2 big boys who weighed a combined 529-pounds went at each other's throats in one of the funnest UFC bouts of the night
- Two of the UFC heavyweight division's biggest athletes went toe-to-toe on Fight Island on Saturday.
- Carlos Felipe and Justin Tafa threw 313 strikes in total according to official UFC stats, with Felipe emerging as a split decision winner.
- But the ending of the fight has to be seen to be believed as both men stomped their feet in the middle of the Octagon and punched with reckless abandon much to the crowd's delight.
- Watch the ending right here.
FIGHT ISLAND - Two big boys who weighed a combined 529-pounds went at each other's throats in one of the funnest UFC bouts of the night.
It all went down on the preliminary card of the UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Kattar event at the Etihad Arena on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, when Carlos Felipe and Justin Tafa seemed to throw nothing but slugs.
The two heavyweights threw 313 strikes in total, seemingly upping the action with every one of the three, five-minute rounds.
Both men will wake up in the morning cursing their opponent for the unrelenting strikes to the body, with Felipe firing fists into Tafa's midsection and Tafa throwing body kicks at Felipe in return.
Tafa hit body kicks, uppercuts, and right hand combos in the second round, with Felipe landing his own strikes late in the round.
With a partial fan allowance at the Etihad Arena, roars of a crowd have been a rarity at sports events but the enthusiasm from the socially-distant supporters at the venue rallied both men in the third, as they both stood their ground and wanted to smack each other from the center of the Octagon until the closing bell.
Watch the wild ending right here:
At the fight's end, Felipe was announced as the split decision winner with scores of 29-28 (twice) against 28-29.
"I love these battles, I feel great," said Felipe. "For me, it was better than winning by knockout, because I love this war-like atmosphere."
Asked what he would do after he had competed, Felipe said: "Probably gonna drink a beer with Justin Tafa. We are friends now … we deserve it."
With the win, Felipe advanced his pro MMA record to 10 wins (six knockouts and four decisions) against one loss.
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