5 most explosive moments from UFC Fight Night: Amanda Lemos vs. Jessica Andrade

#2. Tyson Pedro returns to the UFC with a bang

Tyson Pedro made light work of Ike Villanueva in his first bout since 2018

Just a couple of years ago, there were few hotter prospects in the UFC’s light-heavyweight division than Tyson Pedro. The young Australian burst onto the scene with three excellent wins in his first four octagon appearances, but after suffering a pair of losses in 2018, he was sidelined with a serious knee injury.

Last night marked Pedro’s big comeback fight, and it’s safe to say that he wasted no time in getting back to his best. The Aussie appeared to be in phenomenal shape and needed just a round to destroy opponent Ike Villanueva, finishing him via TKO with just seconds remaining in the stanza.

Pedro always looked a step ahead of ‘Hurricane Ike’ despite being tagged with some decent punches, and while a pair of inadvertent low blows perhaps slowed Villanueva down, it was the Aussie’s vicious leg kicks that eventually finished him.

The first kick that landed clearly hurt Villanueva, and rather than rush in, Pedro played it smart, landing another before dropping ‘Hurricane Ike’ with a third. From there, it would’ve been easy for the Aussie to let his foe stand. Instead, he nailed him with a series of violent punches that knocked him unconscious.

Based on this – as well as the skills he showed prior to his injury layoff – Pedro should instantly move back into contention at 205lbs, and it’s safe to say that nobody will be looking to blink during his next fight. This was a truly explosive finish.

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#1. Sergey Khandozhko and Dwight Grant put on a surprising classic

Sergey Khandozhko and Dwight Grant rightfully won last night's Fight of the Night award

The Fight of the Night award at last night’s event went to the preliminary bout between welterweights Sergey Khandozhko and Dwight Grant, and to say that they deserved it would be a hell of an understatement.

Nobody expected much from this fight at all, but it’s safe to say that ‘Honda’ and ‘The Body Snatcher’ produced a true classic that will probably end up being looked upon as one of the better scraps of 2022.

The two fighters went toe-to-toe from the off, and in the early going at least, it looked like Khandozhko had the advantage. The Russian hadn’t fought since November 2019, but his straight punches were causing Grant a lot of trouble, and it came as no surprise when he dropped his foe with a left hand.

However, Grant hung tough, and later in the round, he surprisingly fired back with a right hand bomb that dropped ‘Honda’ to his knees, hurting him badly. Somehow, Khandozhko staggered to his feet, and incredibly, the bout ended up moving into the second round.

Neither man was willing to give an inch in that round either, and they exchanged from the off, with ‘The Body Snatcher’ again dropping his Russian opponent with a perfectly timed right hand.

Again, though, Khandozhko’s chin held up, and with his punches still landing at a better clip than Grant’s, he connected with a heavy combination that finally dropped ‘The Body Snatcher’ for a second time. Grant did get to his feet, but it was clear that he was done, forcing referee Chris Tognoni to justifiably step in.

This was a great win for Khandozhko, especially given his layoff, but neither man came away looking like a loser thanks to such an explosive fight overall. It might’ve been flying under the radar, but this fight was awesome.