Russian mixed martial artist Khusein Khaliev got more than he bargained for when his mouthguard went flying during during a recent bout. He also lost one of his teeth.
Russian welterweight Khusein Khaliev had his 27th professional bout within Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA) on Friday. He competed against Vinicius Cruz at ACA 150 in Moscow, Russia. Khaliev had a little accident with his mouthguard that saved him from a TKO loss.
In the second round of their welterweight bout, Cruz delivered a vicious combination of punches and kicks to Khaliev. Khaliev was very pressed at this moment, having only been able to circle around and back away. However, Khaliev’s mouthguard flew out of his mouth.
This led the referee to halt the action so Khaliev could get his mouthguard back into place. Meanwhile, Cruz could be seen devastated knowing that his win was snatched away by the freak accident. The Brazilian can be seen folding with his head buried in his hands.
While checking on Khaliev, they found out that Khaliev’s tooth was gone along with his mouthguard. The ref gave him extra time so the doctors could check on him. Later on, the 34-year-old was cleared to continue the match.
The match continued and Khaliev managed to dominate Cruz on the ground most of the time. The action lasted until the last round and went to a decision. Khusein Khaliev was announced as the winner via a split decision.
This victory marked Khaliev’s third win streak after successfully defeating Alexander Butenko and Stanislav Vlasenko. Khaliev had an impressive 11 win streak since 2013 but Ali Bagov ended that streak in 2019 after submitting Khaliev with a kimura. So far, Khaliev has a professional record consisting of 14 wins and 3 losses.
Meanwhile, Vinicius Cruz had to suffer another his 3rd consecutive loss. The 33-year-old suffered an injury against Artur Alibulatov back in February that caused his loss.