Nick Diaz Army member Nick Maximov made his promotional debut in successful fashion Saturday at UFC 266.
As his mentor Nate Diaz watched on, Maximov (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) utilized his wrestling and grappling to earn a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) over fellow debutant and Dana White’s Contendeer Series alum Cody Brundage (6-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC).
UFC 266 took place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card streamed on ESPN+ pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN News/ESPN+.
While unorthodox in his striking, Maximov utilized it well enough to free up takedown attempts. Although he struggled to get clean takedowns off shots, Maximov controlled Brundage in the clinch in numerous exchanges. Once tied up, Maximov dragged Brundage to the mat against the cage.
The sequence repeated often while Maximov largely avoided damage. In the final round, Maximov absorbed tremendously powerful and well-placed down-elbows from Brundage – but hung on to get the takedown he sought. The fight ended with Maximov on top.
💢 @NateDiaz209 showing some teammate support for @NickMax15 at #UFC266! pic.twitter.com/ojHgHgx7je
— UFC (@ufc) September 25, 2021
With the victory, Maximov, 23, kept his undefeated record alive. In seven professional outings, Maximov has five finishes.
The up-to-the-minute UFC 266 results include:
- Nick Maximov def. Cody Brundage via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Matthew Semelsberger def. Martin Sano Jr. via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:15
- Jonathan Pearce def. Omar Morales via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:31
