Ismail Naudiyev and Bruno Silva, UFC 308 ceremonial weigh-in Credit: Youtube/UFC
Middleweights Bruno Silva and Ismail Naudiyev met early in the morning at UFC 308 on Saturday, but thanks to the card’s location in Abu Dhabi, it was a really quick fight for Western fight fans.
Coffee and fistfights were on the menu, and the match was the second at the Etihad Arena. As for the fighters, both were in desperate need of a win. Silva had lost his last three in a row against Chris Weidman, while Naudiyev had lost two of his last three fights. But in Naudiyev’s case, that record was outside of the UFC, as he was returning from a stint with Brave CF.
The fight started with Silva starting to use his jab well. Naudiyev landed several back kicks to the body. Ismail was also able to quickly find the target for his calf kick. The attack seemed to have an immediate effect on Silva. A few minutes into the round, Ismail was able to catch Silva’s kick. Naudiyev used his raised leg to force Silva into the cage. Naudiyev goes for a little takedown before leaving. As the two fighters returned to space, Naudiyev continued to be the aggressor, aiming for low kicks, then again for takedowns. Silva once again had his back against the cage and defended the takedown.
This time, after Naudiyev left, he landed a well-timed boxing combination. A few seconds later, Naudiyev attacked again and went for a takedown, eventually cornering his opponent. Silva tried to get back up, but found himself under threat of a deep rear naked choke. Bruno was able to escape the attempt and the first round ended shortly after.
The second round begins where the first left off, with Silva landing a jab and Ismail launching his hands for a leg kick. Ismail changed the level of his boxing, moving in and out of range, keeping his eyes on Bruno over and over again. After about 90 seconds, Ismail was able to secure another takedown. As Bruno tried to get back to his feet, Naudiyev scored points with some effective ground and pound.
Once back on his feet, Naudiyev was able to defend Bruno’s surprisingly half-hearted takedown attempt with a pretty tough guillotine. Bruno was able to fend off the attempt, but the pace of the match nearly got him into a takedown shortly after. Silva had his back against the cage, but Ismail tried to control his legs to keep him from getting up. Naudiyev did the damage, but Bruno found a way to get back on his feet. The round ends with Silva blocking another takedown, but he looks very tired and depressed.
At the start of the final round, Naudiev definitely looked like a rookie fighter as he easily moved in and out of his opponent’s attack range before pinning his opponent against the cage. With the two men pressed against the cage, Ismail landed short strikes that hurt Silva. The two fighters broke up the fight again and Silva decided to go for another reckless takedown attempt. Ismail blocked the attempt and continued to move his feet seconds later, tagging his opponent several times.
As the rounds continued, Bruno looked increasingly frustrated and his punches looked very painful and slowed down. Silva resumed his attack in the final part of the fight, but seemed unable to catch his opponent’s flashes. Ismail continued to apply pressure, but still appeared cautious, not taking more than a few pot shots at a time. In the final 30 seconds of the fight, Ismail showed off some defensive footwork and head movement, landing some cautious counters on his way to victory.
The win was Naudiyev’s first fight since December 2023. That game was the Brave’s last. He had 2 wins and 2 losses in his first fights in the UFC from 2019 to 2020.
Official results: Ismail Nauldiyev vs. Bruno Silva unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
