UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Smith · Jul 22, 2018 · Featherweight · Completed
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Age 39
Height 5' 8"
Reach 70.0"
Weight 145 lbs.
Stance Orthodox
Age 34
Height 5' 5"
Reach 69.0"
Weight 135 lbs.
Stance Orthodox
Career Averages - Nad Narimani
3.33 SLpM
42.0% Str. Acc.
3.0 SApM
58.0% Str. Def.
1.92 TD Avg
41.0% TD Acc.
70.0% TD Def.
0.0 Sub. Avg
Career Averages - Khalid Taha
2.64 SLpM
32.0% Str. Acc.
4.12 SApM
46.0% Str. Def.
0.0 TD Avg
0.0% TD Acc.
61.0% TD Def.
0.2 Sub. Avg
Nad Narimani - Fight History
LOSS vs Grant Dawson
Decision (unanimous) (30–26, 30–27, 29–27) R3 5:00 · UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2 · Jul 19, 2020
Totals
FighterKDSig. Str.Sig. Str. % Total Str.TDTD % Sub. AttRev.Ctrl
Grant Dawson 0 53 of 115 46% 136 of 218 2 of 6 33% 1 0 8:11
Nad Narimani 0 31 of 76 40% 57 of 105 0 of 0 --- 0 0 0:09
Per Round
RdFighterKDSig. Str.Sig. Str. % Total Str.TDTD % Sub. AttRev.Ctrl
1 Grant Dawson 0 14 of 17 82% 46 of 53 1 of 2 50% 0 0 3:55
Nad Narimani 0 5 of 10 50% 21 of 26 0 of 0 --- 0 0 0:09
2 Grant Dawson 0 6 of 15 40% 57 of 82 1 of 1 100% 1 0 4:03
Nad Narimani 0 2 of 6 33% 12 of 19 0 of 0 --- 0 0 0:00
3 Grant Dawson 0 33 of 83 39% 33 of 83 0 of 3 0% 0 0 0:13
Nad Narimani 0 24 of 60 40% 24 of 60 0 of 0 --- 0 0 0:00
Significant Strikes
FighterSig. Str.Sig. Str. % HeadBodyLeg DistanceClinchGround
Grant Dawson 53 of 115 46% 25 of 74 5 of 14 23 of 27 48 of 108 0 of 0 5 of 7
Nad Narimani 31 of 76 40% 17 of 59 12 of 15 2 of 2 28 of 73 2 of 2 1 of 1
Significant Strikes Per Round
RdFighterSig. Str.Sig. Str. % HeadBodyLeg DistanceClinchGround
1 Grant Dawson 14 of 17 82% 5 of 7 1 of 2 8 of 8 10 of 13 0 of 0 4 of 4
Nad Narimani 5 of 10 50% 3 of 8 2 of 2 0 of 0 4 of 9 0 of 0 1 of 1
2 Grant Dawson 6 of 15 40% 3 of 10 1 of 1 2 of 4 5 of 12 0 of 0 1 of 3
Nad Narimani 2 of 6 33% 1 of 5 0 of 0 1 of 1 2 of 6 0 of 0 0 of 0
3 Grant Dawson 33 of 83 39% 17 of 57 3 of 11 13 of 15 33 of 83 0 of 0 0 of 0
Nad Narimani 24 of 60 40% 13 of 46 10 of 13 1 of 1 22 of 58 2 of 2 0 of 0
Play-by-Play
View on Sherdog
Grant Dawson vs. Nad Narimani

Round 1
In a scheduled 150-pound catchweight contest, highly touted prospect “KGD” Dawson (15-1, 3-0 UFC) comes to blows with Britain’s Narimani (12-3, 2-1 UFC). Overseeing this bout between two men combining for 21 finishes in 21 wins is much-maligned referee Dan Movahedi. They touch ‘em up, and Dawson opens with a calf kick that nearly makes Narimani fall over. Dawson targets that same spot two more times and does not draw the same reaction, but drop down low for a takedown. Narimani stuffs it and clips Dawson with a right hand over the top. Dawson flings a low kick at him, and Narimani catches him with a thudding calf kick that makes Dawson crumble – or so we think. When Narimani charges in, Dawson suddenly leaps in the air and blasts the Brit on the jaw. Narimani is reeling, and Dawson quickly changes levels to take the fight down. In full guard, Dawson quickly slices over to half guard and makes Narimani turn over. Nearly taking his opponent’s back, Dawson is content to stay half guard and work a few punches from on top. Dawson stays active from on top, and as he gets pulled back to guard, he lands a couple quick elbows. Narimani replies in kind with hacking elbows from his back, but “KGD” ignores them and hops back over to half guard. When he lands a few powerful strikes, Narimani is able to get him back to guard and lock him down to stop the damage. When they both scramble at the same time, Dawson hops over to mount. The Brit turns around and surrenders his back in the process, so Dawson secures a body triangle with a minute to go. Dawson hunts for a rear-naked choke, but Narimani defends it well while fighting hands. Narimani protects his neck and breaks the body triangle, which leads Dawson to leave hooks in and ride out the round. One last squeeze from Dawson does not get him anywhere, as the horn sounds before he can lock anything up.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Dawson
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Dawson
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Dawson

Round 2
The round begins frenetically, with both men throwing furiously. Dawson rips a knee up high that would make Sagat blush, and Narimani takes it on the chin. Dawson shoots in, scoops up his opponent and drops him down with an emphatic thump. “KGD” easily skips over to half guard, and Narimani tries to turn himself over but returns flat on his back to not give up worse position. Dawson works him from on top with short punches that may soften his opponent up but are not doing any serious harm. The American keeps his activity high in half guard with punches and sporadic elbows to wear down his adversary. A few punches or an elbow have opened up a cut on Narimani’s left eyebrow, and the Brit spins around but surrenders his back like the last round. Like before, Dawson instantly seals the body triangle, and works Narimani with punches. Narimani gives up his neck to not get punched any longer, allowing Dawson to snatch up the neck and squeeze. It is so tight, but somehow Narimani manages to break the grip and get his neck free. Narimani tries to walk off the cage wall to get loose, but we hear the horn before he can.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-8 Dawson
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-8 Dawson
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-8 Dawson

Round 3
A battered and bloodied Narimani reluctantly touches gloves, and he tries to keep his distance and jab. Dawson attempts to time a knee up the bracket, which keeps Narimani from getting loose. Dawson nails the lead leg with a calf kick, forcing Narimani to backpedal. Dawson has the knee chambered to release any time Narimani gets careless, and barely misses a few times while Narimani is advancing. Dawson gets another leg kick in, and another that draw out a limp from his opponent. Dawson shoots in, but this time he gets stuffed. Dawson goes to the body with a front kick and alternates that with more calf kicks that are hurting the Brit every time. Dawson grazes the guard with a high kick, and gets countered with a straight left coming in. “KGD” rolls with a right hand and has a counter knee ready for his opponent. Dawson lets his kicks go, high and low, and when Narimani is ready to guard them, Dawson stings him with a jab or lands a heavy right hand. Narimani advances and lands three punches, but they do not have the sting on them as the previous rounds. This does not stop him from throwing wildly, and he loops a few big right hands that Dawson narrowly avoids. Dawson drills that lead leg with another kick, and he follows it with a knee that Narimani catches but cannot take advantage of. Dawson scores to the body and head with kicks, and when he throws an axe kick, he gets caught flush. Dawson’s knees wobble, and he is hurt as he shoots in for a desperation takedown. Narimani fights him off and gains separation. The Brit throws a few more times, clipping Dawson again. Dawson shoots in one last time for a takedown to stall out the final seconds, and he holds Narimani against the cage wall until time expires.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Dawson (30-26 Dawson)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Dawson (30-26 Dawson)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Dawson (30-26 Dawson)

The Official Result
Grant Dawson def. Nad Narimani via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-27)
BI
Big Brady Expert Confident picked Jul 17, 2020 (2 days before fight)
Nad Narimani

Big Brady picks Narimani as his third underdog, believing Dawson's striking is poor and his wrestling will be neutralized by Narimani's excellent takedown defense (75%). He notes Narimani's BJJ black belt means he can hang on the ground, and on the feet Dawson gets hit too much. He predicts Narimani will stuff takedowns and win a decision, possibly betting it.

"I'm going to take a shot on Narimani I might bet that as well ... I'm going to pick Narimani to win by a decision here"
DA
Daniel Levi Expert Confident picked Jul 17, 2020 (2 days before fight)
Grant Dawson

Daniel Levi picks Grant Dawson, citing his relentless takedown attempts and cardio. He notes that Narimani is tough but tends to get sloppy when slowed down, leaving his chin in the air. He believes Dawson's work rate will be too much for Narimani, especially in later rounds. He does not consider Dawson a future top-15 guy but thinks he is solid and will edge out a decision.

"i see this being a fun back and forth fight with grant dawson slightly edging it"
TH
The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Jul 16, 2020 (3 days before fight)
Grant Dawson

The MMA Guru picks Dawson, noting he is a huge guy for the weight class and has great grappling. He believes Narimani hasn't faced that level of grappling. The catchweight favors Dawson as he won't have a bad weight cut. He warns Dawson is a bit green on the feet but predicts a decision win.

Dawson by decision
"I just feel as though he hasn't fought at the level of grappler the of grant daus"
LOSS vs Mike Grundy
TKO (punches) R2 4:42 · UFC Fight Night: Till vs. Masvidal · Mar 16, 2019
Totals
FighterKDSig. Str.Sig. Str. % Total Str.TDTD % Sub. AttRev.Ctrl
Mike Grundy 1 33 of 56 58% 36 of 59 1 of 3 33% 0 0 1:04
Nad Narimani 0 22 of 95 23% 22 of 95 0 of 1 0% 0 0 0:00
Per Round
RdFighterKDSig. Str.Sig. Str. % Total Str.TDTD % Sub. AttRev.Ctrl
1 Mike Grundy 0 8 of 17 47% 11 of 20 1 of 1 100% 0 0 0:42
Nad Narimani 0 6 of 40 15% 6 of 40 0 of 1 0% 0 0 0:00
2 Mike Grundy 1 25 of 39 64% 25 of 39 0 of 2 0% 0 0 0:22
Nad Narimani 0 16 of 55 29% 16 of 55 0 of 0 --- 0 0 0:00
Significant Strikes
FighterSig. Str.Sig. Str. % HeadBodyLeg DistanceClinchGround
Mike Grundy 33 of 56 58% 32 of 54 1 of 2 0 of 0 20 of 40 9 of 11 4 of 5
Nad Narimani 22 of 95 23% 16 of 82 1 of 5 5 of 8 20 of 91 2 of 4 0 of 0
Significant Strikes Per Round
RdFighterSig. Str.Sig. Str. % HeadBodyLeg DistanceClinchGround
1 Mike Grundy 8 of 17 47% 8 of 16 0 of 1 0 of 0 5 of 14 1 of 1 2 of 2
Nad Narimani 6 of 40 15% 3 of 31 0 of 3 3 of 6 6 of 39 0 of 1 0 of 0
2 Mike Grundy 25 of 39 64% 24 of 38 1 of 1 0 of 0 15 of 26 8 of 10 2 of 3
Nad Narimani 16 of 55 29% 13 of 51 1 of 2 2 of 2 14 of 52 2 of 3 0 of 0
Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) R3 5:00 · UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. Ponzinibbio · Nov 17, 2018
Totals
FighterKDSig. Str.Sig. Str. % Total Str.TDTD % Sub. AttRev.Ctrl
Nad Narimani 0 84 of 186 45% 111 of 220 1 of 5 20% 0 0 4:41
Anderson dos Santos 0 46 of 170 27% 50 of 174 0 of 1 0% 1 0 0:18
Per Round
RdFighterKDSig. Str.Sig. Str. % Total Str.TDTD % Sub. AttRev.Ctrl
1 Nad Narimani 0 31 of 83 37% 31 of 83 0 of 0 --- 0 0 0:00
Anderson dos Santos 0 17 of 70 24% 17 of 70 0 of 0 --- 0 0 0:00
2 Nad Narimani 0 18 of 34 52% 34 of 55 1 of 3 33% 0 0 2:48
Anderson dos Santos 0 13 of 32 40% 15 of 34 0 of 1 0% 0 0 0:18
3 Nad Narimani 0 35 of 69 50% 46 of 82 0 of 2 0% 0 0 1:53
Anderson dos Santos 0 16 of 68 23% 18 of 70 0 of 0 --- 1 0 0:00
Significant Strikes
FighterSig. Str.Sig. Str. % HeadBodyLeg DistanceClinchGround
Nad Narimani 84 of 186 45% 63 of 160 9 of 12 12 of 14 57 of 149 10 of 11 17 of 26
Anderson dos Santos 46 of 170 27% 32 of 154 7 of 8 7 of 8 39 of 160 5 of 6 2 of 4
Significant Strikes Per Round
RdFighterSig. Str.Sig. Str. % HeadBodyLeg DistanceClinchGround
1 Nad Narimani 31 of 83 37% 19 of 68 4 of 6 8 of 9 27 of 79 4 of 4 0 of 0
Anderson dos Santos 17 of 70 24% 11 of 63 2 of 3 4 of 4 16 of 69 1 of 1 0 of 0
2 Nad Narimani 18 of 34 52% 13 of 27 3 of 4 2 of 3 9 of 21 3 of 4 6 of 9
Anderson dos Santos 13 of 32 40% 8 of 26 3 of 3 2 of 3 10 of 27 3 of 4 0 of 1
3 Nad Narimani 35 of 69 50% 31 of 65 2 of 2 2 of 2 21 of 49 3 of 3 11 of 17
Anderson dos Santos 16 of 68 23% 13 of 65 2 of 2 1 of 1 13 of 64 1 of 1 2 of 3
WIN vs Khalid Taha
Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) R3 5:00 · UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Smith · Jul 22, 2018
Totals
FighterKDSig. Str.Sig. Str. % Total Str.TDTD % Sub. AttRev.Ctrl
Nad Narimani 0 32 of 57 56% 59 of 91 0 of 0 --- 0 2 0:35
Khalid Taha 0 45 of 69 65% 67 of 97 6 of 11 54% 0 0 10:07
Per Round
RdFighterKDSig. Str.Sig. Str. % Total Str.TDTD % Sub. AttRev.Ctrl
1 Nad Narimani 0 11 of 17 64% 18 of 24 0 of 0 --- 0 0 0:12
Khalid Taha 0 12 of 26 46% 16 of 33 2 of 4 50% 0 0 3:04
2 Nad Narimani 0 15 of 26 57% 23 of 35 0 of 0 --- 0 0 0:00
Khalid Taha 0 26 of 34 76% 37 of 48 1 of 4 25% 0 0 3:22
3 Nad Narimani 0 6 of 14 42% 18 of 32 0 of 0 --- 0 2 0:23
Khalid Taha 0 7 of 9 77% 14 of 16 3 of 3 100% 0 0 3:41
Significant Strikes
FighterSig. Str.Sig. Str. % HeadBodyLeg DistanceClinchGround
Nad Narimani 32 of 57 56% 24 of 44 3 of 6 5 of 7 21 of 41 7 of 11 4 of 5
Khalid Taha 45 of 69 65% 37 of 56 5 of 10 3 of 3 14 of 32 5 of 7 26 of 30
Significant Strikes Per Round
RdFighterSig. Str.Sig. Str. % HeadBodyLeg DistanceClinchGround
1 Nad Narimani 11 of 17 64% 6 of 12 1 of 1 4 of 4 8 of 13 3 of 4 0 of 0
Khalid Taha 12 of 26 46% 7 of 17 3 of 7 2 of 2 5 of 17 0 of 1 7 of 8
2 Nad Narimani 15 of 26 57% 12 of 19 2 of 4 1 of 3 10 of 19 3 of 5 2 of 2
Khalid Taha 26 of 34 76% 24 of 31 1 of 2 1 of 1 7 of 12 5 of 6 14 of 16
3 Nad Narimani 6 of 14 42% 6 of 13 0 of 1 0 of 0 3 of 9 1 of 2 2 of 3
Khalid Taha 7 of 9 77% 6 of 8 1 of 1 0 of 0 2 of 3 0 of 0 5 of 6
Khalid Taha - Fight History
KO/TKO R1 3:15 · UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Tuivasa · Sep 03, 2022
LOSS vs Sergey Morozov
Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) R3 5:00 · UFC on ESPN: Makhachev vs. Moises · Jul 17, 2021
Totals
FighterKDSig. Str.Sig. Str. % Total Str.TDTD % Sub. AttRev.Ctrl
Sergey Morozov 0 33 of 123 26% 66 of 158 0 of 1 0% 0 0 0:00
Khalid Taha 0 50 of 103 48% 99 of 159 6 of 16 37% 0 0 8:34
Per Round
RdFighterKDSig. Str.Sig. Str. % Total Str.TDTD % Sub. AttRev.Ctrl
1 Sergey Morozov 0 3 of 19 15% 23 of 41 0 of 0 --- 0 0 0:00
Khalid Taha 0 8 of 18 44% 21 of 35 1 of 2 50% 0 0 2:58
2 Sergey Morozov 0 12 of 35 34% 19 of 42 0 of 0 --- 0 0 0:00
Khalid Taha 0 17 of 33 51% 33 of 51 3 of 7 42% 0 0 2:53
3 Sergey Morozov 0 18 of 69 26% 24 of 75 0 of 1 0% 0 0 0:00
Khalid Taha 0 25 of 52 48% 45 of 73 2 of 7 28% 0 0 2:43
Significant Strikes
FighterSig. Str.Sig. Str. % HeadBodyLeg DistanceClinchGround
Sergey Morozov 33 of 123 26% 9 of 82 12 of 25 12 of 16 30 of 117 3 of 5 0 of 1
Khalid Taha 50 of 103 48% 45 of 94 2 of 5 3 of 4 33 of 81 6 of 7 11 of 15
Significant Strikes Per Round
RdFighterSig. Str.Sig. Str. % HeadBodyLeg DistanceClinchGround
1 Sergey Morozov 3 of 19 15% 1 of 11 0 of 3 2 of 5 3 of 18 0 of 0 0 of 1
Khalid Taha 8 of 18 44% 7 of 15 1 of 2 0 of 1 3 of 10 0 of 0 5 of 8
2 Sergey Morozov 12 of 35 34% 3 of 20 3 of 9 6 of 6 12 of 35 0 of 0 0 of 0
Khalid Taha 17 of 33 51% 16 of 31 0 of 1 1 of 1 11 of 26 1 of 1 5 of 6
3 Sergey Morozov 18 of 69 26% 5 of 51 9 of 13 4 of 5 15 of 64 3 of 5 0 of 0
Khalid Taha 25 of 52 48% 22 of 48 1 of 2 2 of 2 19 of 45 5 of 6 1 of 1
CO
Cody Saftic Expert Lean picked Jul 14, 2021 (3 days before fight)
Sergey Morozov

Cody leans towards Sergey Morozov as a live underdog, citing his ring IQ and wrestling. He believes Morozov can take Khalid Taha down and grind him out, exploiting Taha's poor takedown defense and cardio. He notes that Taha is explosive and heavy-handed, but if Morozov implements the right game plan, he can win.

"I'm gonna have to go with sergey morozov it really does come down to his ring iq and is he going to shoot the reactionary takedowns."
PA
Paul Shaughnessy Expert picked Jul 14, 2021 (3 days before fight)

Paul passes on this fight, calling it a 'dogger pass'. He is not sure if he will bet it and prefers to wait for weigh-ins. He acknowledges that Taha could come out looking strong, but he doesn't commit to a pick.

"I think it's a dogger pass i don't have anything on it i'm not sure if i will."
LOSS vs Raoni Barcelos
Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) R3 5:00 · UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Teixeira · Nov 07, 2020
Totals
FighterKDSig. Str.Sig. Str. % Total Str.TDTD % Sub. AttRev.Ctrl
Raoni Barcelos 0 120 of 207 57% 129 of 219 2 of 4 50% 1 0 3:15
Khalid Taha 0 49 of 202 24% 68 of 222 0 of 1 0% 0 1 1:27
Per Round
RdFighterKDSig. Str.Sig. Str. % Total Str.TDTD % Sub. AttRev.Ctrl
1 Raoni Barcelos 0 23 of 36 63% 25 of 38 1 of 3 33% 0 0 1:32
Khalid Taha 0 13 of 49 26% 25 of 62 0 of 0 --- 0 1 0:58
2 Raoni Barcelos 0 54 of 89 60% 54 of 89 0 of 0 --- 0 0 0:00
Khalid Taha 0 12 of 79 15% 12 of 79 0 of 0 --- 0 0 0:00
3 Raoni Barcelos 0 43 of 82 52% 50 of 92 1 of 1 100% 1 0 1:43
Khalid Taha 0 24 of 74 32% 31 of 81 0 of 1 0% 0 0 0:29
Significant Strikes
FighterSig. Str.Sig. Str. % HeadBodyLeg DistanceClinchGround
Raoni Barcelos 120 of 207 57% 85 of 166 17 of 22 18 of 19 108 of 195 7 of 7 5 of 5
Khalid Taha 49 of 202 24% 40 of 186 5 of 10 4 of 6 49 of 193 0 of 6 0 of 3
Significant Strikes Per Round
RdFighterSig. Str.Sig. Str. % HeadBodyLeg DistanceClinchGround
1 Raoni Barcelos 23 of 36 63% 15 of 27 4 of 5 4 of 4 18 of 31 5 of 5 0 of 0
Khalid Taha 13 of 49 26% 11 of 46 2 of 3 0 of 0 13 of 44 0 of 3 0 of 2
2 Raoni Barcelos 54 of 89 60% 34 of 65 12 of 15 8 of 9 54 of 89 0 of 0 0 of 0
Khalid Taha 12 of 79 15% 9 of 73 1 of 4 2 of 2 12 of 79 0 of 0 0 of 0
3 Raoni Barcelos 43 of 82 52% 36 of 74 1 of 2 6 of 6 36 of 75 2 of 2 5 of 5
Khalid Taha 24 of 74 32% 20 of 67 2 of 3 2 of 4 24 of 70 0 of 3 0 of 1
Play-by-Play
View on Sherdog
Raoni Barcelos vs. Khalid Taha

Round 1
Placed high on this ESPN show is a bantamweight brawl between rising contender Barcelos (15-1, 4-0 UFC) and proud German Taha (13-2, 1 NC; 1-1, 1 NC UFC). The third man inside the Octagon is referee Jason Herzog, and the touch of gloves starts the clock. After a tense 25 seconds, Barcelos kicks Taha in the face with a front kick. The German fighter ignores it and tries to jab from a distance, but he only paws off the gloves of his opponent. Taha slings a right hook, but Barcelos kicks him in the head again. The Brazilian chops the lead leg down with one kick, putting Taha down for a second with a single sweep of the leg. Taha springs back up and is already favoring his lead leg, but the two men come before one another and swing it out. Barcelos again jabs with his foot, and the calf kick once more puts Taha down to the ground. Taha springs back up, and Barcelos is in his face charging him and unloading a furious barrage of punches. As Barcelos pushes Taha into the fence, he rips a few knees on the jaw. They both slug it out a little longer, and Taha clips Barcelos on the side of the head to send the Brazilian reeling. Barcelos rushes in for a desperation takedown, and he hits it against the cage and takes top position. Taha circles around, and as he scrambles, Barcelos takes his back and fishes for a rear-naked choke. Taha fights off the choke as he gets to his knees, and crawls his way to the fence briefly. Barcelos is clinging to him like a bad penny, and he pulls Taha down as he maintains back control. Taha pushes off the hooks and blasts through to reverse the position and wind up on top. As Taha slings a few elbows from above, Barcelos throws his legs up and attacks an armbar. Using the submission to sweep position, Taha rolls through it and defends his limb before standing up. Taha continues to push through and as he stands up, he presses Barcelos to the fence and elbows his man on the temple. A wild scramble puts Barcelos on the offensive, and Taha pushes him away and swings heavy leather. Barcelos hacks at the calf once more, and when Taha charges at him, Barcelos snaps his head back with a flying knee. The two bantamweights trade punches right to the bell, ending this furiously paced opening round.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Barcelos
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Barcelos
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Barcelos

Round 2
Barcelos jogs out of his corner but touches gloves, and he proceeds to kick Taha in the calf with both legs. Taha absorbs a left hand and fires one back, and he hops forward to deliver a left hook that bounces off the guard. Barcelos attempts to pre-counter with a few check hooks, and Taha ignores them and strides forward with a big right hand. Barcelos leaps up with a flying knee and clips Taha again, but the German’s chin is made of German steel as he bites down on his mouthpiece to swing at his opponent. Barcelos takes a few punches on the chin before he steps in with a knee, and Taha paws at him with a right hook. Three punches from Taha very nearly land on then mark, and Barcelos blocks them to stick his man with a left hand and a blocked head kick. Barcelos stabs at the midsection with his toes, and he throws another kick that lands at the peninsula south of the Equator. Herzog pauses the fight and tells Taha to take all the time he needs, as the kick hit him square. Taha is ready to resume after minute break, and Barcelos offers an apology glove touch as they resume. Barcelos walks him down with a few jabs, and Taha swings hard and comes up short. Barcelos tries to time a knee, but Taha sees it coming and scores a right hand. Barcelos clubs the lead leg, and this time, Taha fires one back at him. Barcelos jabs out with both feet, and he gets off a low leg kick and nearly lands another before Taha is on him. Taha tries to make him pay with punches, and Barcelos is quick to counter. The two to tit-for-tat with strikes one after the other, and both men decide to start ripping the body with punches in their combinations. Barcelos misses with a check knee, and Taha steps forward with a one-two that Barcelos avoids. Barcelos clicks off a few punches on the head, and the calf kick from the Brazilian lands flush once more. Barcelos slaps away punches that come at him and rolls with strikes, and he slams his shin into Taha’s leg to force the German to change stances. Barcelos clubs him with punches, and delivers a knee up the middle that hurts Taha badly. Barcelos puts his foot on the gas as he cracks Taha with another knee, and he is trying to finish the fight as few seconds are left in the round. He chases and batters Taha around the cage, but he cannot get the stoppage he seeks as Herzog takes a close look at the action. Taha may be saved by the bell as the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Barcelos
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Barcelos
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Barcelos

Round 3
These two bantamweights clap hands to start off the final frame, and they pick up right where they left off. Barcelos flicks out a few kicks high and low, and Taha slaps his fists into the side of Barcelos’s head. Barcelos drills a knee on the jaw, and Taha eats it as he bounces off the cage. Taha tries to respond with strikes of his own, but Barcelos takes him down and starts unloading ground-and-pound from in guard. “The Warrior” scrambles his way to the fence and gets to one knee, but in the process, Barcelos takes his back and gets one hook in. As Taha sits up, the Brazilian wrenches a palm-to-palm neck crank to squeeze a vice grip on his opponent’s chin. Taha grits it out, survives the choke as it slides under the chin, and falls to his back. Barcelos drops down some thudding punches from above, and Taha keeps a rubber guard with his right leg before threatening with a leglock. The submission attempt allows him to force a scramble that gets him back to his feet, where Taha pursues a double leg takedown. Barcelos shrugs it off and breaks up, and Taha chases after him with winging punches. Barcelos snaps a left and a right off while Taha is marching forward, but Taha wades forward with an overhand right and an uppercut. The two trade overhand rights, and Taha blocks the strikes that come his way as he sneaks up an uppercut. Taha kicks the lead leg, but he eats several punches from over the top. Taha clubs him with a left hand, and Barcelos stands in front of him and knees him on the chin. Both men slug it out with everything they have, and Barcelos tries to knee him again but comes up short. Taha stands right in front of his man throwing punches, and Barcelos ducks and kicks the leg. Taha overextends on a right hand and Barcelos tries to take him down, but he cannot get it there. Barcelos scores a big knee on the jaw, and Taha wears it well and presses into a takedown. When Barcelos breaks out of the position, the two have one final slugfest right to the bell. What a fight!

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Barcelos (30-27 Barcelos)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Barcelos (30-27 Barcelos)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Barcelos (30-27 Barcelos)

The Official Result
Raoni Barcelos def. Khalid Taha via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
MM
MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked Nov 2, 2020 (5 days before fight)
Raoni Barcelos

The host is high on Barcelos, calling him a near-complete MMA fighter with diverse skills. He expects Barcelos to use his muay thai and takedowns to overwhelm Taha, who has shown vulnerability to wrestlers. He predicts a second or third round submission, noting Barcelos' jiu-jitsu and finishing ability. He considers Barcelos a solid parlay piece due to the high price.

He predicts a second or third round submission. He mentions Barcelos is more of a parlay piece than a straight play.
"I like marcelo's to win this fight i could see him getting a finish as well too maybe his second or third round sub"
TH
The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Nov 1, 2020 (6 days before fight)
Raoni Barcelos

The MMA Guru picks Raoni Barcelos to win by unanimous decision or third-round stoppage. He believes Barcelos will out-grapple Khalid Taha, using takedowns and grinding grappling. He notes Barcelos's underrated grappling and tough chin.

third round finish
"i'm going to go with hani barcelos getting the job done by unanimous decision with the takedowns"
LOSS vs Bruno Silva
No Contest (overturned) R3 3:00 · UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya · Oct 05, 2019
Totals
FighterKDSig. Str.Sig. Str. % Total Str.TDTD % Sub. AttRev.Ctrl
Khalid Taha 1 38 of 88 43% 74 of 127 0 of 1 0% 1 0 0:39
Bruno Silva 0 20 of 50 40% 51 of 88 2 of 11 18% 0 0 7:00
Per Round
RdFighterKDSig. Str.Sig. Str. % Total Str.TDTD % Sub. AttRev.Ctrl
1 Khalid Taha 1 12 of 43 27% 24 of 55 0 of 1 0% 0 0 0:00
Bruno Silva 0 9 of 22 40% 26 of 39 0 of 4 0% 0 0 1:13
2 Khalid Taha 0 8 of 20 40% 15 of 28 0 of 0 --- 0 0 0:00
Bruno Silva 0 11 of 23 47% 23 of 42 1 of 3 33% 0 0 4:17
3 Khalid Taha 0 18 of 25 72% 35 of 44 0 of 0 --- 1 0 0:39
Bruno Silva 0 0 of 5 0% 2 of 7 1 of 4 25% 0 0 1:30
Significant Strikes
FighterSig. Str.Sig. Str. % HeadBodyLeg DistanceClinchGround
Khalid Taha 38 of 88 43% 29 of 69 4 of 11 5 of 8 19 of 62 6 of 7 13 of 19
Bruno Silva 20 of 50 40% 9 of 33 8 of 11 3 of 6 10 of 31 1 of 1 9 of 18
Significant Strikes Per Round
RdFighterSig. Str.Sig. Str. % HeadBodyLeg DistanceClinchGround
1 Khalid Taha 12 of 43 27% 8 of 31 3 of 8 1 of 4 12 of 43 0 of 0 0 of 0
Bruno Silva 9 of 22 40% 2 of 12 4 of 6 3 of 4 8 of 21 1 of 1 0 of 0
2 Khalid Taha 8 of 20 40% 6 of 16 0 of 2 2 of 2 4 of 11 2 of 3 2 of 6
Bruno Silva 11 of 23 47% 7 of 17 4 of 5 0 of 1 2 of 5 0 of 0 9 of 18
3 Khalid Taha 18 of 25 72% 15 of 22 1 of 1 2 of 2 3 of 8 4 of 4 11 of 13
Bruno Silva 0 of 5 0% 0 of 4 0 of 0 0 of 1 0 of 5 0 of 0 0 of 0
Play-by-Play
View on Sherdog
Khalid Taha vs. Bruno Silva

Round 1
To kick off our night, we have the only fight that does not feature a fighter from Oceania, as Germany's Taha (13-2, 1-1 UFC) takes on Silva (10-3-2, 0-0 UFC) from Brazil. Silva starts out strong with his walkout game, using a song normally attributed to Robert Whittaker: "Can't Be Touched" by Body Head Bangerz, most famously known as the rap group created by boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. Our referee for this 137-pound catchweight contest -- Taha missed weight -- is Greg Kleynjans. The two men touch gloves, and we begin the night. They feint and fake to find an angle, and it is Silva that strikes first, landing a low leg kick that almost buckles the leg of Taha. They come together, and both swing heavy leather, and Taha drops Silva with a left hook. Silva springs to his feet quickly and jumps into the clinch with Taha. The German stalks down Silva and throws a kick that falls short, but he has Silva backing away. "The Warrior" sits down on a right hand and even though Silva partly blocks it, it still stings him and marks his face up. Silva commits to a body kick, and Taha walks right through it while trying to wing another big right hand. Taha swings a leg kick so hard he nearly falls off balance, missing Silva, but he follows up with a hard right. As Silva backs off, he aims for a high leg kick but it misses the mark, catching Taha right in the cup. The action pauses, and Taha takes a minute before we start things up again. The Brazilian whiffs with a spinning wheel kick, and Taha presses forward into the clinch. Silva spins him around, and in the clinch fires a knee up the middle that loudly catches Taha in the groin. Taha crumples to the ground in obvious pain, and doesn't take nearly enough time to recover before the fight begins again. An angry Taha sprints toward Silva, but Silva backs away and eats a body kick. Silva just misses a spinning back fist, and then charges forward to pursue a body lock takedown, as the horn sounds to end the round.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Taha
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Taha
Cole Shelton scores the round: 10-9 Taha

Round 2
As Round 2 begins, Taha runs forward to throw a body kick, and then drops Silva with a powerful right straight. Taha blitzes forward and throws a kick as hard as he can, luckily missing the head of his opponent -- if it had landed, it would have been illegal, as Silva had a knee on the ground. Silva uses the aggression of his opponent to finally take Taha to the ground, and sitting in full guard he drops down multiple hammerfists. Posturing up for a moment only to jump back down with punches, Silva takes an upkick to the chin but uses the moment to advance his position to side control. Taha takes back side control, while exerting heavy pressure on the German. Silva briefly looks to set up an arm-triangle choke, but he is in the wrong position for it, so he bails and tries to set up some elbow strikes. The two men scramble as Taha desperately tries to get back to his feet, and he gets back to full guard but takes several hard elbows and punches in the process. Silva stands up again to return with more strikes, and instead of getting back to his feet, Taha throws a few more upkicks, allowing Silva to come back down on him. Taha spins out and gets to his knees, so Silva counters with a brief guillotine choke setup before blasting a knee to his opponent's chest as the round expires.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Silva
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Silva
Cole Shelton scores the round: 10-9 Silva

Round 3
Touching gloves one last time, Silva opens up the round with a spinning kick, but Taha closes the distance so it cannot land. Like the second round, Silva shoots in for a takedown, and gets his man down, but this time Taha does not stay grounded for long. Taha stands up, but embodying his nickname of "Bulldog," Silva stays tenacious in the clinch before dropping down for a single leg takedown. In the process, Taha scores a knee on the chin of the Brazilian, before going on to stuff the attempt. Silva tries for a trip before spinning out, and Taha comes on strong with several wide hooks. As Silva shoots in for another takedown in the center of the cage, Taha blasts him with a slew of loud elbows to the side of the head. Silva spins around, but Taha takes advantage and tries to cinch up a rear-naked choke. Silva falls to his back, and "The Warrior" quickly turns and jumps from mount to side control.
From that position, his sights are fully set on an arm-triangle choke, and as he pushes down Silva has no choice but to tap out or get put to sleep.
This is a big win for Taha, who usually prefers to finish his opponents with strikes.

The Official Result
Khalid Taha def. Bruno Silva R3 3:00 via Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke)
WIN vs Boston Salmon
TKO (punches) R1 0:25 · UFC 236: Holloway vs. Poirier 2 · Apr 13, 2019
Totals
FighterKDSig. Str.Sig. Str. % Total Str.TDTD % Sub. AttRev.Ctrl
Khalid Taha 0 0 of 0 --- 0 of 0 0 of 0 --- 0 0 0:00
Boston Salmon 1 5 of 5 100% 5 of 5 0 of 0 --- 0 0 0:02
Per Round
RdFighterKDSig. Str.Sig. Str. % Total Str.TDTD % Sub. AttRev.Ctrl
1 Khalid Taha 0 0 of 0 --- 0 of 0 0 of 0 --- 0 0 0:00
Boston Salmon 1 5 of 5 100% 5 of 5 0 of 0 --- 0 0 0:02
Significant Strikes
FighterSig. Str.Sig. Str. % HeadBodyLeg DistanceClinchGround
Khalid Taha 0 of 0 --- 0 of 0 0 of 0 0 of 0 0 of 0 0 of 0 0 of 0
Boston Salmon 5 of 5 100% 5 of 5 0 of 0 0 of 0 2 of 2 0 of 0 3 of 3
Significant Strikes Per Round
RdFighterSig. Str.Sig. Str. % HeadBodyLeg DistanceClinchGround
1 Khalid Taha 0 of 0 --- 0 of 0 0 of 0 0 of 0 0 of 0 0 of 0 0 of 0
Boston Salmon 5 of 5 100% 5 of 5 0 of 0 0 of 0 2 of 2 0 of 0 3 of 3
LOSS vs Nad Narimani
Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) R3 5:00 · UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Smith · Jul 22, 2018
Totals
FighterKDSig. Str.Sig. Str. % Total Str.TDTD % Sub. AttRev.Ctrl
Nad Narimani 0 32 of 57 56% 59 of 91 0 of 0 --- 0 2 0:35
Khalid Taha 0 45 of 69 65% 67 of 97 6 of 11 54% 0 0 10:07
Per Round
RdFighterKDSig. Str.Sig. Str. % Total Str.TDTD % Sub. AttRev.Ctrl
1 Nad Narimani 0 11 of 17 64% 18 of 24 0 of 0 --- 0 0 0:12
Khalid Taha 0 12 of 26 46% 16 of 33 2 of 4 50% 0 0 3:04
2 Nad Narimani 0 15 of 26 57% 23 of 35 0 of 0 --- 0 0 0:00
Khalid Taha 0 26 of 34 76% 37 of 48 1 of 4 25% 0 0 3:22
3 Nad Narimani 0 6 of 14 42% 18 of 32 0 of 0 --- 0 2 0:23
Khalid Taha 0 7 of 9 77% 14 of 16 3 of 3 100% 0 0 3:41
Significant Strikes
FighterSig. Str.Sig. Str. % HeadBodyLeg DistanceClinchGround
Nad Narimani 32 of 57 56% 24 of 44 3 of 6 5 of 7 21 of 41 7 of 11 4 of 5
Khalid Taha 45 of 69 65% 37 of 56 5 of 10 3 of 3 14 of 32 5 of 7 26 of 30
Significant Strikes Per Round
RdFighterSig. Str.Sig. Str. % HeadBodyLeg DistanceClinchGround
1 Nad Narimani 11 of 17 64% 6 of 12 1 of 1 4 of 4 8 of 13 3 of 4 0 of 0
Khalid Taha 12 of 26 46% 7 of 17 3 of 7 2 of 2 5 of 17 0 of 1 7 of 8
2 Nad Narimani 15 of 26 57% 12 of 19 2 of 4 1 of 3 10 of 19 3 of 5 2 of 2
Khalid Taha 26 of 34 76% 24 of 31 1 of 2 1 of 1 7 of 12 5 of 6 14 of 16
3 Nad Narimani 6 of 14 42% 6 of 13 0 of 1 0 of 0 3 of 9 1 of 2 2 of 3
Khalid Taha 7 of 9 77% 6 of 8 1 of 1 0 of 0 2 of 3 0 of 0 5 of 6