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This weekend’s UFC Fight Night event was hardly the most highly-anticipated, and that wasn’t helped when its headliner went down the pan just hours before it began. Despite losing its main event, UFC Fight Night: Andre Muniz vs. Brendan Allen did produce some watchable action, most notably on a truncated four-fight main card.
With six of the ten bouts on offer ending in finishes, it came as no surprise to see the promotion dishing out more post-fight bonuses than usual. With that in mind, here are the five best finishes from UFC Fight Night: Andre Muniz vs. Brendan Allen.
#5. Mike Malott defeated Yohan Lainesse via submission in a UFC welterweight bout
The main card opener on last night’s show saw two Canadians face off, as Mike Malott – who earned some hype for his impressive UFC debut – faced off with Yohan Lainesse.
The bout was another impressive showing from Malott, who will likely garner even more hype now. ‘Proper Mike’ displayed some genuinely excellent grappling skills and dispatched his foe in the first round with an arm triangle choke.
The early going of the fight saw both men throw little more than feeler strikes, but when Lainesse charged in with a big hook, it was the opening Malott needed.
He took his foe down, then advanced into half-guard while setting up the eventual fight-ending hold. Lainesse didn’t seem to be sure what was going on, and moments later, ‘Proper Mike’ stepped into a full mount to secure the tap.
How far can Malott go? With nine wins to his name via stoppage, he’s clearly a man to watch, but it’s fair to say he’ll need a step up in competition next time out to really prove himself. Either way, this was an excellent finish for him.
#4. Jordan Leavitt defeated Victor Martinez via TKO in a UFC lightweight bout
The last time UFC fans saw Jordan Leavitt in action, he was whitewashed by Paddy Pimblett in a pretty one-sided bout. Observers would’ve been forgiven for writing him off after that, but the truth is that ‘The Monkey King’ is a highly talented fighter.
His win over Victor Martinez last night proved that. Prior to the bout, Leavitt was primarily known for his grappling, with his only win via knockout coming due to a slam in his 2020 clash with Matt Wiman.
In last night’s fight, though, an aggressive ‘Monkey King’ displayed a far better striking arsenal than we’d seen before. He used a series of front kicks to both keep Martinez at distance and soften him up. Once he sensed a weakness in his opponent, he pounced.
Leavitt grabbed ‘The Brick’ with a plum clinch, smashed him with knees that had him hurt, and then finished him off with a wild swarm of punches.
It was a great showing from Leavitt, who seemed almost as surprised as anyone else with his work after the bout. Is he a title contender at 155 lbs? No, but he definitely isn’t an easy out for anyone, as this explosive finish showed.
#3. Trevor Peek defeated Erick Gonzalez via KO in a UFC lightweight bout
The wildest finish last night was definitely produced by UFC newcomer Trevor Peek. He dispatched Erick Gonzalez via knockout with just one second to go in the first round, claiming a $50k bonus in the process.
It’s probably fair to say that this wasn’t a perfect showing from the graduate of Dana White's Contender Series.
He found himself taken down on numerous occasions, and while he was able to escape, better opponents than ‘The Ghost Pepper’ would probably have finished him from the positions he found himself in.
On the feet, though, while Peek’s striking form would’ve made purists wince, it would be hard to say he wasn’t effective. He threw wild haymakers at Gonzalez – including some bizarre, slashing standing hammer fists – and had him badly hurt as the bout went on.
With ‘The Ghost Pepper’ stumbling all over the place, Peek wouldn’t let up, continuing to swarm with punches that would’ve made Wanderlei Silva proud. Finally, Gonzalez went down and the fight ended with a bang.
Peek will definitely need to improve from a technical standpoint if he wants to go far in the promotion, but this was definitely a fun debut from him, and after this finish, everyone will want to see him fight again.
#2. Tatiana Suarez defeated Montana De La Rosa via submission in a UFC flyweight bout
Arguably the most highly-anticipated fight last night saw TUF 21 winner Tatiana Suarez return to the UFC after nearly four years on the shelf with injuries.
Once considered a genuine contender for the strawweight title, Suarez’s return actually came at 125 lbs. Faced with veteran Montana De La Rosa, many observers questioned whether the standout wrestler could return in the same form she left off with.
Those doubters were quickly silenced, though. Suarez easily dominated De La Rosa in the grappling department, taking her down with little problem on more than one occasion in the first round.
The second round picked up how the first left off, as Suarez continued to use her wrestling to put De La Rosa on her back. From there, she caught her foe in a tight guillotine choke, and despite De La Rosa fighting desperately to escape, she had to tap out.
This was an impressive return for Suarez, particularly as she picked up such an excellent finish. Whether she stays at 125 lbs or returns to 115 lbs next, it looks like she’s lost nothing in her time off.
Based on this, she’ll be a genuine title contender again very quickly.
#1. Brendan Allen defeated Andre Muniz via submission in a UFC middleweight bout
When the light heavyweight bout between Nikita Krylov and Ryan Spann was canceled with hours to go, the UFC decided to elevate the middleweight clash between Brendan Allen and Andre Muniz into the headline spot of last night’s show.
It was a call that proved to be correct. Not only were the two men coming into the clash on great form, but many people thought that unbeaten grappler Muniz was probably the dark horse of the 185lbs division.
‘Sergipano’, after all, had beaten the likes of Eryk Anders and Uriah Hall, and had famously submitted the legendary Jacare Souza too. Despite most people writing him off, it was Allen who came out on top in the end. Not only did ‘All In’ win, he did it in the most remarkable way possible.
The first round saw some back-and-forth striking, but it was in the second that Allen really began to pull away. He managed to sweep Muniz when he was taken down, and then landed some strong elbows from the top.
The Brazilian was clearly a little shocked to see how strong ‘All In’ was on the mat, but things got even more shocking in the third. Allen slammed Muniz down, managed to take full mount, back control, and finally sunk in a fight-ending rear naked choke.
Given that Allen had 11 submission wins to his name prior to the clash, it perhaps shouldn’t have been such a surprise to see him win in this way, but then Muniz had far superior grappling credentials – making this a huge shock.
Either way, ‘All In’ was handed a $50k bonus for his efforts – and should now be considered a genuine contender at 185lbs.
