A fight that started slowly ended with some fireworks as lightweight contender Islam Makhachev fought his way to a unanimous decision victory over Davi Ramos at UFC 242 on Saturday.
The inaction continued into the second round, but midway through the excitement picked up when Makhachev opened up a cut on Ramos. Round three was all Makhachev, however. With Ramos sensing some urgency, his aggressive approach left him open for a knee to the jaw that temporarily stunned him. Makhachev took Ramos down to the canvas and the ground-and-bound began. Makhachev remained heavy on Ramos for the remainder of the fight.
In the end, the fight was scored 29-27, 30-26, 30x26 in favor of Makhachev.
The No. 15-ranked Makhachev moved to 18-1 with the win. His only loss came to Adriano Martins back in 2015 at UFC 192. Ramos fell to 10-3.
“I beat today a very tough opponent,” Makhachev said after the win.
“I’m very happy to win this fight. Who wins [between] [Edson] Barboza or [Paul] Felder, I am ready.”