Fight Nights Global 73: Brandao exits cage mid-fight; Palhares suffers controversial loss

Today’s Fight Nights Global 73 event featured some familiar names – and some surprising and downright ridiculous results.

The event took place place at Ali Aliev Sports Palace in Kaspiysk, Dagestan, Russia.

One of the more controversial decisions came in a welterweight fight between former UFC contender Rousimar Palhares (19-9) and Shamil Amirov (4-0). Palhares, a leg-lock specialist who threatened with multiple submission attempts, appeared to be headed to a unanimous-decision win as the fight wrapped up.

However, after a grueling third round, Amirov was announced as the surprise winner via split decision. Although Palhares has a history of controversially holding on to submissions too long (and it cost him a spot on the UFC and WSOF rosters), he wasn’t the source of the controversy this time and appeared on his way to a hard-fought victory.

Here are some highlights (via Twitter):

Check out the full fight here (via YouTube):

Things weren’t any less crazy in the Fight Nights Global 73 headliner, though.

UFC vet Diego Brandao (22-12) took on fellow lightweight Akhmed Aliev (16-4) in the day’s featured attraction, but the fight had a premature and confusing end.

Aliev had some success punishing Brandao with body shots, but when the fight hit the mat, the 27-year-old Russian appeared to throw some punches after the ref called for a standup. Brandao, who already seemed to be tagged with some illegal shots, then answered with an illegal kick of his own to Aliev’s neck.

As the ref tried to regain order, an incensed Brandao simply hopped over the fence and exited the cage as fans hurled projectiles.

It resulted in a loss for Brandao – and an angry crowd (via Twitter):

Check out the full fight above.

Also on the card, UFC vet and tough-as-nails slugger Fabio Maldonado (24-11) picked up his first submission in 15 fights and more than seven years after catching a tiring Kurban Omarov (8-1) with a third-round guillotine.

Here’s the fight-ending submission, which earned Maldonado the vacant FNG light-heavyweight belt (via Twitter):

Full Fight Nights Global 73 results included:

• Akhmed Aliev def. Diego Brandao (method TBA)
• Fabio Maldonado def. Kurban Omarov via submission (guillotine) – Round 3, 3:01 – to claim vacant light heavyweight title
• Shamil Amirov def. Rousimar Palhares via split decision
• Artur Aliskerov def. Sergey Pogodaev via unanimous decision
• Vladimir Dayneko def. Sultan Murtazaliev via unanimous decision
• Yusup Suleymanov def. Alexander Panov via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:38
• Magomed Abdulvagabov vs. Nursultan Ruziboev ruled no-contest by promoter (premature stoppage) – Round 1, 4:12
• Timur Khizriev def. Martiros Grigoryan via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:09
• Ivan Lukin def. Solekh Khasanov via unanimous decision
• Magomedgadzhi Gadzhiyev def. Miguel Filipe via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:47
• Magomedgadzhi Sirazhudinov def. Abdulkhakim Medjidov via unanimous decision
• Ubaydula Ibragimov def. Anton Lebedev via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:59