Tagir Ulanbekov felt pressure opening UFC 311 for Islam Makhachev
Tagir Ulanbekov felt pressure opening #UFC311 for Islam Makhachev
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Tagir Ulanbekov beat Clayton Carpenter with a unanimous decision Saturday to open the preliminary card at UFC 311 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.
Take a look inside the fight with Ulanbekov, who fought for the first time since a missed-weight incident scrapped a bout last June.
Tagir Ulanbekov def. Clayton Carpenter
Result: Tagir Ulanbekov def. Clayton Carpenter via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Updated records: Ulanbekov (16-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC), Carpenter (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC)
Key stats: Ulanbekov had nearly 7 minutes of control time from his three takedowns.
Ulanbekov on the fight’s key moment
Jan 18, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Tagir Ulanbekov (red gloves) reacts after defeating Clayton Carpenter (not pictured) during UFC 311 at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
“Everything went according to plan, even when we were coming out to the cage. My coaches, Khabib (Nurmagomedov) and Javier Mendez, they said first round, try to stand up with him – see how it is. Move around, see what happens. Then we’ll let you know when it’s time to take him down. That’s kind of what happened.”
Ulanbekov on pressure
“(Friday) night is when all the pressure kinda came to a head and I was like, ‘Wow, I’m the one who’s entrusted to open this whole team’s week. I have to come out there and I have to win.'”
Ulanbekov on what he wants next
Alexandre Pantoja
“I really respect the champion. I think he’s a very hard fighter. I’ve been watching him for a long, long time and I really respect what he’s done. It’s just that he’s the champion and I want the championship belt, so I have to keep calling him out. But I don’t care if it’s (Alexandre) Pantoja at the end of the day or if it’s somebody else. My goal is the belt.”
To hear more from Ulanbekov, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.