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UFC's second Fight Night on Fight Island is officially in the books and it was a card filled with incredible finishes. A new UFC Flyweight Champion was crowned, a new contender emerged, and more! Here's what went down in UFC Fight Island!
#5 Alexandre Pantoja vs Askar Askarov open the main card on UFC Fight Island
Round 1: The Brazilian Alexandre Pantoja started the fight in the most explosive way possible, attempting two different submissions within a minute. He was in control of most of the round and displayed his high-level jiu-jitsu to take his back. He wasn't able to finish, but he seemed to win the round, but his corner thought otherwise.
Round 2: The second round was more favorable to Askarov. He was the one pushing the pace and utilizing his wrestling to land a couple of solid takedowns. He tried to pass Pantoja's guard but the Brazilian's patience and high-level prevented him from getting a finish.
The round was likely Askarov's, but the last 30 seconds saw Pantoja successfully scramble saw him take his back. But it wasn't enough.
Round 3: Pantoja got a knockdown within a minute of the final round. He flopped onto him but Askarov managed to get back up with relative ease. Pantoja was gassing out but pushing forward. Askarov managed to land a couple of clean shots and then another, but Pantoja continued to march forward.
The final two minutes saw them exchange shots and it seemed even. Askarov seemed to be the fresher fighter but he ate a clean right to end the fight. The Dagestani impressed in his UFC Fight Island outing.
Askar Askarov def. Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision
#4 Ariane Lipski vs Luana Carolina
Round 1: Ariane Lipski knocked down Luana Carolina with a body shot. Ariane Lipski was then in a precarious position but she secured a kneebar within the first round to get the submission.
The fight ended with Carolina screaming in agony. Not a good night on UFC Fight Island for her.
Ariane Lipski def. Luana Carolina by submission (kneebar)
#3 Marc Diakiese vs Rafael Fiziev
Round 1: Marc Diakiese started strong at UFC Fight Night with his strikes. Rafael Fiziev had control of him on the ground early on and tried to go for the neck but he was a bit reckless and allowed Diakiese to escape, but not before he ate a loud shot to the body that echoed.
Fiziev dominated the round and landed clean body shots. A shot to the liver knocked Diakiese down and that seemed to secure Fiziev the first round at UFC Fight Night.
Round 2: Diakiese went for the jab and started using the fundamentals. Fiziev continued to outstrike him. The round saw him get battered piece by piece, but he answered with a few solid shots of his own at UFC Fight Night.
Round 3: Diakiese started with a sense of urgency as he was down two rounds. Fiziev had better flow throughout the fight and it continued to be a hard-hitting affair. Diakiese tried to look for openings with spinning kicks and takedowns but he was driven back. Fiziev slowed down but seemed more composed in the final few minutes.
Diakiese landed a massive shot to the face but Fiziev didn't even flinch and moved forward. He landed another right hand but in the final thirty seconds, it seemed a bit late even with a flying knee. He likely won the third round but that didn't seem to be enough to win the fight at UFC Fight Night.
Rafael Fiziev def. Marc Diakiese by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
#2 Kelvin Gastelum vs Jack Hermansson
Round 1: Jack Hermansson tried to take Kelvin Gastelum down early on at UFC Fight Night but the former title challenger flipped it over beautifully. Gastelum was on top but Hermansson changed the position into a heel hook and that was it. Jack Hermansson finished Kelvin Gastelum in the first round at UFC Fight Night.
Jack Hermansson def. Kelvin Gastelum by submission (heel hook)
This was undoubtedly the big upset of the night. Not necessarily the fact that Jack Hermansson won, but the way he won it. He screamed in joy and was extremely emotional after his win. He returned to the Octagon after 10 months away, when he was knocked out by Jared Cannonier.
Jack Hermansson said that he wants the winner of Robert Whittaker vs Darren Till next. He expects Jared Cannonier to fight the winner of Israel Adesanya vs Paulo Costa at UFC 253 and believes that if he wins his next fight, will set him up for a title shot.
Is Jack Hermansson just a win away from a UFC Middleweight Championship opportunity? It's going to be interesting to see.
Deiveson Figueiredo vs Joseph Benavidez - Vacant UFC Flyweight Championship
Round 1: Deiveson Figueiredo caught Joseph Benavidez early on at UFC Fight Night and it looked like a bad fall. He caught Benavidez in an elbow and on three different occasions, he seemingly had a choke locked in from behind, but Benavidez did brilliantly to fight it off.
His elite defensive work saw him escape and soon after, Joseph Benavidez recovered. They were back on the feet and Benavidez got knocked down once again only to bounce right back up.
Another knockdown against Benavidez saw Figueiredo secure a rear-naked choke and he passed out, refusing to submit. That was the end of the fight.
Deiveson Figueiredo def. Joseph Benavidez by submission (rear-naked choke) to become the NEW Undisputed UFC Flyweight Championship
A shockingly one-sided performance from Deiveson Figueiredo. While Benavidez won the first round in their last fight, the Brazilian gave him no space to breathe in the second bout. He made weight this time around and he truly put a stamp on it and has now been crowned as the undisputed Flyweight King - the first since Henry Cejudo vacated the title.
