"I think the fight pretty much went according to plan. The only reason it did not finish is because I did not work hard enough. There were moments here I could finish him. From what I understand, his nose is broken, something else he broke. I think that we put as much damage as we could on him."
"Not because of mental at all. It's more like I wasn't able to hit the right shot, wasn't able to get him the right way. Maybe he moved away, or maybe I didn't land it clean. I should have pressed a little harder. But other than that, I think we executed what we were supposed to do, and I feel great about the win."
"If you keep looking at it, that shot wasn't there, that's why the ref didn't notice it. Because where I aimed and where I hit him was somewhere around the bellybutton area. If I did hit him illegally in the groin, I would not try to keep on going and keep on punching him. That's not sportsmanlike."
Diyar Nurgozhay defeated newcomer Rafael Tobias by unanimous decision at UFC 326 in Las Vegas, securing his first win after two losses earlier in 2025. Nurgozhay took responsibility for not finishing the fight, stating he could have pressed harder and landed more decisive shots. He acknowledged inflicting significant damage, including a broken nose on Tobias, but felt he lacked the intensity needed for a stoppage. Nurgozhay also addressed a controversial low blow incident, clarifying that his strike targeted the abdomen area and that the referee's stoppage was based on a misunderstanding of the replay footage.
Read at Cageside Press
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