Magomed Magomedov maintained his perfect fight record in his ONE Championship debut, earning a split decision victory over Lucas Gabriel in their lightweight MMA bout at ONE Fight Night 49.
Magomedov entered the main event at Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium on Friday night with an unblemished 15-0 record, stepping in on short notice to replace the injured Alibeg Rasulov.
Gabriel, meanwhile, came in boasting an 11-1 record and an undefeated run at the ONE Championship. But once the opening bell rang, Magomedov wasted little time chasing a takedown and managed to bring Gabriel to the canvas.
The second round followed a similar pattern, with Magomedov immediately pushing forward in an attempt to get the fight back to the mat.
This time, Gabriel fared better in the fight and managed to keep himself out of harm’s way.
Back to his feet, the 26-year-old landed a head kick that prompted Magomedov to shoot for another takedown, though he was unable to finish it off.
The third round took a dramatic turn, with Magomedov first securing another takedown and choking Gabriel to the ground. However, the Brazilian managed to reverse the position during a scramble and unleashed a series of knees on his opponent in the closing stages of the contest.
Gabriel’s late rally ultimately proved insufficient to secure the win, with two of the ringside judges scoring the contest in favor of the still undefeated Magomedov.
The 31-year-old standout could now find himself in contention for a shot at the ONE MMA world welterweight title.
That opportunity could come against newly crowned champion Tye Ruotolo, who captured the belt by dethroning Christian Lee at The Inner Circle 37 just hours earlier.