Measurement mattered in Saturday evening’s conflict of ladies’s MMA greats.
Valentina Shevchenko thwarted Zhang Weili’s try at turning into the second feminine fighter to win UFC titles in two weight lessons, defending the flyweight crown with a unanimous choice victory at Madison Sq. Backyard within the UFC 322 co-main occasion.
Shevchenko bullied the smaller Zhang, who relinquished her strawweight title this 12 months with the intention to transfer up 10 kilos and chase historical past.
At any time when inclined, the champion from Kyrgyzstan took down her opponent and labored to dominant positions to ship floor strikes.
Zhang at occasions discovered a house for her punches, which did possess some zip.
However former Muay Thai competitor Shevchenko was by no means in hassle all through the 25 minutes, on the toes or on the canvas, as she tallied her eleventh victory in a flyweight title combat throughout two separate reigns since 2018.
Bo Nickal made few followers a 12 months in the past at Backyard.
In transferring to 2-0 right here Saturday evening, he certain didn’t thoughts letting them know the way a lot he didn’t care.
The previous three-time NCAA champion wrestler at Penn State secured a head kick knockout of Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Rodolfo Vieira within the third spherical of their middleweight bout, then promptly scaled the octagon fence and flipped the hen at these in attendance.
Nickal’s victory within the enviornment final November drew boos from the group over it taking part in out as an earthly kickboxing contest with submission ace Paul Craig.
The embellished novice wrestler swore since then, and within the wake of his first MMA loss in April in opposition to Reinier de Ridder, that he had moved on from the considered pleasing followers.
But when a sure sort of fan isn’t swayed by his middle-finger salute within the face of critics, he might find yourself endearing himself to combat followers with extra thrilling finishes just like the one he secured Saturday.
Even earlier than the welterweight title was put up for grabs in the principle occasion between champion Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev, the contender panorama at 170 kilos endured a violent face carry.
Michael Morales stopped Sean Brady with a number of punches for the KO within the first spherical.
His win got here one bout after Carlos Prates put Leon Edwards to sleep through a straight left hand.
Morales, at simply 26, moved to 19-0 as a professional with a win over the Philadelphia native, who had been on the cusp of a championship alternative.
The Colombian may himself be only a combat away from difficult for gold, if he didn’t already punch his ticket on the Backyard.
Prates put additional distance between a loss to Ian Machado Garry in April by securing his second consecutive win by spectacular knockout, this time sending former welterweight champ Edwards to his third consecutive loss.
UFC 322 featured extra fighters from Pennsylvania than from New York and New Jersey mixed, however the two locals every left victorious all the identical.
Erin Blanchfield, of Elmwood Park, N.J., submitted Tracy Cortez through rear-naked choke within the second spherical of their rematch.
Cortez had gained the primary assembly earlier than they have been within the UFC — when Blanchfield was simply 19 in February 2019.
That victory adopted 25-year-old teammate Fatima Kline, a local of Hyde Park, choosing up a dominant choice win in opposition to veteran Angela Hill.
