Switching up his single finishes, Bagov opted to run the pipe, back-stepping over the body of Khaliev to cover up after the Chechen’s butt hit the mat.

To his credit, Khaliev wasn’t shying away from continuing to grapple with Bagov. Pushed up against the fence, Khaliev capitalized on Bagov’s narrow stance (just like Leandro Silva and Bubba Jenkins before him) and hit what wrestlers call a whizzer hip toss, into side control.

Showcasing elements of his bottom game we hadn’t seen in some time, Bagov snuck in his instep inside the thigh of Khaliev to elevate repeatedly, until he found the space to sit up and attack the ankles, reaping the knee to debase Khaliev with a heel hook attempt.

Biding his time, Bagov abandoned the submission, hustled to get height, and covered in rear-standing as Khaliev turned to escape. Not long after, a crafty sweep by Khaliev (covered in more depth in Ryan’s breakdown) saw Bagov working off his back once again.

It was a chance for Bagov to flex another lovely technique in his seemingly endless arsenal of grappling techniques - the octopus half guard sweep. Traditionally in jiu-jitsu, you sit up for the underhook on the same side as the half guard lock, eventually working parallel on your hands and knees or even slipping off to the back.

Octopus half sees the practitioner work cross-body, swimming the underhook from the half-guard side to the opposite side, reaching across the back and peaking the head out from under the armpit. There are a few options during this motion - you can release the half guard and gain initiative in the fight for the next position, be it in a more neutral position like front headlock or bottom referee’s. A much more skilled user, Ali Bagov kept the near-side hook in from his half guard, used the swimming motion to gain height and debase Khaliev, then slipped back to the original side to shoot the same-side underhook, gaining the standing or grounded seatbelt position, as originally intended.

It was all Bagov from there on.

His constant lead leg kicking was wonderful bait for the veteran striker Khaliev, who could not help but respond with a naked kick of his own - which Bagov immediately caught. Stacking and pressuring, Bagov slowly encouraged Khaliev to take greater risks, leading to more dominant positions for the Kabardian Hulk.

By the fourth round, Khaliev was spent, becoming increasingly static on bottom. Bagov passed to side control, proceeding to torture Khaliev by repeatedly trapping the arm for mounted crucifix attempts - another Nurmagomedov family favorite.

Reaching, pawing, attempting to avoid giving up control once again, Khaliev gave Bagov the perfect window to pop up and step over the head, the reaching arm trapped inside an inverted triangle.

With Khaliev stuck in place, Bagov applied a kimura for the quick tap.

***

Cutting back to lightweight to fight Khaliev was a horrendous idea for Ali Bagov. At 5’9, with the most muscular build in the division by far, he was never a true 155. No wonder his kidneys failed.

It came as no surprise when Bagov vacated the title, announcing his move up to 170.

His first test will be Friday, February 21st at ACA 104 vs. Adam Townsend.

While not a standout in any one area, Townsend is a fairly large, physical welterweight, one who should be a decent measuring stick for the once overpowering grappling assault of Ali Bagov.

Perhaps his best days are behind him, or maybe a healthier weight cut will lead to an energized, even more terrifying Bagov. Regardless, Bagov’s future is likely in ACA.