LONDON – Saparbeg Safarov might not have made a ton of new fans during his Saturday win.
Safarov (9-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) took a unanimous decision from Nicolae Negumereanu (9-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at UFC on ESPN+ 5, which took place at The O2 in London. The card streamed on ESPN+.
Safarov had several instances of cage grabbing, and even UFC analyst Paul Felder, currently a lightweight fighter on the roster, said on the broadcast he thought Safarov was flat-out a “dirty” fighter. Safarov had a point taken away in the fight and also landed a big elbow when referee Leon Roberts stopped the action.
But even with the point deduction, Safarov left The O2 with a win with scores of 29-26 twice and 29-27.
Afterward, he talked about the win, the controversy and his desire to fight original opponent Gokhan Saki, who pulled out late and was replaced by Negumereanu.
To hear from Safarov, check out the video above.
And for complete coverage of UFC on ESPN+ 5, check out the UFC Events section of the site.
