Baisangur Susurkaev vs. Djorden Santos
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Susurkaev (-625), Santos (+455)

Round 1
Multiple bouts tonight feature nearly prohibitive betting lines, and this is one of them. Undefeated Chechen finisher Susurkaev (11-0, 2-0 UFC) has most of the bettors on his side as he pushes a line around -800, but he will not be the most highly favored athlete from that perspective tonight. Odds don’t fight, and Santos (11-2, 1-1 UFC) will instead as he tries to stage quite an upset. The middleweights will receive oversight from referee Gasper Oliver, and they acknowledge him and one another with a fist bump.
It is a cautious hand-fighting strategy from the two that starts things off, with Susurkaev eventually offering out a front kick to the midsection about 20 seconds in. Susurkaev sinks a low kick on his intended target before dodging a few kicks, and he just misses a head kick and celebrates his own handiwork. Santos moves in, so Susurkaev greets him with a one-two and a body kick. Santos catches it and dodges a spinning elbow, pawing out a right hand to force Susurkaev to wipe his nose. Santos swats out with a jab and a shovel uppercut, chopping at the front leg as well when Susurkaev shrugs at him. Susurkaev lines up two right hands over the top, and the Brazilian wears them well and checks a low kick to hurl a right hand up top. Susurkaev keeps chewing up the front leg, which is lumped up and beaten already.
Susurkaev switches stances to lull Santos in, and he comes up hitting nothing when he spins with a back kick. He settles down and hammers the front leg with a slapping kick, lunging after it with a right hand. Santos pays him back with a one-two, and he gets popped when standing around too long with a long, straight right hand. Susurkaev ducks a punch to shoot in on the hips, but Santos shuts him down and forces him to stand again. The middleweights trade blows one after the other, seeing the reaction from one before swinging back. As Santos lands a solid right hand, Susurkaev slips and looks at his footing. Santos jabs and power punches have marked up Susurkaev’s face, with a shiner developing around the right eye and a shallow cut on the bridge of his nose. Santos flicks out his jab, dodges a high kick and motions at it. Susurkaev spins with something else upstairs, and Santos evades that as well and showboats a little more as the horn sounds.

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

Round 2
Fists are bumped, and Santos immediately follows it with his jab. Santos found its home regularly towards the end of the first round, and he is repeating the success and giving Susurkaev fits. Susurkaev loads up with heavy power to get Santos to slow down, but it is instead drawing a firefight out of the Brazilian. Susurkaev slips a left hand around the guard, and Santos doubles up his jab and puts a one-two after it. Susurkaev wades face-first into an uppercut, and he sweeps the leg with a hard kick. Santos remains on his feet and drills Susurkaev with an overhand right. Susurkaev reels and fires one back. Santos partially checks a leg kick and has hands to deal with shortly thereafter. Santos gets in the pocket to trade, eating a right hand behind the hear and pushing off with an uppercut. Santos strings several punches together, catching his opponent at least once more twice in the midst of his lengthy combos. Susurkaev punches and kicks him back, varying his offense well to drive Santos back.
Susurkaev confidently presses forward, landing punches in bunches. Santos is still very much in this one, throwing almost as often as Susurkaev swings at him. Santos goes to the well a few times with spins, never thumping Susurkaev with one but coming close. He manages to grab hold of the Russian and bully him to the wall, and when fans start booing, Susurkaev encourages them to get louder. Santos decides against a level change and backs off, putting his jab right back in Susurkaev’s face. Santos sways back to absorb a right hand up top, and his blows bounce Susurkaev off the wall. Susurkaev scores to get Santos’ attention, and Santos dings him with an elbow. Susurkaev has a low kick checked and sets up an elbow to stagger Santos. Susurkaev splits a cut open on the top of Santos’ forehead, with blood leaking down his face right into his eye. The horn sounds with hands and feet flying every which way.

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

Round 3
Santos strides out of his corner loaded for bear, and he puts hands on Susurkaev almost immediately. Susurkaev spins twice, landing both times with them, and he rips an elbow as Santos meanders towards him. Susurkaev takes a left hand he goes not like, so he has to take a moment to blink it out and chop down with a low kick. Santos takes a right hand on the chin without batting an eye, and Susurkaev follows it with two more, a low kick and a level change. Santos leans himself on the fencing to stay afloat, with Susurkaev grabbing him from behind. Santos posts off the floor to adjust his position, and he breaks out of the clinch only to take a flush uppercut on the chin. Susurkaev is too close to score a head kick, and he takes a flush right hand and shrugs at Santos like a Diaz brother. Santos throws valiantly, and Susurkaev starts talking to him, telling him to bring it on. When Santos is about to engage, Susurkaev shoots for a takedown.
Susurkaev pushes Santos to the wall, with Santos clinging to a high standing guillotine. Susurkaev works the body with his free right hand while appearing overall unconcerned about the choke effort. Santos leans back, but he still does not have the leverage he is seeking to make it tight. Santos knees the body once or twice before Susurkaev redoubles his effort in to get hold of a single. He lifts Santos in the air and slams him down to his other leg, where he begins to smack Santos in the back of the head while Santos is scrambling. Santos works his way to the fencing, but he leaves his neck exposed so he can work back up. Susurkaev snatches up this opportunity in a hurry, wrapping a rear-naked choke up and securing it under the chin. Santos turns over, looking for any way to take off the leverage, but this is not the best plan.
The choke around his throat is disablingly tight, as Santos’ resistance quickly fade as his arms go limp. Oliver sees this and needs to slap Susurkaev on the sides a few times to release the submission.
It may have taken the unbeaten fighter 14-plus minutes to get the stoppage, but he keeps his 0 and hands the Brazilian his first finish defeat.

The Official Result
Baisangur Susurkaev def. Djorden Santos R3 4:12 via Technical Submission (Rear-Naked Choke)

Eric McConico vs. Baisangur Susurkaev
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Susurkaev (-1000), McConico (+560)

Round 1
Blake Grice is the referee. McConico follows a combination into the clinch in an aggressive start. McConico lands some knees against the fence before Susurkaev reverses the position. The combatants trade short knees in close, but nothing too damaging. The crowd is growing restless early after about a minute and a half of clinching at the outset. Susurkaev has double underhooks, but McConico reverses and lands an elbow over the top. Grice asks for work as the middleweights finally seprate. The American lands an uppercut as they break. A right gets through for Susurkaev. McConico spins his man around with an inside low kick. McConico pushes Susurkaev to the fence behind a punch and an elbow. The boos return as the clinch battle continues, with McConico in control. Susurkaev turns his man around and drags McConico to the mat. The American stands and Susurkaev slams him down. McConico is back up agian, looking to separate the hand, but it’s a mat return. Susurkaev stays busy with knees to the thighs. Susurkaev tries a spinning elbow but a counter shot lands from McConico in return. Susurkaev lands a front kick to the body, and McConico answers with a pair of right hands before the horn.

Sherdog Scores
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 McConico
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 McConico
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 McConico

Round 2
Susurkaev eats a combination from McConico early. Susurkaev answers with an overhand right and a kick to the body. Susurkaev lands a knee down the middle. A hard body kick form Susurkaev lands and he follows with a leaping knee near the fence. Just when Susurkaev seems to be gaining momentum, McConico stops him in his tracks with a kick to the groin. The Russian crumbles to the canvas in pain as a result of the foul. Susurkaev only takes a minute and he’s ready to go. McConico with an inside leg kick, and Susurkaev responds with a high kick. McConico leaps in and Susurkaev lands a counter right. They clinch and Susurkaev with a hard knee to the body. They trade punches and knees in close, and McConico defends a throw nicely. Susurkaev shoves his foe into the fence and looks for a single leg. McConico maintains his balance as Susurkaev pulls him away form the fence. Susurkaev lets the leg go and pushes his man back into the wire. McConico connects with a short elbow with his back to the fence. Susurkaev sticks a couple right hands and a front kick to the body. They tie up and McConico pushes the Russian in to the cage. They separate and Susurkaev goes on the attack. However, a nasty elbow from McConico prompts a smile from Susurkaev. McConico is content to ride out the reset of the round in the clinch.

Sherdog Scores
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Susurkaev
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Susurkaev
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Susurkaev

Round 3
Susurkaev opens with a two-punch combo. A high kick partially lands for “Hunter.” Susurkaev probes with a front kick. Another right gets through for Susurkaev, who is in pursuit of his opponent. McConico lands a straight left. A punch lands low for Susurkaev and time is called. McConico takes less than a minute to recover from the shot. McConico has a head kick blocked. Susurkaev kicks the body and the Russian appears to be getting loose, as he holds his hands low and dodges a counter offering from McConico. Moments later,
Susurkaev catches McConico moving forward with a precision right hand. McConico is done right there, and he stumbles and collapses face first to the floor.
No follow-up shots are needed, as Susurkaev has his second UFC win in a three-month span.

The Official Result
Baisangur Susurkaev def. Eric McConico via KO (Punch) R3 1:38

Eric Nolan vs. Baysangur Susurkaev

Round 1
A lot can change in a week. Meet Susurkaev (9-0, 0-0 UFC), a 24-year-old Chechnya-born middleweight who trains out of Kill Cliff FC. On Tuesday, he blew through Murtaza Talha Ali in just over three minutes on the Contender Series to earn a contract, and now he’s fighting in the promotion proper. In his extremely short-notice debut, the Russian draws CFFC staple Nolan (8-3, 0-0 UFC), and he will serve as an astronomical betting favorite while doing so. Never tell Nolan the odds. The ref for this 185-pound preliminary headliner will be Jason Herzog, who sits back as the men that on Monday were not part of the UFC clap hands.
Susurkaev, who looks measurably larger than the traditional welterweight Nolan, gets right to chasing Nolan down with kicks. “USA” chants encourage Nolan to throw some punches, and when he pops Susurkaev in the chops, Susurkaev shrugs at him and motions him for more. Susurkaev showboats, waving his arms around awkwardly, and Nolan does not bite on any of it and aims an uppercut down the middle. Nolan catches him at the end of a left hand, and he parries a front kick and a high kick. Susurkaev jabs with the ball of his foot, and he takes a few punches and a knee on the nose that is turning red fast. Susurkaev smiles and wades forward to clinch up, kneeing Nolan all the while. Susurkaev tries for an all-muscle body lock takedown, and Nolan stops it and turns him around to place him on the fencing.
Susurkaev breaks off, and Nolan catches him with a big overhand right. Susurkaev snaps out a front kick, and he eats a right hand as Susurkaev’s body language changes from overconfidence to congratulating Nolan for landing hard on him. Susurkaev shoots in deep for a double, scooping up the CFFC athlete and depositing him to his seat. Nolan turns to his knees, and Susurkaev gladly takes his back but cannot keep it as Nolan stands. Susurkaev hits an early mat return, and then hurls Nolan to the floor when Nolan attempts to stand once more. Susurkaev leans heavily on his opponent, lifting him up for a high-amplitude slam that does not get anywhere as Nolan pops back up. When Susurkaev tries to do something else, Nolan breaks free and lets his hands go. Nolan connects with a series of punches and a spinning back fist, and Susurkaev is wearing it and gives back a front kick to the liver. Susurkaev knees his foe in the nose when clinched, and Nolan fights out of a takedown shot and is kicked in the head. Nolan lands bombs on his opponent, rocking Susurkaev badly and forcing him to wobble back to the cage. Nolan spins for a back fist rather than trying to finish the job normally, and the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Nolan
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Nolan
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Nolan

Round 2
The fighters clap hands to get down to it, and they both trade punches early. Susurkaev pushes out his front kick and takes a knee in response, and the two reset in kickboxing range. Susurkaev kicks low, hurting Nolan in the calf. Nolan reaches for his leg, and he loads up on power punches to the body. Susurkaev kicks it a second time, seemingly compromising the limb as Nolan grabs his knee. When Nolan falls to his back, he rolls for a leglock, and Susurkaev laughs all the way through and bowls Nolan over to assume top position. Susurkaev considers an arm-triangle choke, but uses it to step over and take Nolan’s back when Nolan turns over. Susurkaev briefly flattens his man out, and Nolan keeps turning to try to survive.
Herzog asks for him to do more, and Nolan posts off his arms and has no way to defend his neck at that moment. Susurkaev takes advantage of the lapse, looping his forearm beneath the chin and fastening the rear-naked choke. Nolan appears frustrated that he was caught in the submission, and before long, he surrenders lest he get put to sleep.
He may have had to overcome some adversity, but Susurkaev has officially earned two stoppage victories this week as he is now 10-0 as a pro. In his post-fight interview, Susurkaev jokes that he could fight again today, but suggests that he would like to be booked on the Noche UFC event on Sept. 13.

The Official Result
Baysangur Susurkaev def. Eric Nolan R2 2:01 via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke)