LAS VEGAS – Martin Buday beat Uran Satybaldiev with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 65 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Buday, who held off a promotional newcomer who took the fight on three days’ notice when Kennedy Nzechukwu dropped out – and with a 60-pound deficit from light heavyweight to heavyweight.

Martin Buday def. Uran Satybaldiev

Result: Martin Buday def. Uran Satybaldiev via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Updated records: Buday (15-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC), Satybaldiev (9-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Key stats: Buday outstruck Satybaldiev 152-56 and had more than 5 minutes of control time, mostly in the clinch.

Buday on the fight’s key moment

“My performance was not so bad, but not something I was looking for. I wanted to finish him. He showed us he’s a very tough opponent and (was) an undefeated guy for a reason. Big respect to Uran to step in on a few days’ notice. I wanted the finished, but the performance was like normal.”

Buday on late opponent change

“We were supposed to fight Kennedy, who is a southpaw, so the whole game plan was different for Kennedy. We did our best to adjust to the new opponent. It’s a shame I didn’t finish him like I wanted, but we did a good job – it was a whole different fight (than what we prepared for). ”

Buday on what he wants next

“I would like to go back and finish what we started with Kennedy, so I wish him a speedy recovery from the injury. Hopefully we can (reschedule) our fight as soon as possible. As soon as he’s OK, I’ll jump on the training. I’m healthy, so I’ll start training immediately when I get back home and have a better performance my next fight, for sure. But I hope it’ll be with Kennedy.”

To hear more from Buday, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 65.

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