UFC veteran Tim Elliot took on surging Tagir Ulanbekov at UFC 272 in what was one of the most exciting fights of the night. However, there was a moment in the fight which certainly did not make any fight fan happy, including the former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Elliot was involved in a cheeky move where he grabbed onto Ulanbekov’s glove and connected several significant shots. Ulanbekov complained to the referee mid-fight, with Elliot receiving a quick warning. Needless to say, Khabib, who was cornering Tagir Ulanbekov for the fight, did not look too happy about the incident and could be seen losing his temper at the entire sequence.
An animated Ulanbekov corner as we hit the third and final! ???? #UFC272 pic.twitter.com/A5jnsVYvyn
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) March 6, 2022
Be that as it may, Tim Elliot put up an incredible performance and dominated Ulanbekov for the better part of the entire fight to pick up a unanimous decision win over Tagir Ulanbekov. In the process, Elliot snapped Ulanbekov off of his five-fight winning streak, handing him his first loss inside the UFC Octagon.
“Super happy, had a long hard camp. two different opponents backed out.” Elliot said in the post-fight Octagon interview.
Elliot dropped Ulanbekov in the first round and followed it up with a dominant second round. While the momentum of the fight seemed like it was shifting going into the third round, after some brilliant ground control by Tagiur Ulanbekov, Elliot was able to survive the pressure, and emerge victorious with a comfortable victory on the judges’ scorecards.
Khabib Nurmagomedov reacts to Tim Elliot grabs Tagir Ulanbekov’s glove at UFC 272
Tim Elliot is a pioneer of the game and moves like these while dirty, are not surprising from someone who has been around for this long.
The first time that Tim Elliott has won as an underdog #UFC272 pic.twitter.com/8mQkGJHqFy
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) March 6, 2022
This is not the first time that a fighter has tried to pull off this “veteran move.” In the past, Donald Cerrone has made headlines after he grabbed onto Leon Edwards’ gloves, landing several significant shots on the welterweight. It’s a cheeky move that can definitely change the momentum of the game. Needless to say, the reaction from Khabib Nurmagomedov is warranted.