Abubakar Vagaev Outlasts Jacob Malkoun in Gritty Three-Round Battle
Abubakar Vagaev apparently didn’t get the memo that Jacob Malkoun was going to spend Saturday night at UFC 333 punching him in the face with a jab.
Malkoun spent three rounds pumping that left hand like his life depended on it, but Vagaev had other plans. The Russian mixed heavy right hands with takedowns, forcing Malkoun to constantly fight his way back to his feet. It wasn’t always pretty, and those takedowns weren’t exactly producing fireworks, but Vagaev did enough to walk away with the victory.
Malkoun made him earn every second of it, but when the dust settled, Vagaev was the one getting his hand raised.
Round 1 – The two opened things up trading jabs, looking to establish their range and get a feel for each other. Malkoun doubled up on his jab before firing a right hand and faking a takedown. Unfortunately for Malkoun, all that did was open the door for Vagaev to crack him with a right hand.
Malkoun continued using his jab to control the distance while Vagaev went to work attacking the legs. He kept doubling up on his jab, but Vagaev answered with a jab of his own followed by a leg kick. Malkoun faked another takedown before sneaking a right hand through.
Malkoun’s jab was working overtime, and Vagaev was definitely starting to feel the effects. Malkoun eventually shot for a single leg and drove Vagaev against the fence. Vagaev wasn’t having any of that, reversing the position and putting Malkoun flat on his back.
With Vagaev now on top, it was time to get to work.
Vagaev looked to posture up and immediately started unloading punches to the body and head. He continued making life miserable for Malkoun while looking for opportunities to mix in some elbows.
Malkoun tried tying him up and finding an opening to scramble back to his feet. Unfortunately, Vagaev wasn’t interested in letting him go anywhere. Malkoun remained stuck on the canvas until the referee finally stepped in and stood them back up.
Back on the feet, Malkoun went right back to that damn jab while Vagaev looked to land elbows. Malkoun’s jab was giving Vagaev all kinds of problems, repeatedly finding its way through his defense.
Vagaev started looking to time a left hook as Malkoun continued circling to his right. Malkoun used that movement to line up his jab while staying away from Vagaev’s power shots.
Vagaev eventually managed to drive Malkoun against the fence, unloading some heavy shots as the round came to an end.
Malkoun walked back to his corner pointing at his shoulder, possibly signaling that something wasn’t right.
Whether he suffered an injury remained unclear, but it certainly wasn’t a great sign heading into the second round.
Round 2 – Vagaev came out firing heavy shots at Malkoun, who briefly looked for a takedown before returning to his trusty jab. Malkoun started finding success with his punches, landing clean shots and putting together some solid offense. That was until Vagaev cracked him with a nasty right hand that brought his attack to a screeching halt.
Malkoun shot for a single-leg takedown, but Vagaev wasn’t having it. Malkoun went right back to pumping his jab, repeatedly finding a home for it on Vagaev’s face. Vagaev, meanwhile, wasn’t interested in winning a jab contest. He was throwing bombs, looking to hurt Malkoun and put an end to his night.
Malkoun eventually got a little too close, allowing Vagaev to circle around and take his back. Vagaev drove him against the fence before landing some shots as they separated.
Malkoun’s jab continued doing its job, but Vagaev was starting to make him pay with some serious power shots. Malkoun stepped forward with a combination, but Vagaev changed levels and put him on the canvas.
As Malkoun worked his way back up, Vagaev nearly fired an illegal knee. Fortunately, he managed to pull the strike back before it landed.
Malkoun went right back to pressing forward, refusing to let Vagaev dictate the pace. He appeared to hurt Vagaev with a shot against the fence, briefly putting the pressure back on his opponent.
Still, Vagaev’s right hand continued finding its target, giving Malkoun plenty to think about every time he stepped forward.
Malkoun kept relying on that jab, but Vagaev was making it painfully clear that he only needed one clean shot.
Round 3 – Malkoun went right back to pressing forward, pumping that trusty jab and making Vagaev work for every inch of space. Vagaev shot for a single-leg takedown, but Malkoun wasn’t having it. Malkoun answered with a takedown attempt of his own, only for Vagaev to stuff it.
Vagaev eventually managed to put Malkoun on the canvas, but keeping him there was a whole different problem. Malkoun scrambled back to his feet, broke free, and went right back to putting pressure on his opponent.
Getting back up certainly wasn’t free, though, as Malkoun was burning plenty of energy fighting off those takedowns.
Vagaev stepped forward with a one-two combination, but Malkoun stopped him dead in his tracks with a nasty jab.
Vagaev scored another takedown, and Malkoun once again worked his way back to his feet.
At this point, those takedowns were starting to look pretty damn useless.
Vagaev was getting Malkoun down, but he wasn’t doing much of anything once they hit the canvas. With little damage or control coming from those takedowns, it was fair to question how much credit the judges would give him.
Vagaev started slowing down considerably, but apparently nobody told him he could stop shooting for takedowns.
He went after another single leg, but Malkoun stuffed it without much trouble.
Vagaev kept hunting for takedowns, but Malkoun was making it clear that getting him down and keeping him down were two very different things.
Official Result: Abubakar Vagaev def. Jacob Malkoun via Unanimous Decision (29-28×3)
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