Mairbek Taisumov (16-3-0) looked strong beginning to end against Josh Thorpe (11-7-0) in their Lightweight encounter. Surprisingly Taisumov looked just as strong in the clinch as Thorpe, easily fending off double underhooks and attempting drop throws himself as counters. Neither man can keep each other down for long as both looked to bounce back up to their feet as soon as their backs hit the mat.
Thorpe looked to mostly be using his Boxing looking for openings where Taisumov was mixing it up with kicks as well. At one point during a clinch attempt in the first round Taisumov is able to get to Thorpe’s back, trip him to the ground and work to get his hooks in. Unable to flatten Thorpe out, Taisumov tries to look for a choke but Thorpe defends and survives the round.
The second round starts similarly to the first but Thorpe looks tired, and Taisumov is able to catch Thorpe with a right hand and begin a fight ending flurry.