Broken hand forced Fares Ziam to shift game plan in UFC Saudi Arabia win over Mike Davis

Fares Ziam beat Mike Davis with a unanimous decision Saturday to open up the main card at UFC Fight Night 250 at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Take a look inside the fight with Ziam, who won for the fifth straight time and seventh time in eight fights.

Fares Ziam def. Mike Davis

Result: Fares Ziam def. Mike Davis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Updated records: Ziam (17-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC), Davis (11-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC)
Key stats: Ziam stuffed seven of Davis’ eight takedown attempts and landed four of his own for more than 7 minutes of control time – and was 58 for 83 in his striking attempts before his broken hand.

Ziam on the fight’s key moment

“It was a good fight. Mike Davis is a tough guy. I broke my (left) hand in the first round, so I couldn’t strike. I thought he was afraid of my striking and he came to try to take me down, but I’m OK – I have good wrestling.”

Ziam on his broken hand changing his game plan

“My corner said, ‘Hey, why aren’t you striking?’ I didn’t say anything because I wanted my corner to stay calm, so I went to the wrestling. I know my jiu-jitsu is great, and my wrestling, too.”

https://x.com/UFCNews/status/1885763548535795987

To hear more from Ziam, check out his post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 250.