Timur Valiev delivered a performance that would make his training partner and coach Frankie Edgar proud, surviving a very bad round to outwork and outlast Raoni Barcelos on the UFC Vegas 30 main card.
Barcelos sent Valiev to the canvas twice in the second round, running out of the energy to fully remove his opponent from consciousness in the bantamweight contest. It was a fatal mistake, because Valiev battled back and captured two 29-28 scores. A third judge ruled the fight a 28-28 draw.
Afterward, a fired-up Valiev called out UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby, demanding bigger opponents after a trio of octagon appearances in three different weight classes.