ABU DHABI – Amir Albazi beat Malcolm Gordon with first-round submission Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN+ 30 in Abu Dhabi.
Take a look inside the fight with Albazi, who had to go into quarantine just three hours after he accepted the fight for his UFC debut.
Result: Amir Albazi def. Malcolm Gordon via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 4:42
Updated records: Albazi (13-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Gordon (12-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Key stat: Albazi outstruck Gordon 28-5 before getting the fight to the ground to lock up his third straight win by submission.
Albazi on the fight’s key moment
“The victory felt amazing – exactly what I’ve been working on. It went exactly to plan. (The) plan was to stand up a bit, feel him out, take him down and finally put him to sleep with a choke hold or a submission. I’ve been training jiu-jitsu since the age of 14, both back home in Sweden and in London Shoot Fighters in London, so I feel very comfortable on the ground.”
Albazi on getting his shot in the UFC
“‘Fight Island’ has been really an amazing experience. A lot of people talk about the UFC, but the staff, the organization, how everything is run – it’s top of the mountain. Now I understand why it’s the biggest promotion in the world.”
Albazi on what he wants next
“To be honest, nothing really surprised me. I prepare with all type of opponents, so when I’m in there, I feel at home and it’s just another puzzle to solve. If Dana (White) gives me that 50 Gs, I’ll stick around and do another fight next week – celebrate, have fun, but also go back to training.”
To hear more from Albazi, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
Amir Albazi's submission of Malcolm Gordon was just what he expected to happen
