Headlining one of the final UFC pay-per-view events before the promotion’s $7.7 billion deal with Paramount takes effect, this card is one of the final events in this old model.
In the main event, Alex “Poatan” Pereira spectacularly reclaimed his Light Heavyweight (two hundred and five pound) title, stopping Magomed Ankalaev by TKO (technical knockout) in just one minute and twenty seconds. The result shocked many, especially after their previous bout, where Pereira’s performance was seen as hesitant and reserved. This time, he entered the Octagon with aggression and purpose, and it was evident.
With the win, Pereira cemented his legacy as one of the greatest light heavyweights ever, adding to the resume of the first fighter in UFC history to claim championships in both the Middleweight and Light Heavyweight divisions while defending against famous names like Israel Adesanya, Jiří Procházka, and Jamahal Hill.
Along the way, he has collected multiple Performance of the Night bonuses, set the record for highest striking accuracy in UFC history (62.1% with more than 1,000 attempts), and achieved the fastest run to three successful title defenses at just 175 days, all the while being one of the oldest fighters on the UFC roster and widely regarded as one of the most dangerous strikers in combat sports. Next for Pereira, his team has expressed interest in a move to the heavyweight division, although Carlos Ulberg, who just won via knockout against Dominic Reyes, is his next possible contender at Light Heavyweight.
Now for the Co-Main event of the card in the Bantamweight Division (one hundred thirty-five pounds), Cory Sandhagen vs. Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili, some may say the most boring or entertaining fighter in his division, won his third title defense, via a unanimous decision win, although he did almost manage to knock Sandhagen out at the beginning of the fight.
This fight was mostly dominated by Dvalishvili’s twenty takedowns, which he secured on thirty-seven attempts, although Sandhagen put up eighty significant strikes. This decisive win by Dvalishvili leaves Peter Yan as his last possible opponent in the top four that he has not defeated, making that the next logical matchup at bantamweight.
Continuing down the card, Jiří “BJP” Procházka made his mark with a spectacular final-round knockout against Khalil Rountree, also in the Light Heavyweight division. This, coming as a surprise to the audience after Rountree, was up on the scorecards in the first two rounds. Procházka, commenting on his performance, said in his post-fight speech, he said he
“found the calm in the chaos”
and was able to beat his opponent. Next for him could be a trilogy fight against Alex Pereira, although more likely, he will face the likes of Carlos Ulberg or the former champ Magomed Ankalaev for the number one contender rank.
The next victory on the main card, Youssef “The Moroccan Devil” Zalal defeated veteran Josh Emmet in the Featherweight (one hundred forty pounds) division with a round one submission via (armbar). This fight only lasted a few moments, but was a decisive win for the up-and-coming Zalal. This being his first fight in a main event, he did, however, call out the number four-ranked Lerone Murphy, although he did respectfully congratulate Josh Emmet and repeated, he was a “legend.” This win pushed him up to a five-fight win streak.
And finally, Joe “Body Bags” Phyper in the middleweight division (one hundred and eighty-five pounds), defeated Abus Magomedov via submission (rear-naked choke), showing this knockout artist’s versatility and range of skill. This is his third win of the year, making him a potential threat for the Middleweight division. Although he did not specify his intended next opponent, a fight against a ranked opponent will be expected for him after this dominant performance.
Tune in to The Roundup for more coverage as the UFC shifts from the antiquated Pay per view system into this new era of combat sports, showing the evolution of talent through the years and why the UFC stays at the forefront of any mixed martial arts promotion.
