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The UFC put on a show for its Dutch fans in Rotterdam as hometown hero Stefan Struve took on Alexander ‘Drago’ Volkov in what was dubbed the battle of giants.
Meanwhile, the co-main event of the evening saw veteran Welterweight Siyar Bahadurzada make a triumphant return to the Octagon by blasting through Aussie fighter Rob Wilkinson.
The rest of the main card saw the return of Marion Reneau and a back-and-forth battle between Leon Edwards and Bryan Barberena. Furthermore, we’ve got the undercard as well, with Mairbek Taisumov stealing the show courtesy a one-punch KO and an excellent post-fight interview.
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#1 Alexander Volkov vs Stefan Struve
The near-7-footer Struve had a strong showing early on against the 6’7” Volkov. However, it was the Russian’s crisp striking that proved to be the deciding factor in the main event matchup, as Volkov upset the fan favourite; whilst simultaneously giving the UFC Heavyweight division a new contender.
Struve cut open Volkov with a switch-knee but failed to slip the majority of punches that the Russian fired off, particularly in Rounds 2 and 3. The result was Struve collapsing against the fence, after a barrage of punches and ground strikes from ‘Drago’.
Result: Alexander Volkov def. Stefan Struve via TKO (punches) (Round 3; 3:30)
#2 Siyar Bahadurzada vs Rob Wilkinson
Even though Siyar didn’t look in the best shape of his career for his latest fight, the Afghan-born slugger still carries the KO power that once made him a scary prospect in the UFC.
He may not fare well against the elite, particularly this late in his career, but did put on a vintage performance in Rotterdam against Aussie grinder Rob Wilkinson.
Siyar is back!
Result: Siyar Bahadurzada def. Rob Wilkinson via TKO (punches) (Round 2; 3:10)
#3 Marion Reneau vs Talita Bernardo
Marion Reneau put on a clinical performance against late-replacement opponent Talita Bernardo.
Firstly, kudos to Bernardo for taking such a dangerous fight on such short notice as well as for showing tremendous heart both on the feet as well as the mat against the Belizean Bruiser.
Moving on to said Bruiser, the 40-year-old Marion Reneau is truly pushing the envelope for female fighters in MMA, by making a statement with her tactical exhibition that was capped off by a late-TKO over the 30-year-old Bernardo.
Result: Marion Reneau def. Talita Bernardo via TKO (punches) (Round 3; 4:54)
#4 Leon Edwards vs Bryan Barberena
Leon Edwards was expected to breeze through ‘Bam Bam’ Barberena on the feet and run into problems with the latter on the mat. Logical, right? Given the fact that Edwards is a striker and Barberena a grappler.
Wrong!
Well, that’s the beauty of MMA. Edwards got the better of Bryan in the grappling exchanges whereas Bam Bam dropped the former with a huge punch to the jaw.
The fight ended up as a learning experience for both young fighters and despite the match handing one of them a loss, both prospects walked out as winners from this showdown.
Result: Leon Edwards def. Bryan Barberena via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
#5 Darren Till vs Bojan Velickovic
Darren Till put on a clinic against Bojan Velickovic, in what was yet another impressive outing for the young talent.
Till is quickly developing as a must-watch fighter in the UFC Welterweight division and has the potential to be a breakout star if the promotion continues to match him up against the steadily-improving opposition.
Result: Darren Till def. Bojan Velickovic via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
#6 Mairbek Taisumov vs Felipe Silva
Mairbek Taisumov absolutely iced Felipe Silva with a hellacious punch right from the depths of hell.
However, it was what he did after the fight which has now created a considerable amount of buzz in the MMA community. Well, he called out the entire UFC Lightweight division, particularly Nate Diaz, who Taisumov feels ‘smokes too much’ (sic).
Result: Mairbek Taisumov def. Felipe Silva via KO (punch) (Round 1; 1:24)
#7 Michael Prazeres vs Mads Burnell
Michael Prazeres took on Mads Burnell in a relatively decent matchup, which culminated in the former choking out Burnell.
Prazeres got excellent leverage on the North-South choke and committed himself cent percent to the sub, getting the finish over Burnell.
Result: Michael Prazeres def. Mads Burnell via Submission (North-South choke) (Round 3; 1:26)
#8 Rustam Khabilov vs Desmond Green
Rustam Khabilov put on a good showing against Desmond Green, besting the latter on the judges’ scorecards.
Khabilov still has ways to go if he is to get back to his former elite status, but this match was a step in the right direction.
Result: Rustam Khabilov def. Desmond Green via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
#9 Aleksandar Rakic vs Francimar Barroso
Aleksandar Rakic put on a fairly one-sided display against Francimar Barroso, earning the win on the scorecards.
Rakic has the potential to do so much more but was quite tame in his performance against Barroso. It’ll be interesting to see how the UFC chooses to book him going forward.
Result: Aleksandar Rakic def. Francimcar Barroso via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
#10 Zabit Magomedsharipov vs Mike Santiago
Zabit Magomedsharipov is a legit prospect in the Featherweight division—dangerous on the feet as he is on the ground.
Zabit has the potential to bag championship gold at 145—provided the UFC doesn’t rush him right into the shark tank that is the top-5 at Featherweight. Given a couple of years, he’ll be UFC Champion.
Result: Zabit Magomedsharipov def. Mike Santiago via Submission (Rear-Naked choke) (Round 2, 4:22)
#11 Abdul-Kerim Edilov vs Bojan Mihajlovic
Edilov kinda shocked fans by dusting Mihajlovic the way he did.
Nonetheless, the UFC ought to keep an eye on him, what with the fact that the Light-Heavyweight division is in desperate need of young blood.
Result: Abdul-Kerim Edilov def. Bojan Mihajlovic via TKO (punches) (Round 2, 2:32)
#12 Thibault Gouti vs Andrew Holbrook
Gouti stunned Holbrook in the very first round in what was the opening fight for the undercard.
Entertaining showdown with little to no offence gotten off by Holbrook.
Result: Thibault Gouti def. Andrew Holbrook via TKO (punches) (Round 1, 4:28)
