LAS VEGAS – Tagir Ulanbekov beat Cody Durden with a second-round submission Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 296 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Ulanbekov, who won for the fourth time in five fights and second straight time by submission.
Cody Durden vs. Tagir Ulanbekov
Result: Tagir Ulanbekov def. Cody Durden via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:25
Updated records: Ulanbekov (15-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) , Durden (16-5-1 MMA, 5-3-1 UFC)
Key stats: Ulanbekov had more than 6 minutes of control time in less than two rounds and five submission attempts on his way to the tapout win.
Ulanbekov on the fight's key moment
“The first time, when I caught him with a punch and then went for the submission, I rushed a little bit. But then in the same round, I went for the choke and it was very deep. I was surprised he got out. Then in the second, I got a few submission attempts. But the last one was too deep and no one could escape it.”
Ulanbekov on expectations
“To be honest, this expectation (to live up to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev) doesn’t pressure me at all. My coach (Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov) believed in me that I could do it, and that’s what’s most important. No one could beat me harder than the guys in training on my team. He did everything to get us here. No one believed in him. When he started MMA, no one took it seriously. Everyone said it was not a sport. But he believed in what he did, and today we honor his legacy.”
Ulanbekov on what he wants next
“Since I joined the UFC, I’ve had very few fights. But it’s not because I don’t want to be active. I’ve had bad luck with injuries, with some sickness and infections, but I want to be more active.”
To hear more from Ulanbekov, check out the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.
