The Final Verdict: Elves Brenner vs. Zubaira Tukhugov
UFC 284 began with controversy as the night's first fight resulted in a heavily disputed split decision win for Elves Brenner over Zubaira Tukhugov. The commentary team in Perth, Australia, was left stunned by the decision, as were many fans, so let's see if the judges got this one right.
Round 1
The fight began with a close back-and-forth striking battle that saw Brenner launch in with aggressive power attacks while Tukhugov countered with repeated left hooks. Tukhugov landed with more regularity which gave him the round, although he was cut early, giving a bad visual.
10-9 Tukhugov (Close Round)
Round 2
The second round was the best of the fight for Tukhugov as he was clearly out-striking Brenner through the whole round as he landed powerful countershots after avoiding wild flurries from Brenner. There should be no question Tukhugov won this round using his powerful counterstriking.
10-9 Tukhugov (Clear Round)
Round 3
The final round was a lot of clinch fighting as Tukhugov secured position along the cage and held on for most of the round. Brenner did land some shots of note late in the round after breaking away, although it was too little too late. This round is the argument of striking vs. grappling, although there was a lot of grappling control and minor damage in the striking, making it difficult to evaluate.
10-9 Tukhugov (Close Round)
So did the judges get this one right? No, they raised the wrong fighter's hand.
It was closer than expected, and it may be conceivable to give a round to Brenner, but he did not do enough over three rounds to win this fight.
