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Brad Riddell came into his second UFC fight at a 7-1 record. At UFC Auckland, he had a lot to gain as he went against Magomed Mustafaev.
The first two rounds were extremely narrow, with a lot of people actually believing that Riddell was the one to have won them. However, the third round was all about Riddell. He landed strike after strike and kept Mustafaev on the ground, although he was busted open during a spinning attempt before the takedown.
The third round saw Mustafaev try a takedown as well, but it was stuffed by Riddell easily. The margins of the night were extremely narrow as anyone looking for a decisive finish would have to wait.
The judges declared the fight for Brad Riddell, scoring it 29-28, 28-29, and 29-28.
Before this fight, Riddell had fought Jamie Mullarkey at UFC 243 in October of last year, in his UFC debut. Now with two UFC wins to his name, he will be heading up in the roster.
On his way out of the event, he celebrated with a drink from an MMA fan, leading to a quite entertaining moment for the crowd as he finished the whole glass in one gulp.
Now, what lies in the future for Riddell remains to be seen, but it can be safely said that he gained a few new fans in this fight.
