"Huge performance," "That knee landed pretty flush" - Belal Muhammad and MMA world react to Umar Nurmagomedov’s dominant win at UFC 321

Umar Nurmagomedov cruised to a unanimous decision victory in his UFC 321 bantamweight clash against Mario Bautista. Former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad and MMA fans reacted to the action-packed title elimination bout.

Nurmagomedov locked horns with reigning champion Merab Dvalishvili earlier this year, where he lost by unanimous decision. Meanwhile, Bautista defeated Patchy Mix in his last outing, but his eight-fight win streak in the UFC was halted on the night.

In the bout, Nurmagomedov relied on his wrestling, securing multiple takedowns and controlling Bautista on the ground. Bautista showed incredible heart throughout the bout, as he refused to accept bottom position and made Nurmagomedov work on the ground.

The 32-year-old landed a perfectly timed knee in Round 2, which dropped his opponent to the canvas. Ultimately, Nurmagomedov's relentless pressure wrestling won him the bout on the judge's scorecards.

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'Remember the Name' took to social media to laud both fighters for their entertaining performance. He wrote:

"Huge performance from Umar ..Bautista is very good, never gave up on himself."

Check out the post below:

Former welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns heaped praise on Nurmagomedov. He wrote:

"Umar is very good!!"

Terrance McKinney took to X to praise Nurmagomedov for his composure and quick recovery after absorbing a knee strike in Round 2.

"Umar is tough that knee landed pretty flush 🔥🔥🔥."

Former two-weight champion Henry Cejudo shared his belief that Nurmagomedov earned his title shot after his performance on the night.

"30-27 Umar Nurmagomedov. He just earned that bantamweight title shot!"

Check out more reactions from the MMA world below:

MMA world reactions. [Screenshots courtesy: Respective X accounts]

Edited by Shehryar Edibam