UFC Battle Night time response – Magomed Ankalaev proves he can go 5 rounds, Music Yadong flashes energy in Marlon Moraes knockout

Magomed Ankalaev‘s sport plan, a bit perplexing because the struggle unfolded, lastly made sense as he was being interviewed contained in the Octagon after his unanimous-decision victory over Thiago Santos in the primary occasion of Saturday’s UFC Battle Night time card in Las Vegas.

“I wished to struggle 5 rounds and see if I am prepared to check myself, if I am able to go all the way in which to the highest,” Ankalaev stated.

It was his eighth straight victory, and whereas it wasn’t a thrill-a-minute efficiency, he delivered an environment friendly and impressively in-control 25 minutes on an evening when expectations for him had been excessive. Ankalaev was the largest favourite on the cardboard, regardless of it being his first UFC principal occasion and regardless of his opposition being a onetime mild heavyweight title challenger.

Ankalaev (17-1) pushed ahead for the entire struggle, however he didn’t take that aggression to the following stage. He threw one strike at a time — when he threw something. Principally, he waited to counter Santos, and he paid the value in Spherical 2, when he was dropped by a left hand from the Brazilian fighter and spent the spherical’s last seconds absorbing punches on the bottom.

However that was about the one glimmer of success that Santos may muster, and the judges’ scores (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) mirrored that diploma of management by his Russian opponent.

Ankalaev known as for a title struggle after his win. However the 29-year-old could be higher served by testing himself as soon as extra towards a contender earlier than difficult the winner of Glover Teixeira‘s June 11 title protection towards Jiri Prochazka. Maybe Ankalaev, who entered the night time at No. Eight within the ESPN mild heavyweight rankings, ought to tackle seventh-ranked Anthony Smith. (Smith stated as a lot as a part of his evaluation on the postfight present, and he wasn’t essentially being self-serving.)

Regardless that Ankalaev’s championship callout appeared untimely, he does now personal the second-longest mild heavyweight win streak in UFC historical past (tied with Lyoto Machida, 5 behind Jon Jones). And in line with ESPN Stats & Info analysis, solely 4 fighters within the UFC’s trendy period have gained eight in a row and never competed for a title (Arnold Allen, Islam Makhachev, Leon Edwards and Michel Prazeres). As is the case for a few of these fighters, Ankalaev’s time is close to.

Music was on course, in his struggle and his callout

The Group Alpha Male vs. Dominick Cruz rivalry lives.

Cruz fought Alpha Male crew chief Urijah Faber thrice. After Cruz misplaced a WEC title problem towards Faber in 2007, Cruz gained twice within the UFC in profitable defenses of the UFC bantamweight championship — in 2011 and 2016. Cruz grew to become a two-time champ earlier than the second Faber win in 2016 over then-Alpha Male fighter TJ Dillashaw. Earlier than that, Cruz beat Alpha Male’s Joseph Benavidez. And Cruz even misplaced the belt to a Group Alpha Male fighter, Cody Garbrandt.

On Saturday, after the newest Alpha Male contender, Song Yadong, scored a first-round knockout of Marlon Moraes, he made a callout: “I wish to struggle subsequent Dominick Cruz. … I’ve loads of respect for him. … I wish to struggle with him.”

That may be an applicable step up in competitors for Music, the 24-year-old from China who has gained three fights in a row, has only one loss in his previous 13 fights and is already 8-1-1 within the UFC. These dizzying numbers are an enormous purpose he was voted No. 1 in ESPN’s rankings of the top 25 MMA fighters under age 25.

And whereas Music had some good wins earlier than Saturday’s contained in the Octagon, this one was his greatest. Moraes is a former world champion within the World Sequence of Preventing and competed for the UFC bantamweight belt as not too long ago as 2019.

So for Music to name out a former two-time UFC champ who’s in a little bit of a profession resurgence makes an entire lot of sense, each when it comes to the 135-pound pecking order (Cruz is No. 9 within the ESPN rankings) and in extending an Alpha Male storyline. Plus, it could be a struggle to not miss.

Music merely took aside Moraes, who has been referred to as a quick starter who fades as a struggle wears on. Moraes got here in having misplaced three in a row and 4 of his earlier 5, and speaking a couple of resurgence. However Music didn’t give him an inch. The Chinese language fighter was throughout Moraes from the beginning, and it took him simply 2:06 to attain the knockout with a three-punch mixture punctuated by a crisp uppercut.

It was an exclamation-point end that ought to get loads of followers’ consideration — and hopefully Dom Cruz’s as nicely.

Pereira is headed in the proper route in middleweight division

Pereira’s unanimous-decision victory over Bruno Silva in the primary card opener was simply his sixth MMA struggle. However there’s already intrigue surrounding his future prospects.

Pereira is a former Glory kickboxing champion at each middleweight and lightweight heavyweight, and whereas his transition from that sport has taken some time, the minute he signed with the UFC final fall to compete at middleweight, there was curiosity in seeing him in a collision towards a fighter who’s already on the prime of the mountain.

That is as a result of two of Pereira’s 33 victories in kickboxing got here towards Israel Adesanya, who now reigns as UFC middleweight champion. In 2017, Pereira knocked Adesanya out. It was the one KO loss in Adesanya’s 75-5 kickboxing profession.

As a way to get to Adesanya contained in the Octagon, Pereira goes to have to point out he is greater than a kickboxer. He did so towards Silva by keeping off six of eight takedown makes an attempt, and getting again up with out taking injury on the 2 events when he was taken to the canvas.

However Silva, whereas he’s a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, does not sometimes function grappling in his arsenal. Plenty of different middleweights do. The massive query that can be answered in Pereira’s subsequent few fights is whether or not the grappling chops that Pereira is refining whereas coaching with mild heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira preserve him on his ft lengthy sufficient for him to rise by way of the 185-pound ranks.

Maverick bounces again into prospect standing

Keep in mind when Miranda Maverick was a younger flyweight prospect … till she wasn’t? Effectively, she is once more.

In December, the 24-year-old was voted No. 6 in ESPN’s ranking of the top 25 MMA fighters under age 25. (She had been No. 13 on our 2020 checklist.) However per week after these rankings had been printed, Maverick misplaced her second struggle in a row.

It wasn’t simply the defeat that doused Maverick’s hype. She was dominated by one other younger prospect, Erin Blanchfield, and the five-fight profitable streak that had preceded Maverick’s skid appeared like a distant reminiscence.

On Saturday, Maverick wasted no time in reminding everybody why she had a lot promise. Dealing with Sabina Mazo, who additionally introduced in a two-fight shedding streak after being an under-25 prospect (No. 12 within the ESPN rating), Maverick was aggressive from the beginning, placing Mazo on her again foot after which on her again. Maverick did not dish out a lot ground-and-pound in Spherical 1, however when the second spherical started, she took the struggle proper again to the canvas. And this time she sunk in a rear-naked choke to get the tapout at 2:15 of the spherical.

Maverick is powerful, technically sound, environment friendly and, above all else, assured. It is going to be enjoyable to see how far that may take her.

Prelim performer of the night time did not throw a single punch

The night began with 5 flashy finishes in a row, however the prelim efficiency of the night time belonged to Chris Tognoni.

Referees take warmth each week for his or her timing on struggle stoppages. Too quickly. Not quickly sufficient. And when a ref does get it proper, followers seldom acknowledge a job nicely carried out. Usually, they neglect the ref is even in there.

Tognoni acquired one proper within the card’s second struggle — and it simply may have gotten away from him. Halfway by way of Spherical 1 of a bantamweight bout, Kris Moutinho had simply been harm by Guido Cannetti, who was swarming him towards the cage. Moutinho is hard, although. He’d proven that final summer season in his UFC debut, by which he took a beating from Sean O’Malley for 27 seconds in need of three brutal rounds. He was displaying off his chin once more towards Cannetti, who was swinging huge punches on him and never lacking.

Moutinho did not go down, nevertheless it quickly appeared that he is perhaps out on his ft. And Tognoni jumped proper in, waving off the bout as a standing TKO.

Probably the most bloodthirsty among the many fan base little question had been dissatisfied. May Moutinho have possibly launched a comeback? It is unlikely, however positive, it is attainable. However a very powerful obligation entrusted to a fight sports activities referee is to guard a fighter. Typically which means defending a fighter from his personal toughness — and Tognoni did his job.