Tofiq Musayev

Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Tofiq Musayev
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Bahamondes (-300); Musayev (+250)

Round 1
Stepping up on late notice, Bahamondes (17-6, 6-3 UFC) will be replacing Sameul Sanches and becomes the significant favorite against 2019 Rizin tourney winner Musayev (22-6, 0-1 UFC). Both lightweights prefer the knockout of all finishing methods, so referee Bobby Wombacher will be on guard for as long as this one lasts. Gloves are touched before they are traded.
The longer Bahamondes keeps to the center of the cage, watching a low kick go past him so he can offer back a body kick. When Bahamondes kicks low, Musayev responds with a hard punch. Bahamondes rattles off a long one-two that shakes up the Azerbaijani, who slams his shin into the ribs. Bahamondes lands his own body kick, and Musayev catches it and tries to slug him in the chops but is out of range. The two feint and fake at one another, taking turns to engage, but it is Bahamondes who breaks up a pattern of inactivity with a body kick. Bahamondes just misses with a head kick, with Musayev seeing it coming and swaying back just enough. Musayev lets fly a right hand that blows the hair back but does not connect, and he absorbs a side kick to the stomach. Bahamondes chips at the front leg and goes high with the second effort, with Musayev wise to the strikes aimed upstairs.
Musayev swings wildly and knocks out the air around him, and Bahamondes wades forward and absorbs a right hand. Musayev pushes forward to tie him up and go for a trip or body lock takedown, and the lanky Chilean keeps himself on his feet. Musayev dings him with an elbow, and Bahamondes breaks free with a knee to the stomach. Bahamondes uses a knee shield to block a body kick, and he slams his shin into the midsection. Musayev swings for the fences but is mere inches away from his intended target. Bahamondes chains two kicks into a spin kick, and Musayev springs away from the worst and hammers the front calf with a kick. Musayev tries to brawl it out, and this opens him up to get caught on the way out. Bahamondes scores cleanly with a pair of punches, and he staves off a caught kick to a trip and also dodges two big punches aimed at his scalp. Musayev sells out for a takedown, and when Bahamondes defends with a guillotine, he falls to his back. Musayev establishes top position, and the horn sounds.

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

Round 2
Bahamondes immediately presses the action, and he rushes Musayev and jacks him in the jaw with a fierce right hand. Bahamondes beats down on Musayev, and he grabs Musayev and lifts him up to slam him down, only for Musayev to illegally grab and hold onto the fence with both hands to stop the slam effort. Bahamondes lights Musayev up a little more, and he jumps guard with a guillotine choke when Musayev tries for a desperation takedown. Musayev pops out of the choke and slashes the Chilean with a vicious elbow that slashes Bahamondes wide open. Bahamondes snatches up an armbar off his back, and Musayev leans back to pull himself out of it as a veritable pool of blood forms below Bahamondes’ head. Musayev rains down hammerfists on a bloodied Bahamondes, who sways and moves to defend some of the strikes but cannot avoid all of them. The blood from Bahamondes allows Musayev to slide out from a second armbar effort.
Bahamondes sets up a triangle choke when the armbar is not there, and he nearly rolls himself over but is put on his back again. Musayev drops himself down and clearly headbutts his opponent in the face, causing more blood to flow. Rules don’t matter if they aren’t enforced, and Wombacher is failing Bahamondes in a major way. Bahamondes attacks with elbows from his back, and Musayev blasts him in the face with a nasty right hand that shakes Bahamondes up again. Musayev keeps attacking with ground-and-pound, and Bahamondes defends by trying for a leglock. Bahamondes lets it go and turns from side to side, and he tries to lock the Azerbaijani down and survive the round. The damage is so severe, blood drips down from Bahamondes head, but he doesn’t mind. Bahamondes makes to the bell, and he stands back up to get to his corner and treated by the cutperson.

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

Round 3
The cut is in a nasty position, but Bahamondes is cleared and the match continues. Bahamondes still has pep in his step despite the damage of the previous round, and he blocks a spinning back fist opener from his opponent. Bahamondes dings Musayev with a heavy one-two, who takes a funny step back. Bahamondes tosses out a kick to the body, and he spins with a back elbow that catches Musayev on the temple. Musayev tanks it and swarms Bahamondes but cannot trap him against the cage. Bahamondes gets caught on the chin with three punches, and Musayev sells out for a takedown by scooping up Bahamondes’ right leg and dumping him to the mat. Bahamondes sits up but Musayev lords over him, battering him with methodical ground-and-pound. Bahamondes throws his legs up for a triangle or an armbar, and he even flirts with a leglock to wrap up Musayev. The former Rizin fighter takes an elbow or two while smothering his opponent.
Musayev postures up to rain down strikes every so often, and if Stirling-Lopes was an 80s slasher picture, then this is a 70s grindhouse exploitation film with buckets of blood. Bahamondes slips around to take the back of Musayev, and he wraps a hook around the back and starts fishing for a rear-naked choke. Musayev fights the hands and defends against the choke by leaning over, and Bahamondes slides out the back. Musayev lets him fall over him so he can unleash a final barrage of ground strikes, and the blood-drenched battle comes to a close when time elapses.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Musayev (29-28 Musayev)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Musayev (29-28 Musayev)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Musayev (29-28 Musayev)

The Official Result
Tofiq Musayev def. Ignacio Bahamondes via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-27, 30-27)

Tofiq Musayev vs. Myktybek Orolbai
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Orolbai (-170), Musayev (+132)

Round 1
These two fighters were originally scheduled at lightweight but ended up needing an extra 10 pounds—and it was Orolbai (13-2-1, 2-1 UFC) who was going to end up nearly a whole weight class heavy. To preserve the match and keep the purses intact publicly, Musayev (22-5, 0-0 UFC) and his foe agreed to the catchweight at 165 pounds. With a combined 31 finishes in their 35 pro wins, referee Rich Mitchell is buckled up in the event this one goes to the stratosphere. There is a shared glove touch before the frenetic melee commences, but good luck matching the last fight. Both fighters bounce towards and away from one another, with Orolbai shooting in for a takedown 15 seconds in. Orolbai lifts his foe up in the air, but Musayev is able to keep his balance somehow and catch Orolbai with a short uppercut on the way down. Orolbai catches a kick, loops a right hand over the top and tackles Musayev to the floor. Orolbai wrests his shoulder down for a possible arm-triangle choke, possibly serving as a Von Preux given that Musayev holds him with a one-armed guillotine that is going nowhere. Orolbai yanks his neck out, and Musayev uses butterfly hooks to try and fail to get his off of him. Orolbai settles down in the guard, trying to wriggle his arms free so he can unload some offense. The building echoes with Musayev’s name, and Musayev uses the energy to kick Orolbai off of him for a second. Orolbai lowers himself back down and takes Musayev’s back. Orolbai gets a hook in and starts fishing for a choke, and Musayev uses pure muscle to stand. Orolbai, on the other hand, shows off technique by dumping Musayev back down to the mat. Musayev hangs on with a guillotine on the side, cranking it with a single arm but not threatening in any way. Musayev’s butterfly hooks fail to work this time, but he deftly scrambles to turn himself around and burst back to his feet. Musayev grabs his opponent’s gloves, and Mitchell actually pauses the fight and separates them even though it was Musayev who was doing the grabbing, and Orolbai protests. The match resumes, and Orolbai blocks a kick and charges to take Musayev down. Orolbai takes advantage of the situation as he steps to the side and grabs hold of Musayev’s left arm.
The Kyrgyzstani fighter knows exactly what he is searching for, gripping a two-on-one wrist lock to isolate the kimura. Orolbai steps his leg over Musayev’s head and cranks the limb with every bit of energy he has. Musayev’s face contorts into pain as the submission is wrecking his arm, with onlookers imagining his ligaments and tendons straining and snapping like overtuned guitar strings. Before his shoulder is totally and completely destroyed, an agonized Musayev surrenders.
The crowd is silenced immediately, with their home country fighter getting finished in the first round in his UFC debut on home soil. There is a bit of an unwritten blemish on the victory, as it might have been a different turn of events if Orolbai could reach the lightweight cap.

The Official Result
Myktybek Orolbai def. Tofiq Musayev R1 4:35 via Submission (Kimura)