UFC 223 results: Zabit Magomedsharipov tops Kyle Bochniak in fun-as-hell slugfest

Despite being the biggest underdog on the card, Kyle Bochniak was more than a game opponent for Zabit Magomedsharipov.

But Magomedsharipov (15-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) had just a little bit more firepower and got his hand raised against the gritty Bochniak (8-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC), who probably is just a little bit crazy in a good way. Magomedsharipov won with a pair of 30-27 scores and a 29-28 in a fight that was supposed to be on UFC Fight Pass before getting elevated to the main card.

The featherweight bout was part of the main card of today’s UFC 223 event at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1.

Bochniak closed the distance right away against Magomedsharipov and started trying to slug it out. The taller Magomedsharipov kept him at bay and kicked to the body, then threw a side kick. Bochniak kept trying to land something big, but Magomedsharipov stayed composed and looked unfazed by Bochniak’s urgency. Magomedsharipov just missed a spinning kick midway through the round, but not long after he landed a switch kick, then a high kick to the head. Still, Bochniak stayed in the pocket and swung for the fences.

Bochniak came out firing to open the second round, as well. But Magomedsharipov threw a new wrinkle and tied Bochniak up with a back-take. He took Bochniak down a miniute in, then slammed him back again and went to work on top from Bochniak’s guard. Bochniak got back to his feet, and when Magomedsharipov slugged with him, Bochniak put his hands down and stuck out his tongue.

With about 90 seconds left, Magomedsharipov almost effortlessly whipped Bochniak down to the canvas. But Bochniak survived there and got back to his feet with a minute left. Magomedsharipov landed a wicked knee late in the round, and a spinning kick to the body at the bell. Bochniak’s face was a bloody mess heading to the third.

Bochniak was hooting and hollering in the third with blood flowing all over his face. A spinning kick landed for Magomedsharipov, but Bochniak walked right through it somehow. And Magomedsharipov after that took Bochniak to the canvas – which resulted in more than a few boos from the crowd. When Bochniak got back up, Magomedsharipov took him down for a sixth time.

With two minutes left, Bochniak shrugged Magomedsharipov off and stayed in the fight till the end. He put together a flurry of upnches late and stuck his tongue out and slugged it out with Magomedsharipov for the final 30 seconds. The outpouring of offense brought the fans to their feet, and almost certainly brought the fighters an extra $50,000 for “Fight of the Night.”

Magomedsharipov ran his winning streak to 11 straight, including now his first three in the UFC. Bochniak is back in the loss column and has alternated wins and losses in all five of his UFC fights.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 223 results include:

• Zabit Magomedsharipov def. Kyle Bochniak via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Chris Gruetzemacher def. Joe Lauzon via TKO (corner stoppage) – Round 2, 5:00
• Karolina Kowalkiewicz def. Felice Herrig via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Evan Dunham via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 0:53
• Ashlee Evans-Smith def. Bec Rawlings via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Devin Clark def. Michael Rodriguez via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

For complete coverage of UFC 223, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan, Mike Bohn and Ken Hathaway contributed to this report on site in Brooklyn.)