Shem rock finally walked into the octagon in Doha, after months of anticipation for his UFC debut.
Rock is the teammate and close friend of Paddy Pimblett. He cornered Rock on the night, and promoted him during the buildup. He was given a difficult first draw to make his debut, as he had to face Nurullo Aliev who was unbeaten and had two UFC victories under his belt.
Aliev won all three rounds despite Rock’s struggles to land any punches. Fans were not impressed with the lightweight’s performance, and many already want him out of the promotion.
Who is Paddy Pimblett? Learn more about the ‘baddy’ MMA fighters making their presence felt in UFC
Shem Rock’s disaster UFC Qatar debut leaves fans calling for him to be cut
Shem Rock struggled to find his groove against Aliev’s awkward Eastern European style from the beginning of the fight. He was outworked by Aliev in the first two rounds before finding his rhythm in the third.
Perhaps had there been five rounds he might have continued to grow into the fight, but by the end of it he was comfortably beaten, with all three judges scoring the fight 30-27 in his rival’s favor. Rock also didn’t help himself by leaving the cage as the decision was being read in a classless moment.
This post is also available on Instagram
One fan wrote: “No need to waste time with this Shem Rock guy! CUT HIM!”Added another: “Nothing better than seeing a loud mouthed scouser fraud get fraud checked, Shem Rock got cooked.”
There were a number of fans who felt that Rock was ‘fraud checked’, although that is almost always premature. After UFC Qatar, he will probably get many more chances to prove himself in the octagon.
2025-11-22 16:50:04
