Isaac Dulgarian
The Midwest Choppa
USA
Released by UFC amid scandal
Dulgarian has been released by the UFC, according to MMA reporter Ariel Helwani.
ANALYSIS
Dulgarian lost to Yadier Del Valle via a first-round rear-naked choke at UFC Vegas 110. While the defeat doesn't help his roster status, the loss also came with a significant amount of controversy. Dulgarian entered this fight as a sizable betting favorite, but an uncharacteristic amount of money came in on his opponent late, leading the odds to be bet down to nearly a pick'em. That betting behavior for a prelim fight is strange, to say the least, leading many to question whether Dulgarian was compromised, potentially failing to disclose an injury that would have tipped action in the other direction. The situation is currently under investigation, but the UFC will wash its hands of Dulgarian regardless, leading many to believe there may be truth behind the accusations of impropriety.
Dulgarian lost to Yadier Del Valle via a first-round rear-naked choke at UFC Vegas 110. While the defeat doesn't help his roster status, the loss also came with a significant amount of controversy. Dulgarian entered this fight as a sizable betting favorite, but an uncharacteristic amount of money came in on his opponent late, leading the odds to be bet down to nearly a pick'em. That betting behavior for a prelim fight is strange, to say the least, leading many to question whether Dulgarian was compromised, potentially failing to disclose an injury that would have tipped action in the other direction. The situation is currently under investigation, but the UFC will wash its hands of Dulgarian regardless, leading many to believe there may be truth behind the accusations of impropriety.
Fight Log
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Not competitive in Vegas loss
Dulgarian lost to Yadier Del Valle via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:41 of Round 1 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
Dulgarian was roughly a -250 favorite for this fight throughout the process, but that number dipped to as low as -125 in some places right before the fight. It was an unprecedented move, and as it turned out, was completely justified. Dulgarian went for an immediate takedown which didn't connect. After that, he was toast. He survived multiple submission attempts before finally tapping out in the latter stages of Round 1. Given how much money came in on Del Valle late, it seems to be a pretty safe bet Isaac was dealing with an injury or illness. Dulgarian has more talent than his 2-2 record in four UFC bouts would lead you to believe, but this result was a major setback.
Dulgarian was roughly a -250 favorite for this fight throughout the process, but that number dipped to as low as -125 in some places right before the fight. It was an unprecedented move, and as it turned out, was completely justified. Dulgarian went for an immediate takedown which didn't connect. After that, he was toast. He survived multiple submission attempts before finally tapping out in the latter stages of Round 1. Given how much money came in on Del Valle late, it seems to be a pretty safe bet Isaac was dealing with an injury or illness. Dulgarian has more talent than his 2-2 record in four UFC bouts would lead you to believe, but this result was a major setback.
Undefeated fighter next
Dulgarian is scheduled to compete against Yadier Del Valle in a featherweight fight at UFC Vegas 110 on Nov. 1, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
UFC Vegas 110 will mark Dulgarian's first event since UFC Vegas 97, when he defeated Brendon Marotte via submission. Meanwhile, the former's opponent is 9-0 all-time, with his lone and current UFC win a flawless submission victory over Connor Matthews.
UFC Vegas 110 will mark Dulgarian's first event since UFC Vegas 97, when he defeated Brendon Marotte via submission. Meanwhile, the former's opponent is 9-0 all-time, with his lone and current UFC win a flawless submission victory over Connor Matthews.
Cruises as monumental favorite
Dulgarian defeated Brendon Marotte via submission (arm-triangle choke) at 4:19 of Round 2 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
When you enter as a -2500 favorite, an immediate and overwhelming victory is expected. We didn't get that here with Dulgarian, but he did dominate the entire bout despite the fact it took him nine-plus minutes to put Marotte away. The UFC gave Isaac a freebee following his controversial split decision defeated to Christian Rodriguez back in March. Now with his second company victory under his belt in three attempts, the 28-year-old Missouri native is a lock to face a better opponent his next time out.
When you enter as a -2500 favorite, an immediate and overwhelming victory is expected. We didn't get that here with Dulgarian, but he did dominate the entire bout despite the fact it took him nine-plus minutes to put Marotte away. The UFC gave Isaac a freebee following his controversial split decision defeated to Christian Rodriguez back in March. Now with his second company victory under his belt in three attempts, the 28-year-old Missouri native is a lock to face a better opponent his next time out.
Looks to rebound against Marotte
Dulgarian will take on Brendon Marotte in a featherweight matchup at UFC Vegas 97 on Saturday, according to the UFC's official site.
ANALYSIS
Dulgarian picked up a first-round finish in his UFC debut back in August of 2023, but learned a tough lesson his most recent time out, dropping a controversial split decision to Christian Rodriguez in March after gassing out in the final frame. That's the lone blemish on his spotless MMA professional record, and "The Midwest Choppa" now finds himself as a massive betting favorite heading into Saturday's preliminary bout.
Dulgarian picked up a first-round finish in his UFC debut back in August of 2023, but learned a tough lesson his most recent time out, dropping a controversial split decision to Christian Rodriguez in March after gassing out in the final frame. That's the lone blemish on his spotless MMA professional record, and "The Midwest Choppa" now finds himself as a massive betting favorite heading into Saturday's preliminary bout.
Robbed by judges in Vegas
Dulgarian lost to Christian Rodriguez via split decision (27-28, 28-27, 27-28) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
Make no mistake about it, this is one of the worst decisions you will ever see. It's so bad, it makes you wonder if the judges added incorrectly. Dulgarian dominated Round 1 to the tune of a 10-8 score. He dominated Round 2, landing 4-of-6 takedowns for 4:11 worth of control time. Yet two of the judges scored the second frame for Rodriguez, making Dulgarian's choke job in Round 3 and the proceeding 10-8 score for Rodriguez there enough to cost him the fight. Regardless of the outcome, Isaac needs to learn to pace himself better. Wrestling like a maniac for 10 minutes isn't going to be enough if you have no gas left for the final five. He falls to 1-1 in the UFC.
Make no mistake about it, this is one of the worst decisions you will ever see. It's so bad, it makes you wonder if the judges added incorrectly. Dulgarian dominated Round 1 to the tune of a 10-8 score. He dominated Round 2, landing 4-of-6 takedowns for 4:11 worth of control time. Yet two of the judges scored the second frame for Rodriguez, making Dulgarian's choke job in Round 3 and the proceeding 10-8 score for Rodriguez there enough to cost him the fight. Regardless of the outcome, Isaac needs to learn to pace himself better. Wrestling like a maniac for 10 minutes isn't going to be enough if you have no gas left for the final five. He falls to 1-1 in the UFC.