Murtazali Magomedov is still perfect, and he can thank the last few seconds of the fight for it. The featherweight took a unanimous decision over Jose Delano at UFC Vegas 124 on Saturday, with all three judges scoring it 29-28 after a late knockdown that turned a coin-flip fight into a win.
The victory moves Magomedov to 12-0. Both men came in as Dana White’s Contender Series graduates sitting at 1-0 inside the octagon, which made this one of those prelim bookings where somebody’s clean UFC record had to go. The UFC’s own account hyped it beforehand as two fighters carrying winning momentum. Only one of them walked out with it.
How it played out
Delano owned Round 1. Magomedov couldn’t get his offense going, and Cageside Press had Delano almost certainly banking a 10-9.
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Round 2 was a scramble from the jump, with quick grappling on the mat before they returned to the feet around the 90-second mark. Magomedov then found his rhythm. A front kick opened things up, his hands followed, and he walked Delano to the fence before hooking a leg for a trip takedown. From half guard he hunted a guillotine and dug at the body. Delano got back to the cage, stood up and started working his jab, which pushed Magomedov backward. A spinning back kick came in too tight, but a leg kick landed before the horn.
The third opened with Magomedov on Delano’s back against the fence chasing a rear-naked choke, though without hooks or real control Delano slipped out easily. Magomedov looked like he was fading. Then, in the closing seconds, Delano stepped in close and ate a huge left hand that put him flat on his back. A few more seconds on the clock and Magomedov might have finished it. Instead the horn sounded and the judges took over.
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TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter, who wrote on X that this was the fight he was most excited about on the card, called it “Difficult fight to score with that late knockdown.” He added that Delano had “a big volume advantage” while Magomedov was “often with the bigger strikes and control.” His verdict after the cards came in was blunter: “Magomedov won that fight in the final few seconds with that big knockdown.”
The UFC’s account went with “STILL UNDEFEATED” and said Magomedov dug deep for it. That’s about right.
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Quick take
Delano has nothing to hang his head about. He won the first round outright, kept the pressure on and probably outlanded his man over 15 minutes. But volume doesn’t beat a guy lying on his back when the bell rings, and three judges watched that left hand land right in front of them. Magomedov is now 2-0 in the UFC with a 12-0 record, and the version of him that showed up late in Round 3 looked tired and dangerous at the same time. That combination makes for great fights. Book him against another fighter who throws a lot and let the matchmakers enjoy themselves.
