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Held one week before a major pay-per-view, the UFC’s latest Fight Night event didn’t have much fanfare, but overall, it turned out to be a fun show.
UFC Fight Night: Sean Strickland vs. Abus Magomedov featured six finishes up and down the card, and there were some big winners overall.
Where these fighters go from here remains to be seen, but for some, it definitely appears that the title picture beckons.
Here are the five biggest winners from UFC Fight Night: Sean Strickland vs. Abus Magomedov.
#5. Rinat Fakhretdinov – defeated Kevin Lee in a UFC welterweight bout
As a previous title challenger and highly regarded headliner, plenty of spotlight was on Kevin Lee last night. ‘The Motown Phenom’ was making his return to the UFC following just under two years away and was looking to make a splash at 170 pounds.
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However, his opponent Rinat Fakhretdinov clearly had other ideas and wasted no time in showing them.
‘Gladiator’ dropped Lee with a hard punch before the one-minute mark of the first round, and then clamped on a tight guillotine choke to render him unconscious seconds later.
The win not only spoiled Lee’s big return to the octagon, but it was also the 20th in a row for Fakhretdinov, who is now 3-0 in the octagon.
Quite how the Russian didn’t receive a $50k bonus for his efforts is anyone’s guess, but it’s safe to say he won big last night and deserves a major step up next time out.
#4. Benoit Saint-Denis – defeated Ismael Bonfim in a UFC lightweight bout
Few fighters on last night’s UFC event came in with more hype than Ismael Bonfim. The Brazilian had made a stellar octagon debut earlier this year, turning out the lights on Terrance McKinney with a brutal flying knee.
Most observers expected a similar result in his fight with Benoit Saint-Denis last night. The Frenchman had won two fights in a row prior to the bout, but despite a solid 10-1 record, it didn’t seem like he was explosive enough to trouble Bonfim.
That idea turned out to be hugely wrong. Saint-Denis thoroughly dominated ‘Marreta’. He avoided his opponent's big strikes on the feet to land some hard body kicks to set up his takedowns.
On the ground, meanwhile, the fight looked like a mismatch. The Frenchman was able to advance to back control late in the round after dominating proceedings, and from there, it didn’t take him long to secure a fight-ending choke.
Saint-Denis isn’t likely to become the UFC’s first French champion as he suggested after his win, but this was still an excellent victory for him and should vault him up the card next time out. That makes him definitely one of last night’s big winners.
#3. Elves Brener – defeated Guram Kutateladze in a UFC lightweight bout
The biggest upset at last night’s event came from Brazil’s Elves Brener. He came from behind to defeat the heavily favored Guram Kutateladze, moving to 2-0 in the UFC in the process.
Very few fans were giving him much of a chance, as Kutateladze had previously beaten top 10-ranked lightweight Mateusz Gamrot and also gave Damir Ismagulov problems in their fight.
Sure enough, early on it looked like ‘The Georgian Viking’ would stroll his way to a win. He rocked Brener with a close-quarters elbow, and while he couldn’t finish him, he clearly took the first round.
The second, meanwhile, saw Kutateladze hurt Brener again, and this time he opened up a nasty cut on the Brazilian’s forehead.
Somehow, though, Brener survived, and in the third, he came roaring back. The Brazilian walked his Georgian foe down, and as Kutateladze began to tire, Brener began to thrive.
Eventually, he caught his foe with a short left hook that stunned him badly, and moments later, the fight was over as Brener opened up on him with a violent flurry.
The action-packed fight unsurprisingly won both men a $50k Fight of the Night bonus, but it’s Brener who will be talked about today. Based on this win, it’s unlikely that anyone will overlook him again.
#2. Grant Dawson – defeated Damir Ismagulov in a UFC lightweight bout
It’s arguable that the fighter who advanced his cause in the UFC rankings the furthest last night was lightweight Grant Dawson.
‘KGD’ came into his fight with Damir Ismagulov with an unbeaten octagon record of 7-0-1 but was only ranked at No.15, while his Russian opponent was three spots above him at No.12.
However, it was Dawson who dominated when the two men entered the octagon. He had no issues taking Ismagulov down, and on the mat, he thoroughly whitewashed his foe.
Remarkably, ‘KGD’ ended the fight having controlled 12 of the 15 minutes on the ground, and while he wasn’t able to secure a finish, he came close on numerous occasions with choke attempts.
Essentially, based on this showing, Dawson probably has the ability to trouble any of the top 155-pounders in the UFC right now, and he deserves a major step up in his next fight. Overall, he was undoubtedly one of the night’s big winners.
#1. Sean Strickland – defeated Abus Magomedov in a UFC middleweight bout
While his victory over Abus Magomedov probably won’t be enough to push him up into the middleweight division’s top five, it’s hard not to see Sean Strickland as last night’s biggest winner.
Essentially, the whole event was built around him, as his outspoken nature has turned him into a minor star.
More to the point, in the wildly aggressive but unproven Magomedov, he was faced with an opponent he was definitely capable of finishing, something he hadn’t been given in some time.
Sure enough, despite Magomedov starting the fight well, he couldn’t really hurt Strickland in the first round, and when the stanza ended, he looked exhausted.
‘Tarzan’ must’ve sensed this, as he immediately turned up the heat in the second, pressing Magomedov with flurries of punches set up with his jab.
Moments later, Magomedov found himself in trouble, and once he was dropped, Strickland wasted no time in finishing him off on the ground.
Will ‘Tarzan’ get the title shot he called for after the fight? That feels unlikely, but a clash with a top-ranked opponent next time out is a must. Regardless, he was clearly the biggest winner at last night’s event.
