vs. Deiveson Figueiredo (135.5)Alonzo Menifield
(206) vs. Mingyang Zhang (205)Sergei Pavlovich
(257) vs. Tallison Teixeira (250)Kai Asakura
(135.5) vs. Cameron Smotherman (135.5)Carlston Harris
(170.5) vs. Jake Matthews (170)Su Mudaerji (126) vs. Alex
Perez (125.5)Luis Felipe Dias
(184.5) vs. Yi Sak Lee (185)Meng Ding (170.5)
vs. Jose Henrique Souza (170.5)Cody Haddon (135) vs. Qileng
Aori (135)Luis
Gurule (135) vs. Rei Tsuruya (135)Angela Hill (115) vs.
Jingnan Xiong (115.5)Rodrigo Vera (145) vs.
Kangjie Zhu (145)Jaqueline Amorim
(115.5) vs. Konklak Suphisara (115) Sherdog’s live
UFC Macau coverage will begin Saturday at 4 a.m. ET/1 a.m. PT.
The event is also known as
UFC Fight Night 277.
Jaqueline
Amorim (115.5) vs. Loma
Lookboonmee (115)
BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Amorim (-120); Lookboonmee (+105)
Round 1
Lookboonmee (10-4; 7-3 UFC) and Amorim (10-2; 4-2 UFC) go to work
in matching orthodox stances under the watchful eye of referee
Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro. The Brazilian walks the foe to the fence,
where she closes the distance in a hurry and takes underhooks,
looking to drag the muay thai standout to the canvas. Lookboonmee
is wise to it, however, and refuses to be taken down, then spinning
Amorim against the cage. Amorim turns, nearly turning her back all
the way to her opponent, before hauling her down with a brief
kneebar attempt. She can’t get it, but ends up on top in the
ensuing scramble. A little past the halfway point of the round,
Amorim slides into side control at the base of the fence.
Lookboonmee fights off a kimura attempt, but Amorim keeps the
two-on-one and isolates Lookboonmee’s left arm in an armbar.
Lookboonmee is gritty, and Amorim is forced to adjust the angle
twice before Lookboonmee finally taps. Referee “Shaolin” is
there in a flash to prevent any needless damage, and Jaqueline
Amorim has kicked things off in Macau with a slick first-round
submission.
The Official Result
Jaqueline Amorim def. Loma Lookboonmee R1 4:04 via Submission
(Armbar)
Rodrigo
Vera (145) vs. Kangjie Zhu
(145)
BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Vera (-120); Zhu (+100)
Round 1
In the first of several matches of debuting fighters at UFC Macau,
Zhu (21-4, 1 NC) meets short-notice signee Vera (21-1-1), who steps
in for the injured Ramon Taveras, with a 13-fight win streak in
tow. The third man in the cage is Lukasz Bosacki. The
featherweights touch gloves and meet in the middle of the Octagon
with an exchange of low kicks. Both men go upstairs with punches
and start exchanging hard shots. Each gets his fair share of licks
in, but Zhu nearly takes Vera off his feet with a couple of vicious
leg kicks. Vera changes levels for a takedown, driving Zhu into the
fence as he transitions from a double-leg to a single. Zhu fights
off the takedown and they go back to work as they come careening
away from the fence. Again, both men land, but this time it’s Vera
who lands the telling blow.
He sits Zhu down with a blistering left hook, then pounces and puts
him away with a stream of ground punches. Bosacki gives the native
fighter every chance to recover—Zhu may actually have gone out for
a second and come back—but he righteously waves off the fight as
Vera jumps up to celebrate a life-changing win in front of the
shocked crowd.
The Official Result
Rodrigo Vera def. Kangjie Zhu R1 1:50 via TKO (Punches)
Angela Hill
(115) vs. Jingnan
Xiong (115.5)
BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Xiong (-210); Hill (+175)
Round 1
Former ONE champ Xiong (19-2) has been one of the top women
operating outside the UFC for at least six years. She finally makes
her Octagon debut against “Overkill” Hill (18-16), who has been in
the thick of things in the UFC strawweight division literally since
the beginning. Mark Craig draws his first referee assignment of the
evening. Hill declines the glove touch offered by Xiong and they’re
off to work, both women in orthodox stance. Xiong hurts Hill with a
couple of punches, but Hill comes right back and lands a
three-piece flurry that sits the Chinese fighter down for an
instant, more off-balance than hurt. Hill pursues and meet Xiong by
the fence, where she takes the Thai clinch and tries to drive some
knees up the middle. Xiong shucks her off and lands a couple of
hard punches, and they break away from the fence. Two minutes down
in a frenetic first round and Hill again grabs the Thai plam
against the fence, kneeing Xiong in the gut and then throwing a
front kick to the head when Xiong breaks the clinch. They meet
again and Hill looks for a guillotine, but can’t get it. Xiong
sticks Hill with a hard one-two, then gets rocked by a lovely
flying knee-to-punch combination. Ninety seconds to go and Hill
steps into the pocket, meeting Xiong with another intercepting
knee. Hill stalks forward and catches Xiong with another knee, then
a front kick up the middle. Xiong is still throwing back, but is
clearly taken aback by the American’s relentless attack. Xiong
lands a spinning kick, then grabs a headlock at the 10-second
clapper. The horn sounds. 10-9 Hill.
Round 2
Hill comes forward again to open Round 2 and Xiong gives ground,
then plants and fires a one-two that glance off the guard. Hill
keeps coming forward, landing a jab and a switch kick to the body.
Xiong halts Hill’s advance with a nice jab to the body. Xiong meets
Hill’s next advance with a spinning backfist that lands cleanly but
without much on it. Hill dips a shoulder and drives her foe to the
fence, then hooks a leg and dumps Xiong to the mat. She takes top
position but can’t get anything underway before the bigger woman
surges back to her feet. Xiong steps into the pocket and gets kneed
to the face. Xiong comes up short with a pair of hooks and the
action slows just a tick in the second half of the frame. Hill hops
into the pocket with a jab and right cross, slips the counter and
lands a nice right hook. Xiong steps forward and right into another
intercepting knee to the body, but comes back with a pair of hard
hooks. Xiong takes a level elbow in close quarters, then a knee to
the face. The 10-second clapper sounds and Hill comes forward,
slapping a glancing kick off Xiong’s face before the horn. 10-9
Hill.
Round 3
If our scorecards are any indicator, Xiong needs to do something
big here, and she seems to agree, as she comes forward and lands
the first significant blows of the round, a pair of solid hooks.
Hill knees her up the middle and within seconds, it’s once again
the American on the front foot. Xiong circles away, conscious that
Hill is trying to walk her into the fence, and meets an advance
with a flurry of hooks to the body. Hill backs off and flicks out a
front kick to the belly. Hill slides into the pocket and is met
with a glancing elbow to the face. Hill steps in, launches a flying
knee that does not land cleanly, but follows up with a front
headlock, which she releases quickly. The round is half gone and
it’s still very much Hill’s fight, as she is marching forward
fearlessly on the bigger woman and landing almost anything she
wants. Ninety seconds to go in the round and Xiong is still looking
to land the huge shot or shots that might save the day for her, but
Hill is throwing, and landing, far more. Hill rushes forward and
drives Xiong to the fence where she takes her opponent’s back
standing, snaking one leg around for a single hook. She can’t get
it, but the last20 seconds find her pursuing her hurt foe along the
fence with a swarm of punches, looking for a late finish. The final
horn sounds on an absolutely sensational showing by Angela Hill.
10-9 Hill (30-27 Hill).
The Official Result
Angela Hill def. Jingnan Xiong via Unanimous Decision (30-27,
30-27, 30-27)
Luis Gurule
(135) vs. Rei Tsuruya
(135)
BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Tsuruya (-220); Gurule (+180)
Round 1
Gurule (11-3; 1-3 UFC), just two weeks removed from his first UFC
win, looks to build on that momentum as he steps up on short notice
against Tsuruya (10-1; 1-1 UFC), who was last in action over a year
ago against now-champ Josh Van and most now rebound from that
setback. The habitual flyweights have agreed to meet at 135 pounds
here, and Marc Goddard is the referee. Tsuruya refuses the glove
touch, and his southpaw stance against Gurule’s orthodox attack
leads to immediate jostling of the lead hands. A few awkward,
glancing exchanges result, but Tsuruya’s advantages in height and
reach are stark. He lands a hard left that buckles Gurule’s legs
momentarily, and he presses his advantage. He can’t land any more
clean strikes, but hustles the American to the canvas, where he
gradually moves to take back control. Gurule halts his positional
advance, and Tsuruya punishes him with a brutal stream of ground
punches that have Goddard looking on closely. Gurule survives and
shells up, but when he tries to stand, Tsuruya hoists him, slams
him back to the ground and takes back mount.
Tsuruya sinks a body triangle and starts fishing for a choke. He
gets a neck crank and applies torque, and it’s enough: Gurule is
forced to tap and Goddard is there for the save. Impressive
work from Rei Tsuruya to bounce back from his first professional
loss in dominant fashion.
The Official Result
Rei Tsuruya def. Luis Gurule R1 3:19 via Submission (Neck
Crank)
Cody Haddon
(135) vs. Qileng Aori
(135)
BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Haddon (-350); Aori (+280)
Round 1
Aussie bantamweight prospect Haddon (8-1; 1-0 UFC) looks to follow
up on his debut win against Aoriqileng (26-12, 1 NC; 4-4, 1 NC
UFC), who will attempt to turn things around for the host country,
as Chinese fighters are 0-2 on the evening thus far. Jason Herzog
is the referee on duty. Both fighters are orthodox and Aoriqileng
looks a full weight class larger than Haddon. It’s Haddon pushing
the action, however, sliding forward into the pocket and exchanging
glancing punch combinations with the “Mongolian Murderer.” Neithen
man lands anything clean, but Haddon steps into the pocket again,
tries a knee pick, and then uses a body lock to hoist and slam
Aori. He slides to the back and pounds his foe’s head with both
fists as they sink to the canvas. Haddon is in complete control,
mindful of his postur and position as he continues to hammer the
near-helpless Aori. Making things worse, Aori’s right arm becomes
pinned under his body for a moment, and the Australian takes full
advantage, pounding away with elbows and punches. Herzog is
hovering nearby, but letting Aori work his way out of danger, and
his patience is vindicated as Aori rolls and frees his arm. It’s
still 100% Haddon, however, and with under a minute to go he pauses
the unending storm of punches to try for a rear-naked choke. Aori
spins out of back mount, forcing Haddon to give up the choke, but
he continues to pour on the punishment until the horn sounds.
Complete thrashing in Round 1 by the younger man. 10-8 Haddon.
Round 2
Aori looks much recovered to start Round 2, and he comes forward
right away, swinging hooks with both hands. Haddon drops for a
takedown and gets absolutely pancaked, recovers and enters again,
only for Aori to catch him in a front headlock and snap him down.
Aori looks for the guillotine and is legitimately threatening
Haddon’s neck, but Haddon eventually extricates himelf from the
choke and they return to their feet. From there, he is quick to
enter once again, dropping for a smooth-looking double leg.
Aori stands him up with underhooks, at which point Haddon hits him
with two knees to the liver, the second of which absolutely melts
him. Haddon follows Aori back to the mat and pours on the punches
at the base of the fence, and it’s clear that Aori is cooked.
Herzog steps in for the save and the domination is complete.
Brutal, brutal work by the man from Western Australia.
The Official Result
Cody Haddon def. Qileng Aori R2 2:21 via TKO (Knees to the Body and
Punches)
Meng
Ding (170.5) vs. Jose
Henrique Souza (170.5)
BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Ding (-125); Souza (+110)
Round 1
They may both have lost on
Dana White’s Contender Series, but welterweight hopefuls Ding
(35-9) and Souza (8-1) get the call here anyway. The difference in
experience is one of the widest in modern UFC history; we’ll see if
it shows in the cage. Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro will be in charge of
rules enforcement once the action starts, and at a word from
Ribeiro, they go to work in the center of the cage. Both fighters
are orthodox, and Souza’s advantage in height appears to be closer
to six inches than the one inch advertised by the tale of the tape.
His reach is also much greater, especially with his legs, but it
makes little difference in the early going, as Ding bounces around
on the outside, then enters range with single leg kicks or jabs.
Souza sticks Ding with a one-two that snaps his head back and
reddens his face. Ding shakes it off but appears wary to enter the
pocket again, reacting to Souza’s every feint. Ding hacks at the
lead leg with an outside kick, then another. Halfway through the
round, it’s Souza’s long jab and right cross against Ding’s
persistent calf kicks, and Ding starts to pull ahead. Ding backs
Souza to the fence and explodes into range with a trio of punches
to the head and chest. Souza circles away from the fence and pops
Ding with a nice jab, but his punching volume has waned badly. The
horn sounds. 10-9 Ding.
Round 2
Souza immediately reaches out with the jab, and appears to be
waiting on Ding’s calf kicks, looking to counter. Ding marches him
down, and Souza meets him with a nice kick to the body. Ding is
struggling to get inside Souza’s huge range early, but he lands his
first calf kick of the round about 40 seconds in and it’s a good
one. Souza catches Ming entering the pocket and meets him with a
flush knee to the jaw that has the Chinese fighter backing away.
Souza stays disciplined but pursues, looking to capitalize. Ding
recovers quickly, but Souza steps into the pocket and meets him
with a boot right up the middle that lands mostly on the cup.
“Shaolin” pauses the action, but Ding takes only a few seconds to
recover. When they resume, Souza has gone southpaw, perhaps in
deference to the damage his left leg has already taken, and his
right jab is immediately in Ding’s face. Ding catches a kick,
rushes forward and corrals Souza against the fence with a flurry of
punches that mostly glance off the arms. With under a minute to go,
they have returned to the center of the cage and Ding is very much
the aggressor, charging into range with punches. The horn sounds.
10-9 Ding.
Round 3
Between rounds, Souza refutes his cornermen’s claim that he’s
winning the fight, and we’d have to agree. In any case, he is
southpaw once again and comes forward with that long right jab.
Ding is patient, flicking out low kicks and trying to answer
Souza’s jab with his own. Ding’s mix of vertical and lateral
movement in the pocket are making it difficult for Souza to land
anything clean. Ding is trying his own jab much more than he was
when Souza was in orthodox stance, but it’s still coming up badly
short. Ding steps into range with three punches, but Souza parries
them and answers with a left cross. Ding lands his first really
solid kick to the lead right leg of southpaw Souza and the leg
nearly buckles, not good news for a man already down to Plan B on
the feet. Ding is pursuing, but failing to cut off the cage, his
footwork not nearly as slick off the front foot. However, he
manages to corral his man against the fence and clocks him with a
nice overhand right before Souza slides out the side. Souza plants
his feet near the middle of the cage and lands a good left hand,
but then starts doing some strange showboating or taunting with
nearly 30 seconds left, pointing variously at the Octagon floor,
the crowd and his opponent. It doesn’t accomplish anything, but it
also doesn’t quite cost him the round, on our scorecard at least.
The horn sounds on the first mediocre fight of the night. 10-9
Souza (29-28 Ding).
The Official Result
Jose Henrique Souza def. Meng Ding via Split Decision (29-28,
29-28, 28-29)
Luis
Felipe Dias (184.5) vs. Yi Sak Lee
(185)
BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Dias (-170); Lee (+140)
Round 1
The top prelim of UFC Macau sees yet another pair of newcomers, as
Dias (17-5) and Lee (8-1) meet in a middleweight clash. Both
fighters are in orthodox stance, and they meet in the middle of the
cage at a word from referee Lukasz Bosacki. Both fighters are very
wary in the early going, and it’s well over 30 seconds before Dias
is the first to commit to a hard strike: a left leg kick. Lee
answers with one of his own, and he starts to get busier with his
hands. Lee throws a low kick and Dias tries unsuccessfully to trap
the leg. Dias lands a leg kick, slips the counterpunch and lands a
punch of his own. A moment later he does it again, going first and
third, and the punch sits Lee down. Dias lets Lee pop back up and
they go back to work. Lee lands a leg kick, but his strikes are
starting to come at three-quarter speed, likely in anticipation of
Dias’s counter.
Under two minutes to go, and Dias crushes Lee with a short right
hand that drops him to his knees once again. Dias swarms with
punches and two or three get through. Bosacki dives in for the
stoppage, which looks as if it might be quick, but Lee is shaky as
he stands and makes only a token protest. Violent work by the
Brazilian newcomer.
The Official Result
Luis Henrique Dias def. Yi Sak Lee R1 3:40 via TKO (Punches)
Su
Mudaerji (126) vs. Alex Perez
(125.5)
BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Perez (-140); Mudaerji (+115)
Round 1
The six-fight main card kicks off with Sumudaerji (19-7; 6-4 UFC)
looking to put the brakes on a ghastly 0-4 run for Chinese fighters
thus far—even if one was an iffy decision—against perennial
flyweight contender Perez (26-10; 8-6 UFC). The referee is Mark
Craig. Perez is standing orthodox, Sumudaerji southpaw, and the
“Tibetan Eagle” towers over the American. There are a couple of
awkward-looking collisions at kicking range as both men learn to
navigate the distance on the feet, but neither man has landed much
of consequence a minute in when Perez drives his foe to the cage.
He takes an underhook and punches with the free hand, perhaps
looking for a takedown opportunity, but makes no real attempt to do
so before Sumudaerji shoves him off. They reset and Perez surges
forward with a trio of hard punches that back Sumudaerji off. Half
the round gone and it’s still an awkward, somewhat tentative fight,
with each fighter taking turns exploding with bursts of offense,
but most of the hardest shots are coming from Perez, who is having
an increasingly easy time getting inside the taller man’s range and
landing to the head. Perez changes levels for a takedown and
Sumudaerji sprawls beautifully. With 30 seconds to go, the Tibetan
drops for a surprise takedown of his own and is snared in a tight
guillotine. Perez adjusts his grip and Sumudaerji is stuck, but in
danger of being choked, until the horn. 10-9 Perez.
Round 2
In the first serious exchange of the round, Sumudaerji lands a
clean left hand that hurts Perez badly. He gives chase, landing in
Perez’s half guard and dropping big shots. Some are blocked, but
enough get through cleanly that referee Craig is looking on with
new interest. Perez recovers, however, and once he wraps his foe
back up in full guard, the action slows enough that Craig stands
them up. Seconds later, Sumudaerji reaches out with a left front
kick that impacts the cup of Perez, who goes down as if shot with a
Taser. Perez motions for a bucket and promptly (and loudly) vomits.
UFC color commentator Laura Sanko is nauseated by the sound of
Perez retching, and we’re right there with her. Perez appears to
recover, but then calls for the bucket once again and hurls. We
still don’t know whether this thing is going to resume, but Craig
indicates that Sumudaerji is being docked a point. After the
prescribed five-minute break for the foul, Perez is still unable to
stand, let alone fight, and Craig waves it off. Considering that he
had already called the foul a point deduction, that should mean we
have a disqualification on the way, but we get a no contest instead
because rules don’t mean anything.
The Official Result
Alex Perez vs. Su Mudaerji ends R2 1:45 via No Contest (Inadvertent
Groin Strike)
Carlston
Harris (170.5) vs. Jake
Matthews (170)
BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Mattthews (-325); Harris (+250)
Round 1
Thankfully no human ejecta had to be mopped off the mat before
welterweights Matthews (22-8; 15-8 UFC) and Harris (19-7; 4-3 UFC)
go to work under the watchful eye of referee Jason Herzog. Harris
is here on three weeks’ notice in place of Muslim Salkihov, who
withdrew due to injury. Both gentlemen are in orthodox stance, and
the contrast in stances and styles is fascinating: Matthews
compact, with a high guard, the lanky “Mocambique” with a wider,
looser kickboxer’s stance. Through the first minute there is little
action; both fighters throw, but the cleanest contacts are a pair
of inadvertent head clashes in the pocket. Hopefully that does not
portend another weird finish here. Matthews starts to land more
cleanly, tagging Harris with a pair of one-twos, and the Guyana
native goes staggering backward. Matthews pursues, a bit too
aggressively, as Harris meets him with a pair of wild haymakers
that glance but still have a visible effect. “The Celtic Kid”
shakes it off, composes himself and goes back to work with his
clean, basic boxing combinations, and more of what he throws is
landing solidly. Under 90 seconds to go and Harris appears to be
largely recovered, but Matthews is continuing to catch him cleanly
with two- and three-piece combos. He slips a big punch from Harris
and clips him with a counter left hook. Matthews nais Harris with a
right uppercut-left hook combo at the 10-second clapper that has
him staggering at the horn. 10-9 Matthews.
Round 2
Harris shoots for a takedown instantly, switching to a guard pull
when Matthews sprawls. Matthews transitions straight into a mounted
triangle choke, but can’t quite secure it. He lets it go but ends
up in Harris’ half guard. Harris sits up into octopus guard, trying
to sweep or at least get his head out of the way, but Matthews is
all over it, and flattens Harris onto his back. Matthews is still
in half guard, possibly framing up a topside choke. Harris grabs a
guillotine, but it’s on the opposite side and will only get him
into trouble. He lets it go, but has nearly succeeded in getting
full guard. Then, in a flash, Matthews cuts through Harris’s guard
and slides to mount. With a minute to go, Matthews is dropping
short elbows. Harris gets back half guard, but Matthews attacks the
far arm with a kimura. Harris rolls through to top position, but
Matthews keeps the arm and is still working on it at the horn. 10-9
Matthews.
Round 3
“The Celtic Kid” has put in 10 minutes of largely dominant work
thus far, but his corner yells at him to get the finish, and he
comes out aggressively. However, it’s Harris who lands first, with
a pair of grazing shots. Matthews comes back with a right hand that
blasts Harris so hard that he goes down headfirst, his forehead
clattering off the Octagon floor. The second impact might actually
have woken Harris up, but he is clearly still dazed as Matthews
follows him to the canvas and takes his back instantly. Matthews
with a body triangle and four full minutes to work, and he looks
for a rear-naked choke. He can’t get it, and doesn’t like something
about the position, so he moves to top position and sets up in his
opponent’s half guard. The midpoint of the round passes and Harris
appears to be recovered, but he’s in a huge hole here. Matthews is
still in half guard, but riding fairly high and clearly looking to
pass to mount as he drops elbows and short punches at the base of
the cage. Matthews applies heavy pressure, then moves to mount,
looking for a shoulder choke. It looks as if he might get it, but
after a few moments, he gives up on it and starts dropping punches.
The 10-second clapper sounds, and Harris will hear the final horn.
10-8 Matthews (30-26 Matthews).
The Official Result
Jake Matthews def. Carlston Harris via Unanimous Decision (30-25,
30-27, 30-27)
Kai
Asakura (135.5) vs. Cameron
Smotherman (135.5)
BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Asakura (-275); Smotherman (+225)
Round 1
Next up at UFC Macau are a pair of bantamweights who could really
use a win, as Asakura (21-6; 0-2 UFC) and Smotherman (12-6; 1-2
UFC) have both underperformed thus far, compared to expectations.
For former
Rizin Fighting Federation star Asakura, it is a return to
bantamweight, where his best pre-UFC wins took place anyway. Both
men are in orthodox stance when Marc Goddard sends them into
battle, and while Smotherman does look a tad larger, Asakura does
not look at all like a blown-up flyweight. The early exchanges are
cautious, mostly single strikes, with none of the exotic flying
attacks that comprise so much of his highlight reel, but his speed
advantage is obvious. He splits the guard of Smotherman with a
couple of punches that land and hurt, then drops him to a knee with
a beautiful switch right hook that wraps around the guard.
Smotherman manages to get back to his feet, but as he staggers back
towards the fence, Asakura lands two left hooks. The second one
puts Smotherman out completely, face down on the canvas where he
remains for a long time. Absolutely sensational knockout from
Kai Asakura.
The Official Result
Kai Asakura def. Cameron Smotherman R1 1:50 via KO (Punches)
Sergei
Pavlovich (257) vs. Tallison
Teixeira (250)
BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Pavlovich (-600); Teixeira (+450)
Round 1
The feature fight of UFC Macau is also the only heavyweight bout on
the card, and on a night with five first-round finishes in 10
fights so far, knockout merchants Pavlovich (20-3; 8-3 UFC) and
Teixeira (9-1; 2-1 UFC) may well push us over .500 in that recard.
Lukasz Bosacki is the referee, and the big men take the center of
the Octagon in matching orthodox stances. Pavlovich surges forward
swinging huge punches with both hands.
He crushes the massive Brazilian with an overhand right, misses
with a left as Teixeira stumbles backward, then catches him with
another right and the tall man goes down in a heap. Another
follow-up punch glances off, but Bosacki is already diving in to
stave off further punishment. After two straight
uncharacteristic decision wins in 2025, Sergei Pavlovich has just
turned in a vintage performance.
The Official Result
Sergei Pavlovich def. Tallison Teixeira R1 0:39 via TKO
(Punches)
Alonzo
Menifield (206) vs. Mingyang
Zhang (205)
BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Zhang (-250); Menifield (+200)
Round 1
Make that six first-round finishes in 11 fights, and with that,
it’s over to you two, Zhang (19-7; 3-1 UFC) and Menifield (17-6-1;
10-6-1 UFC). Also, no pressure, Zhang, but Chinese fighters are 0-5
with two chances to go. The light heavyweight co-main event will be
overseen by Marc Goddard. Both kickboxers are in orthodox stance
and quickly meet in the middle of the cage, where they exchange a
wild flurry of punches in close quarters. Both men land solidly,
and Menifield is stung by one of the blows, but catches Zhang with
a clean counter. They take a mere second to reset and then swing
away once again. It’s starting to look as if this thing might be
over inside of 30 seconds, but the fighters take a deep breath and
compose themselves. The composure does not last, however; after a
brief respite in which they clinch against the fence for a few
moments, Menifield explodes with punches and Zhang throws back.
Menifield is hurt! Zhang follows with a string of right hands, and
a few land, but
Menifield staggers a step back, shakes off the cobwebs and crushes
Zhang with a powerful left jab, then a right uppercut, left hook
combo that puts Zhang on his seat at the base of the fence. He
drops several left hands to the head of the turtled and dazed
“Mountain Tiger” and referee Goddard has seen enough. The
Galaxy Arena goes dead silent as Alonzo Menifield has capped off a
wild round by knocking out China’s most promising up-and-coming
fighter north of lightweight.
The Official Result
Alonzo Menifield def. Mingyang Zhang R1 4:15 via TKO
(Punches)
Yadong Song
(136) vs. Deiveson
Figueiredo (135.5)
BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Song (-550); Figueiredo (+425)
Round 1
Help us, Song Yadong, you’re China’s only hope for a win on home
soil. The main event sees “The Kung Fu Kid” (22-9-1, 1 NC; 11-4-1
UFC) trying to make the elusive step up to true title contention
against former flyweight great Figueiredo (25-6-1; 14-6-1 UFC). For
those keeping track at home, we’re also sitting at a blistering
seven first-round finishes in 12 fights. The final referee
assignment of the evening falls to Jason Herzog. Song is orthodox,
Figueiredo as well, but the Brazilian is switching stances
constantly in the early going. Subjectively, Figueiredo gives up
some size to the burly Song, but it’s far from the biggest size
disparity we’ve seen tonight. I’m writing these side notes because,
through 90 seconds, neither man has really committed to more than a
single probing strike here and there. Song bursts forward into the
pocket with a big right cross, but Figueiredo slips and most of the
impact misses him. Song reaches out with a jab to the midsection,
then an outside calf kick. Figueiredo is still moving laterally,
switching stances, and remaining well within range, but through
three minutes, he’s still barely throwing. Figrueiredo changes
levels for a takedown attempt, but Song slides out of range without
even needing to sprawl. With under a minute to go, Song is stalking
forward at a deliberate pace, reaching out with his jab anytime he
gets within range. Song throws a strike and slips on an Octagon
decal. The savvy Figueiredo takes advantage instantly, diving into
Song’s guard, but there’s less than 30 seconds left and he can’t
get anything going before the horn sounds on a frankly weird and
tentative round. 10-9 Song
Round 2
Figueiredo comes out in southpaw to open Round 2, and he flicks out
a left high kick that clatters off of Song’s arm and shoulder. Song
steps back out of range of a spinning attack, and the two grin
briefly and slap hands before returning to work. Song lands an
overhand right, then touches the lead right leg of southpaw
Figueiredo with a slapping calf kick. Figueiredo enters the pocket,
possibly looking for a takedown, and they practically tumble past
each other. They reset in the middle of the cage (and the middle of
the round) and Song lands a calf kick that buckles his foe’s left
leg. Figueiredo tries to change levels and Song, again, is just not
there. There’s a minute left in the round, and Figueiredo simply
hasn’t gotten off much offense of the feet.
Figueiredo drops for a double-leg, shooting right into Song’s front
headlock. There might be a tear in Urijah Faber’s eye as Song drops
to his seat with an airtight guillotine choke that is vintage Team
Alpha. Figueiredo is tapping frantically in seconds, and the
Galaxy Arena explodes with jubilation as its favorite fighting son
jumps up to celebrate.
The Official Result
Yadong Song def. Deiveson Figueiredo R2 4:42 via Submission
(Guillotine Choke)