdullaev came late in the third, as he pursued an armbar as the round ran out of time.
Late in the bout when the fight seemingly couldn’t have become more lopsided, referee Marc Goddard handed Abdullaev a third point deduction due to fence grabbing. The fight’s one-way traffic matched with penalties to Abdullaev allowed Boynazarov to win by a stunning margin of eight points (50-42) on all three scorecards.
Uzbekistan-based fighter Boynazarov now holds an impressive record of 10 wins since his 2021 pro debut. He had previously scored a pair of victories in UAE Warriors after earning seven victories in his home country.
Abdullaev was hoping to defend his title for the first time this week. He captured the UAE Warriors Welterweight Championship just five months ago, stopping Shakhban Alkhasov in the second round of a bout with strikes.
Earlier in the night, Jacinta Austin used her wrestling to hand Valentina Escobar her first pro loss and capture the UAE Warriors Strawweight Championship in a split decision result. Here are the quick results from this week’s show:
Bout 12: Khotam Boynazarov def. Tahir Abdullaev via Decision, Unanimous (UAE Warriors Welterweight Championship)
Bout 11: Jacinta Austin def. Valentina Escobar via Decision, Split (Vacant UAE Warriors Strawweight Championship)
Bout 10: Bruno Machado def. Eduardo Garagorri via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 3:32)
Bout 9: Tarek Suleiman def. Ole Magnor via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 8: Rodrigo Cavalheiro Correia def. Erkin Darmenov via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:53)
Bout 7: Ali Iksender Aliyev def. Magomedrasul Khakhulmagomedov via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:45)
Bout 6: Amir Hossein Alipour def. Robson Gracie Jr. via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 5: Kamron Ortikov def. Murad Maganaev via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 4: Abdulla Al Bousheiri def. Ole-Jorgen Mandt Johnsen via Decision, Split
Bout 3: Diego Dias def. Aigun Akhmedov via Submission, Triangle Choke (RD 2, 4:28)
Bout 2: Akbarjon Islomboev def. Ben Royle via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 1:31)
Bout 1: Ullubiy Amirzhanov def. Samir Akhmedov via Submission, Ninja Choke (RD 2, 0:59)
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