Grigory Popov

Grigory Popov vs. Davey Grant

Round 1
Hot on the heels of the UFC's 500th event, we turn to Moscow for an early morning of fights. We begin this trek at the bantamweight division, where Russia's Popov (13-3, 0-1 UFC) searches for his first win inside the Octagon against Grant (10-4, 1-3 UFC). Our referee to kick off the card is Vyacheslav Kiselev. We touch gloves -- something we did not see very often at UFC 244 last week -- and we are now underway. Grant hops forward and throws a few low kicks, and Popov tries to return and whiffs. The Brit sneaks in a side kick, and then spins for a spinning back kick. Utilizing another couple stepping side kicks, one goes a little low so Kiselev pauses the action momentarily. We resume, and Grant changes his attack to swing heavily for one to the calves of the Russian. He lands another, and Popov takes it without issue. Grant scores one more of those side kicks to the torso, and he is very elusive dancing around the edge of the cage. As Grant comes in to kick again, Popov looks to counter, so suddenly Grant hits a takedown and gets his man down. As Popov scrambles, Grant stands up to drop down some heavy ground-and-pound, but Popov is able to get to his feet. The Brit very much wants this fight to take place on the canvas, so Popov lands a few sharp elbows but Grant drags him to the floor once more. From his back, Popov wings some power elbows, and as Grant tries to avoid damage, Popov spins out and briefly ends up on top. Grant breaks free and the two get back to their feet. Although Grant just barely misses with a spinning wheel kick, Popov gets out of the way in time as the two men trade body kicks to conclude the round.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Grant
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Grant
Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Grant

Round 2
A tap of gloves begins the second frame, where Popov is now on the outside circling away trying to find his kicking range. As Popov jabs from the outside, Grant leaps in with a knee, and partially connects as Popov bounces off the cage wall. A solid leg kick from Popov is check, and Popov adjusts his stance as they trade kicks again. Once more, Grant catches Popov in the cup, and Popov protests that Grant needs to be more careful. We pause, Grant is warned, and we resume rather quickly. Popov, who seems to be irritated by the low blows, chases Grant down with kicks. As Popov commits to a body kick, Grant times a perfect right hand counter right on the button, and Popov practically ignores it. As they jockey for position, Popov gets Grant down, but Grant swings around and snags hold of Popov's back. Unable to land any strikes of merit, he does manage to briefly put all of his weight on Popov to pull the Russian down, and is low on Popov's back. Popov takes advantage of the position and sets up a kimura. Although he cannot secure the submission, he reverses position and switches to an armbar. Grant tries to hook his leg to hold on and break up the attempt, and he pushes off the fence and turns over to end up on top, free of danger. Standing up to rain down a long punch, Popov rolls with the position and gets on top -- albeit briefly. The round ends with Popov on his back trying to score some elbows.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Grant
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Grant
Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Grant

Round 3
The two men embrace to start the last round, and after kicking at one another, it is now Popov that catches Grant in the cup. The kick is much more emphatic than the previous two by Grant, and Grant is in pain but shakes it off faster than he probably should. Popov is apologetic, and we start up again. Risking another low blow, Popov rips a high inside leg kick that bothers Grant. As the Brit shoots in for a takedown, the Tiger Muay Thai standout catches him with a knee on the way in. Grant presses forward, possibly dazed, and still manages to hit the attempt. Popov rolls out of it and pulls for a leg lock, and Grant grabs the cage multiple times to try to get out of position and his hand gets slapped away. Grant survives, and we are back on the feet for about three seconds before Grant dives in for a low double leg takedown. This time, Popov grabs the fence to try to get up, but Grant pulls the legs out as he eats elbows for his efforts. Popping back up, Popov stings Grant with a big right hook, and then a short left elbow. Grant has notably slowed, and Popov is trying to chase him down but the Brit gets out of the way of any significant offense. As Grant tries for a side kick like he landed well in the opening round, it has little power on it so Popov shrugs it off and presses forward. With mere seconds left, Popov flies at him with a kick, but the fight is now over.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Popov (29-28 Grant)
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Popov (29-28 Grant)
Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Popov (29-28 Grant)

The Official Result
Davey Grant def. Grigory Popov via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)