Considering how the first fight between Sterling and Yan unfolded, an interim title fight involving Yan was a fitting solution. Sterling was replaced by Sandhagen one month ago after not receiving medical clearance to fight.
There are no qualms with this one, though. The UFC has far too frequently over the years handed out interim titles haphazardly either as a marketing tool or as a punitive way to send a message to an undisputed champion. Yan was originally scheduled to fight reigning 135-pound champion Aljamain Sterling in a rematch of their controversial UFC 259 fight this past March in which Sterling became the first fighter in UFC history to win a title on a disqualification after Yan landed an illegal knee late in the fourth round of a fight he was winning handily. Petr Yan had his hand raised thanks to a unanimous decision over Cory Sandhagen, earning an interim bantamweight title and Fight of the Night performance bonus for his efforts. If you appreciate the intricacies of elite-level MMA then you undoubtedly loved UFC 267’s co-main event. Yan’s title worth more than other interim belts The 27-year-old claims he’s capable of beating any welterweight on the planet right now and, realistically, between this latest performance and his overall momentum, there’s a chance he’d be listed as the odds-on betting favourite over any active welterweight not named Kamaru Usman or Colby Covington.
Prior to his year-plus layoff he was in line to face top-three welterweight contender Leon Edwards last December but it fell apart after Chimaev’s COVID diagnosis.įewer than half of Chimaev’s 10 pro wins have been at welterweight – he also regularly competes in the bigger middleweight division – so scheduling him against a top-three contender so early in his career speaks to his immense talent and potential. A 127:1 strikes landed-to-absorbed ratio is unheard of.Ĭhimaev has barely broken a sweat on his way to a 10-0 pro record and his rise to contender status is unlike anything UFC fans have seen in years. In fact, Chimaev has been a statistical anomaly, landing 254 total strikes in his four UFC bouts while absorbing only two. Heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is the only fighter riding a longer active finishing streak than Chimaev’s run of four in a row. Well, the Chechen who lives and trains in Sweden returned with an emphatic first-round stoppage victory over Li Jingliang and reminded anyone who might’ve forgotten that he appears to be a legitimate future title contender.Ĭhimaev rendered Jingliang unconscious with a rear-naked choke and it only took him a few breaths beyond the three-minute mark of the first round to do so. Khamzat Chimaev burst onto the UFC scene in 2020 with three dominant victories in a three-month span before a bout with COVID-19 and subsequent lengthy recovery resulted in him being out of action for 13 months. Teixiera, who debuted in 2002 and holds wins over former UFC champions Rashad Evans, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Rcco Rodriguez, has now won seven consecutive outings over the past three years.Ĭhimaev sends message in anticipated return
The improbable achievement comes after Teixiera worked his way back into title contention following a previous title fight loss to Jon Jones plus knockout losses to Anthony Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson. The 42-year-old is the second-oldest champion in UFC history behind Randy Couture, who won the heavyweight title from Tim Sylvia in 2007 several months before his 44th birthday.
The Brazilian earned the biggest win of his career with a second-round submission over Jan Blachowicz. Teixeira reaches pinnacle almost 20 years after MMA debutĪt their best, sports can simultaneously entertain and inspire and Glover Teixiera’s performance in the main event ticked both boxes. That set the tone for a thrilling six-fight main card that saw a new light-heavyweight champion crowned and an interim bantamweight title awarded.
The preliminary card concluded with four consecutive knackering knock-arounds where the eight competitors landed a combined 764 strikes in one hour of in-cage fight time. The UFC returned to the aptly named Fight Island on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island for the first time since January and Saturday’s stacked UFC 267 card had an international flavour that delivered a slew of memorable results.Įleven countries in total were represented at Etihad Arena on the 14-fight card on which Russian fighters went 8-1 against non-Russian opponents.