A controversial moment took place during the UFC Baku prelims, bringing back memories from one of Jon Jones’ 2019 title fights.
The UFC debuted in Azerbaijan with an intriguing Fight Night card on Saturday, June 21.
Among those tasked with showing a new audience violent and entertaining action are the likes of Curtis Blaydes, Oban Elliott, and home favorites Rafael Fiziev and Nazim Sadykhov.
Also setting the stage for Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr.’s main event was JunYong Park, a veteran middleweight who has had his fair share of impressive victories inside the Octagon.
And his latest triumph might just have been the best of the lot.
Ismail Naurdiev deducted two points after thinking he had beaten JunYong Park with illegal knee
Park made the walk during the UFC Baku prelims, seeking his second straight victory inside the Octagon. ‘The Iron Turtle’ secured just that, but it wasn’t without some brutal adversity.
During round two, Ismail Naurdiev threw an illegal knee at Park, who was down against the fence. The shot cannoned into the face of the South Korean, who fell back as referee Lukasz Bosacki stepped in.
The Chechen fighter mistakenly confused the timeout with a TKO stoppage. He turned around with his hands aloft and vaulted the cage in celebration — only to realize he had not won.
Naurdiev escaped a disqualification after doctors deemed Park able to continue despite intense swelling to his left eye. But the 28-year-old did not escape unpunished.
He was slapped with a rare two-point deduction, which hasn’t been seen in the UFC since Marc Goddard handed Roman Bogatov the same consequence at UFC 251 in 2020.
The previous year also saw Jon Jones punished the same way. Jones illegally kneed Anthony Smith at UFC 235, resulting in the loss of two points. That ultimately made little difference, as ‘Bones’ cruised to a decision win to defend his light heavyweight title.
JunYong Park rallies to beat Ismail Naurdiev despite brutal eye injury
The illegal move and its gruesome result were not enough to stop the charging ‘Iron Turtle’.
Through likely limited vision and significant pain, Park dominated round three to secure a lopsided unanimous decision victory on the scorecards.
After Naurdiev survived a close choke attempt in the dying seconds, the Chechen listened on as Bruce Buffer read out 29-26, 29-26, and 29-25 verdicts in his opponent’s favor.
The result marked Naurdiev’s first defeat in the UFC following his successful debut against Bruno Silva at UFC 308 last October.
Park, meanwhile, is riding a two-fight winning streak and has emerged victorious from six of his last seven fights. His strong performance in Baku could net him a more prominent opponent next time out.