MMA Knockout

5 vs. 5 Results: Dmitry Bivol Obliterates Malik Zinad, Artur Beterbiev Fight Rebooked

The WBA light heavyweight title was up for grabs.

Zain Bando

Dmitry Bivol runs through Malik Zinad at the 5 vs. 5 Matchoom vs. Queensberry event.
Dmitry Bivol runs through Malik Zinad at the 5 vs. 5 Matchoom vs. Queensberry event. / (via DAZN broadcast)

Dmitry Bivol and Malik Zinad fought for the WBA light heavyweight title on Saturday afternoon from Saudi Arabia.

The fight began rather unexpectedly, as Bivol and Zinad exchanged blow-for-blow before Bivol dropped Zinad with a one-two combination with under a minute left in Round 1, taking an early 10-8 edge.

Round 2 saw Bivol go back to his potent right hand, using angles and feints to frustrate the 30-to-1 underdog and keep him at range. Under 40 seconds left in the round, Zinad ducked under to get a breather, but failed to secure similar momentum as Round 1.

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Round 3 saw Bivol pick his shots cleanly, keeping Zinad on his back foot the entire round. Zinad had little answer and remained upright until the bell sounded. Bivol was up on MMAKO's unofficial card, 30-26.

Bivol remained loose and relaxed in Round 4, going back to the jab and continuing to throw Zinad off his game, but failing to find that additional devastating blow similarly to Round 1. 40-35 Bivol.

In Round 5, Bivol hunted Zinad down and mixed it up with shots against the ropes but none of the strikes viciously hurt Zinad, still staying composed throughout. 50-44 Bivol.

Round 6 heard a chorus of boos from the Saudi Arabia crowd before Bivol left no doubt of an upset win, earning a TKO win against Zinad and re-defining himself as one of the best light heavyweights in the world.

Bivol will fight Artur Beterbiev Oct. 12 in Saudi Arabia for the undisputed light heavyweight title.

Official Result: Dmitry Bivol def. Malik Zinad via TKO (Round 6, 2:06)

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Zain Bando

ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99

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