In the second minute, Naimov stunned Grad with a spinning hook kick, but Grad scored a quick takedown and grappled for a bit to clear his head. When the two broke, Naimov went right back to work and was effective at range, forcing Grad to use his clinch game to even the score.
The back-and-forth action continued in all aspects of the sport in round two, with Grad perhaps edging things heading into the final stanza. Naimov did good work on the mat for a spell in the third, but a restart by referee Marc Goddard gave Grad a chance to control matters against the fence in the late stages of the bout before the two fought it out from range.
Prelim Results | Official Scorecards | Watch on ESPN+
