Teixeira Defeats Blachowicz and Father Time for Light Heavyweight Title
Glover Teixeira defied all odds and continued his win streak to a Light Heavyweight championship win against the now former champion Jan Blachowicz. In a battle between two of the most respectful fighters in the UFC, Teixeira took Blachowicz down in the first round and controlled him. The second round was more competitive until Teixeira rocked Blachowicz with a left hook then took him to the ground once again. It didn’t take long for the 42 year old to put in the rear naked choke for his first UFC title. The Brazilian who has relocated to Danbury, Connecticut now finds himself as the oldest UFC champion since Randy Couture held the heavyweight belt at 45 years old. In a very talented 205 pound division, he will likely have his first title defense against Jiří Procházka of the Czech Republic. Suddenly the Light Heavyweight Division has become the feel good division for fighters who make surprising runs to the title.
Petr Yan Wins Bantamweight Interim Title in Exciting Duel
Yan and Cory Sandhagen put on a show in a back and forth mostly standing match up. Sandhagen started out strong with great movement, unpredictable striking, and constantly changing stances/level changes. As each round passed, Yan seemed to figure Sandhangen’s movement out and get more comfortable with fast and powerful strikes. Sandhagen was game, surviving a few punches that would likely finish most fighters, but Yan’s efficiency eventually led to a unanimous decision win. Yan now will await champion Aljimain Sterling, who Yan lost his belt to by disqualification due to illegal knee. The bad blood has already been ongoing through twitter and will certainly lead to one hell of a tense matchup whenever it takes place.
Makhachev Train Keeps Chugging Through Hooker
The best UFC lightweight might have been fighting tonight. No, that’s not Charles Oliveira or Dustin Poirier, but Dagestan prodigy Islam Makhachev. With a 21-1 record and nine straight wins, Makhachev might have earned a title shot after a dominating first round victory over Dan Hooker via kimura. Makhachev looks like a nearly spitting image of training partner and arguably the greatest lightweight of all time, Khabib Nurmagomedov. Hooker, one of the best in the division, was taken down shortly after the fight started and was instantly in deep water as Makhachev went into complete control with his world class wrestling. It will be interesting to see if the UFC still decides to offer a title shot to the winner of Justin Gaethje/Michael Chandler. Barring a phenomenal finish, I think Makhachev might deserve the shot.
Volkov Gets Nod Over Tybura in Heavyweight Tilt
In a fight that had both fighters noticeably winded by the end, Alexander Volkov defeated Marcin Tybura to get back to his winning ways. It was not the most impressive win for Volkov as he seemed extremely gassed in the middle of the second round. Thanks to Tybura also losing energy in the third round and Volkov pushing more pace, he was able to get his third win in four fights. It’s hard to know what to do with Volkov next. He has losses to Interim Champion Ciryl Gane as well as Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis. Volkov was ranked #5 heading into this match, but it feels like he hasn’t quite had that big, title shot earning win against an elite contender. Even though this particular fight wasn’t the most impressive, the talented heavyweight from Russia should get that opportunity now.
Chimaev Returns With Another Dominating Victory
It would be hard to find another fighter who has started their UFC career in more dominating fashion than Khamzat Chimaev. The welterweight who is taking the MMA world by storm has won all four of his UFC fights by finish with only one making it out of the first round. Today’s win against Li Jingliang is his most high profile and will officially put him in a ranked position. The Swedish phenom has only been struck once in all four fights as his dominating grappling makes his opponents feel like they are in quicksand and succumbing to defeat is only inevitable. Considering Jingliang was a big step up in competition and ranked #11 in the division, it’s hard to know what Chimaev’s next fight will be or if there is even anyone who would be too big a step at this point. With the Kamara Usman/Colby Covington next weekend, the winner should keep a lookout for Chimaev. Objects in your rear view mirror are closer than they appear and this welterweight contender is speeding towards the title picture.
Ankalaev Answers the Call
Light Heavyweight contender Magomed Ankalaev gained his seventh straight and most impressive win yet by defeating former title contender Volkan Oezdemir. Ankalaev showed excellent stand up skills in his unanimous decision win. The Russian’s striking was too quick and precise for Oezdemir, which allowed him to control the entire fight. Ankalaev has quietly pushed his way up the rankings and looks like he could be a handful for anyone in the division. If Ankalaev gets a win against a top five ranked opponent in his next fight, he may be knocking on the door for a title shot.