UFC-Rotterdam results: Zabit Magomedsharipov scintillating in UFC debut

Dagestan’s Zabit Magomedsharipov proved a name to watch moving forward, earning an impressive and entertaining stoppage of Dana White’s Contender Series alum Mike Santiago.

The featherweight matchup took place on the preliminary card of Saturday night’s UFC Fight Night 115 event, which streamed live on UFC Fight Pass from Ahoy Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

Magomedsharipov was the aggressor early, throwing wild, powerful kicks to start. Still, Santiago stood comfortable in the pocket and pushed forward to close the distance and wrap the body. A takedown attempt fell short, and the two reset on the feet.

At that point Magomedsharipov flashed some incredible athleticism, landing a crisp uppercut and spinning kick before leaping off the cage for his very own “Showtime” kick that missed over the top. Santiago was obviously hurt from the blows that did land but dug deep and battled back to land a few punches of his own, and again wrap the body. Magomedsharipov eventually pulled away, bringing the crowd to life with all kinds of acrobatic and effective maneuvers, overwhelming Santiago until the bell.

Santiago’s team begged for aggression in the second, and he responded, but Magomedsharipov’s creativity provided him plenty of opportunities to attack. The action did move to the floor, but Magomedsharipov’s rangy frame proved too much there, as well. Santiago threatened with some options of his own on the floor, but Magomedsharipov never looked in trouble, eventually moving to the back and locking in a rear-naked choke, earning the tap with 38 seconds left in the second round.

Magomedsharipov (13-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) now boasts a nine-fight winning streak. Santiago (19-10 MMA, 0-1 UFC) sees his own nine-fight run snapped.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 115 results include:

• Zabit Magomedsharipov def. Mike Santiago via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:22
• Abdul-Kerim Edilov def. Bojan Mihajlovic via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 2:32
• Thibault Gouti def. Andrew Holbrook via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 4:28

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 115, check out the UFC Events section of the site.