Magomed Ankalaev sent a statement to the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight division after defeating former title challenger Thiago Santos in the main event of UFC Fight Night 203.
The fight began with Santos (22-10) looking to throw bombs, but Ankalaev (16-1) was able to dodge the strikes and counter with his own. "Marreta" struggled to find his range as the Russian walked him down and never stopped advancing. However, Santos finally landed a punch that wobbled Ankalaev late in Round 2, which tilted the frame decisively in his favor.
After a tepid third round that could've gone either way, Santos started off hot in Round 4 by winging punches and going for a flying knee. However, Ankalaev would battle back and land a takedown to finish the round in top position. The fifth and final frame was spent on their feet with Ankalaev landing damaging knees from the clinch and straight punches at distance. After 25 minutes, the judges awarded Ankalaev a unanimous decision victory with scores of 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47.
Ankalaev has now won eight straight fights in the UFC since dropping his debut to Paul Craig.
Song Obliterates Moraes
In the co-main event, Yadong Song cemented himself as a flyweight contender with an emphatic win over Marlon Moraes.
Song (19-6-1, 1 NC) wasted no time against the veteran flyweight as he came out swinging. While Moraes (23-10-1) showed some solid striking early, it was Song that landed a gorgeous uppercut that knocked out "Magic." The end came at the 2:06 mark of Round 1.
"Kung Fu Monkey" has now won three straight UFC bouts.
Yusuff Outworks Caceres
The night's featured featherweight bout saw Sodiq Yusuff look to rebound against UFC mainstay Alex Caceres.
The opening frame saw "Bruce Leeroy" use his veteran savvy as he effectively dodged the offense of Yusuff (12-2) and managed to take the fight to the ground. Round 2 would see "Super" Sodiq score with some damaging leg kicks that Caceres (19-13, 1 NC) failed to check and start finding his rhythm on the feet. Yusuff would continue to find success in the final frame, although neither man came close to finishing the other, and won a unanimous decision with scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 in his favor.
With the triumph, Yusuff is now 5-1 inside the Octagon.
Dober Survives Scare From McKinney
Drew Dober had to survive a scare from Terrance McKinney but the veteran lightweight came out victorious.
McKinney (12-4) wasted no time as a flurry of punches knocked down Dober early in the first round. However, Dober would weather the storm and then hurt "T.Wrecks" with a well-placed knee. Some brutal ground and pound would finish off McKinney as the referee stepped in and waved the bout off at the 3:17 mark.
Dober advances to 23-11, 1 NC in his mixed martial arts career.
Pereira Outlands Silva
The UFC Fight Night 203 main card kicked off with middleweight action courtesy of Alex Pereira and Bruno Silva.
Silva (22-7) showed off his striking skills early and was able to tag "Poatan" several times, but it was Pereira (5-1) that ended the round with a significant combination that changed the momentum for the rest of the fight. The two Brazilian fighters would go back-and-forth in Round 2, but Pereira landed the more telling shots. The final frame would see "Poatan" clearly hurt Silva multiple times, who would survive but clearly lost the round.
After 15 minutes, all three judges scored the bout 30-27 in favor of Pereira.
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