Bagautinov (blue detail on his glove) was defeated by Johnson at UFC 174. Photo: Disclosure/UFC
Ali Bagautinov had no hard feelings about his fight with Demetrious Johnson, who won the UFC flyweight belt in the 174th edition of the event, held in Vancouver, Canada, last Saturday (14).
Even though he was dominated by the North American during the 25 minutes of the fight, with all three judges scoring every round in favor of the champion, Bagautinov says he had a clear conscience with his performance, despite having had difficulty preparing himself psychologically for which was the most important fight of his career.
“It was difficult to prepare mentally before the fight with Johnson. I knew I had a great responsibility. So, a lot went through my head, but I did my best”, said Bagautinov, in an interview with the Russian website “MMABoxing”. “At the post-fight press conference, Johnson and his coaches said the fight was the toughest title defense he’s ever had, so that means something to me.”
The loss to Johnson was Bagautinov's first since 2011. Now, the athlete has a record of 13 wins and three losses in professional MMA.
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