Mr. Finland gets it done in England 🇫🇮
[
#UFCLondon | LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/Pd4u5t6bR7— UFC (@ufc)
March 19, 2022
Makwan
Amirkhani steadied himself in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division, as he
put Mike
Grundy to sleep with an anaconda choke in the first round of
their featured
UFC Fight Night 204 prelim on Saturday at the O2 Arena in
London. Grundy (12-4, 1-3 UFC) lost consciousness 57 seconds into
Round 1.
Amirkhani (17-7, 7-5 UFC), who entered the cage in a three-fight
tailspin, countered an ill-conceived takedown with the choke.
Sensing he was in real danger, Grundy rolled and repositioned
himself in a bid to escape. However, Amirkhani was wise to those
efforts, zip-tied one of his legs to create additional
leverage and waited for the Team Kaobon export to go limp.
The win was Amirkhani’s first since July 11, 2020.
Pavlovich Buries Reeling Abdurakhimov
Ex-Fight Nights Global champion Sergei
Pavlovich made his first appearance in more than two years a
memorable one, as he cut down Shamil
Abdurakhimov with punches in the first round of their
heavyweight duel. Abdurakhimov (20-7, 5-5 UFC) met his end 4:03
into Round 1, suffering his third straight defeat.
Pavlovich (15-1, 3-1 UFC) flexed his might behind a seven-foot
wingspan. He decked Abdurakhimov with a straight-line uppercut,
trailed him to the canvas and cut loose with a volley of unanswered
hammerfists and punches until referee Daniel Movahedi had seen
enough.
It marked the 12th first-round finish of the 29-year-old
Pavlovich’s 16-fight career.
Craig Triangle Vanquishes Krylov
Former British Association of Mixed Martial Arts champion Paul Craig
submitted Nikita
Krylov with a triangle choke in the first round of their light
heavyweight clash. Craig (16-4-1, 8-4-1 UFC) brought it to a
dramatic close 3:57 into Round 1, recording his fourth consecutive
victory.
Krylov (27-9, 8-7 UFC) seized the reins at the start. He moved into
top position, hammered Craig with elbows and appeared to have him
teetering on the brink with a series of brutal standing-to-ground
punches. The Scotsman refused to wilt, caught the overzealous Krylov in a triangle choke
from the bottom and let his squeeze do the rest.
The 30-year-old Krylov has lost four of his past six bouts.
Undefeated Shore Bests Valiev
Onetime
Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Jack Shore
kept his perfect professional record intact, as he took a unanimous
decision from Timur
Valiev in a three-round bantamweight scrap. Shore (16-0, 5-0
UFC) swept the scorecards with 29-28, 29-28 and 29-27 marks from
the cageside judges.
A short-notice replacement for Umar
Nurmagomedov, Valiev (18-3, 2-1 UFC) did his best work in a
second round that saw him deliver a pair of takedowns and largely
neutralize the Welshman. It was not enough to keep Shore at bay.
The promising 27-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt controlled
the majority of their standup exchanges and floored Valiev twice in
the third round. Shore also incorporated two takedowns across the
final five minutes and managed to shed a tight guillotine choke
from the World Series of Fighting veteran.
The loss was Valiev’s first since Feb. 20, 2016.
Reed Upends Favored McKenna
Former
Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder Elise Reed
rebounded from her July 24 technical knockout loss to Sijara
Eubanks with a split decision over Cory
McKenna in a three-round women’s strawweight affair. Judge
Derek Cleary saw it 30-27 for McKenna, while Anders Ohlsson and
Clemens Werner struck 29-28 scorecards for Reed.
It was a largely uneventful exercise. Reed (5-1, 1-1 UFC) leaned on
her trusted right hand, mixed in occasional kicks and staggered the
Team Alpha Male product with a multi-punch burst in the third
round. McKenna (6-2, 1-1 UFC) executed takedowns in all three
rounds and paired them with modest ground-and-pound, but those
efforts failed to turn the tide in her favor.
The setback snapped McKenna’s four-fight winning streak.
Mokaev Guillotine Submits Durden
Undefeated blue-chip prospect Muhammad
Mokaev did not disappoint in his promotional debut, as he
submitted former Valor Fighting Challenge champion Cody Durden
with a guillotine choke in the first round of their flyweight
pairing. Durden (12-4-1, 1-2-1 UFC) checked out 58 seconds into
Round 1.
Mokaev (7-0, 1-0 UFC) drilled his counterpart with a flying knee
and caught the choke when the Covington, Georgia, native tried to
scramble back to his feet. Durden attempted to slam himself free
but only wandered deeper into danger once the two men hit the
canvas. Mokaev tightened the screws on the choke and
prompted the tapout from the American Top Team rep.
It was the second sub-minute finish of the 21-year-old Mokaev’s
career.