In a memorable encounter, Brazilian kickboxer Alex Pereira has added a second Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) weight class gold to his tally. The victory came about when Pereira secured a win over Jiri Prochazka, ending their UFC 295 headliner with a series of blows in the vacant light heavyweight title clash. The fight was held at Madison Square Garden, New York. Prochazka was defeated in the second round at 4:08, bringing an end to their much-awaited fight.
Pereira demonstrated impressive control and composure throughout the match, keeping his cool despite Prochazka’s aggressive stance. The former is now the first man to have ever won UFC championships at both 185 and 205 pounds. Prochazka, after being significantly affected by Pereira’s strong kicks, decided to move the fight to the floor in the second half of the first round. While he managed to land a few blows in the second round, it was Pereira’s right hand and counter left hook that finally brought him down. At this point, referee Marc Goddard called for a stop, making Pereira the definitive winner. This defeat is an important one for Prochazka, being his first since December 31, 2015, and ending his 13-match winning streak.
In the interim heavyweight championship, Tom Aspinall secured a spectacular victory over Sergei Pavlovich, settling it with punches in the first round. Aspinall ended the fight just 69 seconds into round 1. Although Pavlovich began strong with a left hook, he was unable to maintain that momentum leading to Aspinall’s definitive win. In this co-main event, Aspinall’s win marked his tenth victory in his past 11 UFC appearances. In another striking match, Benoit St. Denis claimed his victory over Matt Frevola with a head kick and a series of follow-up punches in their lightweight bout’s first round. This marked the first setback for Frevola in over two years, and with this win, St. Denis is on a winning streak with five finishes in a row.
The featherweight encounter between Lobo Gym’s Diego Lopes and former Cage Fury Fighting Champions titleholder Pat Sabatini ended with Lopes winning the match in the first round. Sabatini managed to land a right hook within the first minute, but Lopes soon took over. The match ended with Lopes landing a precise right hand on Sabatini, followed by a flurry of punches till referee Keith Peterson called for a halt. This win has put Lopes on a strong footing with four of his past five fights ending in his favor.