Azerbaijani fighter advances to UFC tournament final after spectacular victory

Azerbaijani MMA (mixed martial arts) fighter Magomedali Osmanly has advanced to the semifinal in one of the most well-known UFC projects - The Ultimate Fighter 34.

As reported by BAKU.WS with reference to Oxu.Az, Osmanly, competing in the flyweight division, faced American representative Christian Strong in the semifinal stage.

In the decisive bout, the Azerbaijani athlete secured an early victory in the second round. After a takedown by Strong, Osmanly found himself on the bottom, but managed to catch his opponent in a rare buggy choke submission. Head coach Michael Bisping was even advising his fighter at that moment to release the hold and try to get up, but Osmanly continued with the submission and ultimately forced his opponent to tap out.

The unusual finish caught the attention of UFC President Dana White. He noted that, as far as he knows, a buggy choke had never been successfully executed in the UFC before. Moreover, Osmanly managed to pull off this technique in the most important fight of his career to date.

The technique is considered one of the most exotic and difficult in the MMA arsenal: it is executed from the bottom position, where the fighter wraps his legs around the opponent's neck, creating powerful pressure. In professional MMA, successful applications of the buggy choke can literally be counted on one hand, making Osmanly's victory even more impressive.

Thus, 22-year-old Magomedali has advanced to the tournament final and will continue his fight for a UFC contract. His opponent in the final will be Kyrgyzstan's representative Ilimbek Akylbek uulu. The final bout will take place on September 26 in Las Vegas.

It should be noted that in the quarterfinal, Magomedali Osmanly defeated experienced Kazakhstan representative Artem Belakh by submission, which allowed him to advance to the next stage.

We present to your attention the bout that brought Osmanly to the final: