K. Chimaev (left) and G. Durinho (right) fought a great battle in UFC 273. Photo: Playback/Instagram
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It’s human. In one of the most anticipated fights of the UFC 273held this Saturday (9), in Jacksonville (USA), Gilbert Durinho managed to expose weaknesses of Khamzat Chimaev, but failed to live up to the organization’s promise. Featured on the main card, the Brazilian delivered a real battle against the Swede, however, after three rounds of frank confrontation, he ended up defeated in the unanimous decision of the judges.
With the result, Durinho momentarily walks away from a new opportunity to dispute the welterweight belt (up to 77kg.). The stumble could make the Brazilian lose the second position in the ranking to this weekend’s opponent.
Considered the big bet for the future of the UFC, Chimaev didn’t have an easy life, but he managed to go through the biggest challenge of his career, until then. In front of the Niteroiense, Khamzat came to swing with attacks from the tupiniquim, but he knew how to manage the bad moment and find himself in the fight again.
In an interview after the official announcement, the Swede was satisfied with the fight. For the first time in 10 performances, ‘Dana White’s pupil’ failed to win the fast lane. Now, the fighter has 11 wins in a row and doesn’t know what it’s like to lose in professional MMA.
The fight
The confrontation began with Chimaev taking the initiative with a kick followed by a cross. The Swede then flew on the Brazilian’s legs and began to press the Niteroiense against the bars. Gilbert tried to extricate himself, but Khamzat remained focused on strategy. Khamzat managed to take down and Durinho protected himself. With no actions, the fight was once again fought on the feet. After two minutes, Gilbert threw his rival off balance with a low kick. The Swede responded with a hook, which shook the Brazilian. In the middle of the round, the tupiniquim shook the opponent with a right. The Niteroiense started to loosen up and forced the opponent to walk backwards. The duel continued tense, with the fighters waiting for the best moment to strike. In the final minute, Chimaev landed a clean right in the face of Gilbert, who went down. The Swede tried to take advantage of the good moment and Durinho protected himself as best he could. The confrontation was once again disputed standing, after the promise did not accept to enter the tupiniquim guard. In the final seconds, Durinho hit the Swede straight in the face, but there was no more time.
In the second round, Chimaev took the initiative with a sequence of two kicks. In response, Durinho looked for a takedown, but the Swede defended well. The fight continued ‘back and forth’, with the athletes in frank striking. With almost two minutes passed, Chimaev began to attack the Niteroiense with a combination of jabs and straights. Halfway through the round, Durinho knocked the Swede off balance with a straight. The Brazilian tried to take advantage of the good moment, but Chimaev showed danger in the counterattacks. As time went by, Khamzat showed signs that he felt the Brazilian’s attacks. Toward the final minute, Gilbert tried another takedown, but the opponent defended himself again. In the final minute, Chimaev fitted a combination of straights into the Brazilian’s face, but the tupiniquim absorbed the attacks well. In the final seconds, Khamzat returned to swing with an attack from the Brazilian, but there was no more time.
The last round started with Durinho throwing a straight, which stopped in the Swede’s guard. Khamzat attacked from long distance, but the Brazilian took cover. A little over a minute later, Durinho went to his rival’s legs and tried to take the opponent to the ground. Two minutes into the round, Chimaev found a good sequence of punches and the Brazilian felt it. Without defense, the tupiniquim accumulated damage. The Swede walked forward and attacked from long distance, making the most of his reach. As the minutes passed, the tupiniquim found it difficult to get into the opponent’s range of action. The Brazilian managed to fit a straight into the opponent. In the final minute, the tupiniquim grew up in the clash and threw crossed, which touched the rival’s face. Near the end of the fight, the athletes started to strike freely, but the timer ran out.
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Statistics of ‘Durinho vs Chimaev’
UFC 273 results
CARD PRINCIPAL
Featherweight (up to 65.7kg.): Alexander Volkanovski defeated Korean zombie by TKO at 45 of R4 – Fight for the belt
Rooster weight (up to 61.2 kg.): Aljamain Sterling defeated Petr Yan in the split decision of the judges (48-47, 47-48, 48-47) – Fight for the belt
Welterweight (up to 77kg.): Khamzat Chimaev defeated Gilbert Durinho in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Straw weight (up to 52.1 kg.): Mackenzie Dern defeated Tecia Torres in the judges’ split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Light weight (up to 70.3kg.): Mark Madsen defeated Vinc Pichel in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
CARD PRELIMINAR
Welterweight (up to 77kg.): Ian Garry defeated Darian Weeks in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Average weight (up to 83.9kg): Anthony Hernandez defeated Josh Fremd in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Rooster weight (up to 61.2 kg.): Raquel Pennington defeated Aspen Ladd in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Welterweight (up to 77kg.): Mike Malott defeated Mickey Gall by TKO (punches) at 3:41 of R1
Heavy weight (up to 120.2kg.): Alexey Oleynik defeated Jared Vanderaa by submission (strangulation) at 3:39 of R1
Straw weight (up to 52.1 kg.): Piera Rodriguez defeated Kay Hansen in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Rooster weight (up to 61.2 kg.): July Maple defeated Daniel Willycat in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
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