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The UFC headed back to the Las Vegas APEX for its latest Fight Night event last night, and it was largely entertaining.
UFC Fight Night: Jack Hermansson vs. Joe Pyfer saw a number of decent fights and finishes, with four fighters claiming $50k bonuses.
With that in mind, here are the five best moments from UFC Fight Night: Jack Hermansson vs. Joe Pyfer.
#5. Jack Hermansson survives and thrives against Joe Pyfer
For the second week in a row, the UFC’s headline bout went the distance across five rounds and saw a fighter absorb some serious punishment in the first round.
However, where Roman Dolidze couldn’t come back from the early beating put on him by Nassourdine Imavov last weekend, Jack Hermansson was able to survive and thrive against prospect Joe Pyfer.
The first round, in particular, was bad for ‘The Joker’, who absorbed some big punches from Pyfer from the off. ‘Bodybagz’ clearly believed in his power, and threw booming shots at the head and body of Hermansson, who did well to remain vertical.
Midway through the bout, though, Pyfer’s output began to slow, and that allowed Hermansson and his chopping low kicks to take over.
Eventually, ‘The Joker’ was the one doing the pressuring, and while a final round that saw him take ‘Bodybagz’ down wasn’t thrilling, it was enough to win a fight that was relatively entertaining overall.
Pyfer will undoubtedly learn from this experience, but seeing a hot prospect shut down in this way by an underrated, wily veteran was still fun to watch.
#4. Gregory Rodrigues blasts Brad Tavares for a third-round finish
The middleweight bout between Gregory Rodrigues and Brad Tavares was largely flying under the radar coming into last night’s event, but it was one of the night’s better fights.
‘Robocop’ and his Hawaiian foe went largely toe-to-toe for three rounds, but despite Tavares arguably having the edge in technique, he couldn’t match up to the power Rodrigues was packing.
After edging the first two rounds, though, it perhaps would’ve been easy for the Brazilian to coast his way to a decision in the third. Instead, he came out like a man on a mission and took Tavares out in ruthless fashion.
A pair of right hands started the barrage, and when Rodrigues then landed a knee that left Tavares’ face instantly swollen, the writing was on the wall.
‘Robocop’ simply didn’t let up, absolutely blasting the Hawaiian with huge shots as all he seemed capable of doing was covering up. Eventually, referee Jason Herzog had to step in with the veteran still standing.
This was a pretty brutal finish that probably should’ve won Rodrigues a $50k bonus. As it is, ‘Robocop’ will have to be content with a two-fight win streak, instead.
#3. Carlos Prates turns the lights out on Trevin Giles
Last night’s UFC event featured two one-shot knockouts on the televised card, and both were just as brutal as one another.
However, from a technical standpoint, it’s arguable that the cleanest knockout came from UFC newcomer Carlos Prates. Despite struggling at times with veteran foe Trevin Giles, he eventually sealed the deal in the second round, earning a bonus $50k in the process.
Early on, it looked like Giles would use his jabs, combinations and clinch work to wear Prates down. However, when the chance arose, the Brazilian struck.
He lanced a straight left hand right through Giles’ guard, knocking him down and switching off his lights instantly. Prates didn’t even need to follow the shot up as it was painfully clear that the veteran was done.
The win moves the Brazilian onto a lengthy eight-fight win streak, and it should be interesting to see how far he can go in the UFC welterweight division. If nothing else, though, he has a highlight reel knockout in the octagon under his belt.
#2. Rodolfo Vieira breaks a UFC record with his submission of Armen Petrosyan
It wasn’t last night’s most entertaining fight by any means, purely because it wasn’t wildly violent, but there was still plenty to admire about Rodolfo Vieira’s showing.
‘The Black Belt Hunter’ submitted opponent Armen Petrosyan in the first round of their middleweight tilt, and made it look easy, having no issues with the vaunted striking of the Armenian.
More importantly, though, Vieira broke a UFC record in the bout by utilizing his favorite submission – the arm triangle choke – to dispatch ‘Superman’.
It was Vieira’s fourth arm triangle choke win inside the octagon, something that no other fighter can boast of doing.
This one was perhaps even more impressive given Vieira locked in the hold from the full mount position rather than the usually more effective side mount.
It’s clear by now that Vieira is perhaps not capable of climbing into UFC title contention, but his grappling skills definitely make him a danger to any fighter he can put on the ground, and that makes him intriguing.
Overall, this slick submission was definitely one of last night’s best moments.
#1. Dan Ige lives up to his nickname by claiming another $50k bonus
While the knockout was maybe not quite as clean as Carlos Prates’ finish of Trevin Giles, the most memorable moment last night was definitely produced by Dan Ige.
The Hawaiian featherweight lived up to his nickname of ‘50k’ by sparking out Andre Fili in the first round of their late-notice clash, claiming what felt like an inevitable bonus.
Fili was always at a disadvantage coming into the bout given he’d taken it in mid-January, but nobody could’ve expected Ige to make things look so easy.
However, with ‘Touchy’ willing to trade with him, ‘50k’ was always going to be dangerous, and sure enough, it didn’t take him long to land.
Ige cracked him with a counter right that dropped him and then added a coffin nail of a follow-up punch to switch Fili’s lights out for good.
The win was a huge bounce-back for the Hawaiian, who was last seen in a loss to Bryce Mitchell, and he remains one of the most dangerous fighters in the division. It should be interesting to see who he fights next, but based on this one, it’ll be a must-see affair.
