11/24/24: Petr Yan Pitches Shutout Against Deiveson Figueiredo
Also: 'Road To UFC' Season 3 wraps up, Harry Hardwick retains his Cage Warriors title, and more!
Welcome to a Sunday edition of the Knockdown Daily! Today’s issue is a busy one, covering the top headlines from UFC’s Macau card along with some news coming out of the European regional scene. Let’s dig in!
Petr Yan Sweeps Scorecards Against Deiveson Figueiredo In Striking Showcase
Former bantamweight champ Petr Yan put on a five-round masterclass on Saturday night, showcasing stellar boxing skills en route to a clean sweep on scorecards against Deiveson Figueiredo.
Yan’s unanimous decision win – his first five-round victory in more than three years – headlined UFC’s return to Macau at the Galaxy Arena this weekend.
After edging out the early rounds of the fight – making better use of ground control in the opening frame and out-landing Figueiredo in the second – Yan started to run away with his lead by the third round.
31-year-old Yan used his boxing to dominate Figueiredo, further extending his lead in the fight as the bout crossed into deep waters. The notoriously slow starter finally settled into a rhythm by the third round of the fight, spending the final 15 minutes of the bout significantly out-landing Figueiredo and testing his ability to consume shots.
In particular, it was uppercut punches from Yan which gave Figueiredo trouble, connecting frequently and forcefully throughout the fight. A right uppercut from Yan dropped Figueiredo in the third round, and many other times snapped back the Brazilian talent’s head.
While Yan was far ahead on scorecards by the fourth round, he received a late scare thanks to a big moment from the unpredictable Figueiredo. The former flyweight champ scored a right hand to the head of Yan, dropping the Russian fighter late in the fourth round. Figueiredo remained in the fight and continued to land in the final five minutes of the bout, although more than just a couple of successful rounds were needed at that point for him to reverse the fight’s result.
The impressive victory helped rebuild Yan’s title contender status, regaining some momentum following a trio of losses to the division’s best names.
After losing his title in 2022 to Aljamain Sterling in a close split decision, Yan went on to drop scorecard results to the division’s two next champions: Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili.
Due to the high-level opponents he faced, the trio of losses did not knock him too far down the bantamweight standings. However, it definitely didn’t help his case for a title shot either. With the hopes of having another title run sometime in the future, Yan began a rebuild in 2024.
Earlier this year he started to get back on track, taking a three-round decision win against Song Yadong at UFC 299. He now has a scorecard win under his belt against another elite name in the division and will go into next week still sitting third in the 135-pound standings.
While many might see second-ranked Umar Nurmagomedov as the next challenger for incumbent champ Dvalishvili, Yan is hoping he could possibly be next for a shot.
“I want to do rematch with Merab,” Yan said during his post-fight interview.
The result on Saturday slowed Figueiredo’s momentum for the first time since moving up to the bantamweight limit late last year. The two-time flyweight champ entered this weekend with a trio of wins at the 135-pound limit, getting past former champ Cody Garbrandt and recent title challenger Marlon Vera earlier this year.
“God damn, what a fight,” Figueiredo said through an interpreter during his post-fight interview. “Guys, tonight was Petr Yan’s night … Tonight was his night, we’ll come back stronger.”
Prospects From Korea, China Score Contracts In ‘Road To UFC’ Final
Three more prospects from Asia can now call themselves UFC fighters.
You Su-young, Choi Dong-hun, and Shi Ming captured contracts after winning in the grand finals of the “Road To UFC” tournament on Saturday night in Macau.
The series, which wrapped up its third season this week, provides tournament winners with a spot on the UFC roster. Fighters competing on the show this weekend were appearing after getting through two prior rounds of bracket action since May.
Here are the winners from Saturday night:
Korea’s You Takes Decision Against Jieleyisi
You Su-young won the show’s bantamweight bracket in the featured prelim spot of Saturday’s UFC card, controlling a three-round fight against Baergeng Jieleyisi to win via unanimous decision.
Whether it was through ground control – which You spent a large amount of the first round pursuing – or striking exchanges, You was one step ahead of Jieleyisi throughout the fight. His one-sided success was reflected in how the judges saw the fight, winning all three rounds on a pair of scorecards.
You, the third Korean bantamweight to join UFC’s active roster, entered the finals this week after beating Daermisi Zhawupasi and Shohei Nose earlier this year. The 28-year-old previously has earned wins all around the MMA world, scoring victories in Japanese promotion Pancrase, Kazakhstan-based Naiza FC, and rising Korean brand Black Combat in recent years.
The loss for Jieleyisi ended his second “Road To UFC” run. He previously also competed as part of the promotion’s 2023 bracket, getting eliminated in the opening round by Shuya Kamikubo.
Choi Scores Early Knockout To Win Flyweight Finals
Korea captured the “Road To UFC” flyweight bracket for the second consecutive year, as undefeated prospect Choi Dong-hun won the tournament with a quick performance over Kiru Singh Sahota this weekend.
The powerful striking of Choi made it a quick night of work for him, as a hard overhand right from the 25-year-old floored Sahota and ended the bout in half a round.
“I can’t help but to wonder, am I dreaming?” said a taken-aback Choi winning the tournament. “I can’t express into words how I’m feeling right now.”
Choi now joins the UFC roster with a flawless record of nine wins, including his previous tournament outings against Jiniushiyue and Angad Bisht. In Korea, he captured a regional title in Dougle G FC and scored a half-dozen victories since his 2021 pro debut.
Sahota was one of the more experienced fighters appearing in the “Road To UFC” finals this weekend, having first debuted as an amateur fighter back in 2013 and appearing more than two dozen times in the sport. He came into this weekend after getting past Yin Shuai and Ruel Panales in earlier months of the tournament.
Shi Scores Upset Knockout To Become First Strawweight ‘Road To UFC’ Winner
In an upset result, Shi Ming became the first-ever strawweight “Road To UFC” winner with a scary knockout win against Feng Xiaocan.
Shi, who was seen as high as a +300 underdog in some sportsbooks, delivered a third-round knockout which put away Feng just 46 seconds into the round.
Overcoming a significant reach disadvantage against the much taller Feng, Shi put her out cold with a hard head kick to end the fight early in the third round. The finish saved Shi’s chances of joining the UFC roster, as she was trailing two rounds to none on a pair of scorecards prior to the moment.
While the stoppage was huge for Shi, the focus quickly shifted to Feng, who remained on the canvas for numerous minutes following the knockout. She was eventually stretchered out of the cage and transported to a nearby hospital, where the promotion said she was alert and underwent a CT scan.
“I worry about my opponent,” Shi said during her post-fight interview. “I really hope she’s okay. She’s young.”
Shi, a former Road FC and WLF prospect, got past Seo Ye-dam and Dong Huaxiang via decision in earlier rounds of the tournament. Much fanfare was made around her backstory this week, as she works full-time as a doctor and claimed her parents aren’t aware of her MMA career.
Feng had a lengthy winning streak broken on Saturday, including victories over Kiran Singh and Miki Motono on previous “Road To UFC” cards.
Here are some other headlines from Saturday’s UFC presentation:
The co-main event saw Yan Xiaonan (19-4) gain a bounce-back victory after losing a title fight to Zhang Weili earlier this year, putting together a one-sided performance against Tabatha Ricci (11-3) to win via unanimous decision. After the fight, Yan called for a rematch against Zhang, who was in attendance.
Muslim Salikhov (21-5) earned a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for a first-round spinning wheel kick finish against Song Kenan (22-9). The win, Salikhov’s second of 2024, makes him the first-ever fighter in UFC history to record two separate spinning back kick wins. His previous finish via the same move came against Andre Fialho in 2022.
Wang Cong (6-1) suffered her first pro loss in a massive upset result, getting submitted in the second round via rear naked choke by +600 underdog Gabriella Fernandes (10-3). The result slows the momentum for Wang, who won her UFC debut in 62 seconds and entered the promotion with loads of hype due to her extensive combat sports experience and notable 2015 kickboxing win over Valentina Shevchenko. Fernandes earned a “Performance of the Night” bonus for her shocking win.
Rising Chinese light heavyweight Zhang Mingyang (18-6) closed out his 2024 with another first-round finish win, flooring Ozzy Diaz (9-3) with an elbow to the head before finishing the fight with ground and pound. Zhang made a splash with his promotional debut at UFC 298 earlier this year, beating Brendson Ribeiro in under two minutes with strikes.
One of the biggest stand-out names from the latest season of “Dana White’s Contender Series,” Cage Warriors vet Lone’er Kavanagh (8-0), won his UFC debut in a unanimous decision over Jose Ochoa (7-1).
Here are the quick results for UFC’s first Macau event in over 10 years:
Main Card (6:00AM EST / 7:00PM CST) (ESPN+)
Bout 13: Petr Yan def. Deiveson Figueiredo via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 12: Yan Xiaonan def. Tabatha Ricci via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 11: Muslim Salikhov def. Song Kenan via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:49)
Bout 10: Gabriella Fernandes def. Wang Cong via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 3:49)
Bout 9: Carlos Ulberg def. Volkan Oezdemir via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 8: Zhang Mingyang def. Ozzy Diaz via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:25)
Preliminary Card (3:00AM EST / 4:00PM CST) (ESPN+)
Bout 7: You Su-young def. Baergeng Jieleyisi via Decision, Unanimous (Road To UFC Bantamweight Final)
Bout 6: Choi Dong-hun def. Kiru Sahota via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:36) (Road To UFC Flyweight Final)
Bout 5: Shi Ming def. Feng Xiaocan via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 0:46) (Road To UFC Strawweight Finals)
Bout 4: Carlos Hernandez def. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel via Decision, Split
Bout 3: Lone’er Kavanagh def. Jose Ochoa via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 2: Xiao Long def. Quang Le via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 1:28)
Bout 1: Nikolas Motta def. Maheshate via Decision, Unanimous
Harry Hardwick Dominates Keweny Lopes To Defend Cage Warriors Title For First Time
Harry Hardwick put together a commanding performance against Brazilian prospect Keweny Lopes this weekend, earning him a fourth-round finish and maintaining his status as the Cage Warriors Featherweight Champion.
Hardwick’s win headlined Cage Warriors 181, the promotion’s final European card of 2024, from the Vertu Motors Arena in Newcastle, England.
While the featherweight title clash opened with a close round that saw both talents score with their striking, it became a significantly lopsided matchup after that point.
Hardwick’s lead in the fight started early in the second round when a short left hook sent Lopes to the canvas. In the first of many moments in the fight which displayed the toughness of Lopes, he was quick to spring back up to his feet after the shot dropped him.
Hardwick kept the pressure on Lopes, who started to bleed from his nose after consuming the aforementioned punch. The champ took his fight to the ground and got on the back of Lopes, landing more punches and coming close to a rear naked choke before the round ran out of time.
The fight continued to go Hardwick’s way in the third, with him finishing the round on the back of Lopes, unloading with more strikes. In what the promotion’s commentary team considered a “saved by the bell” moment, Hardwick’s striking on the ground was only stopped by the round expiring.
Hardwick was able to close the show after out-working Lopes for two rounds of the fight. The defending champ unloaded against a defeated Lopes early in the fourth, scoring with combinations of punches and knees as his opponent shelled up against the cage. The referee eventually saw enough, stepping in and putting an end to the fight.
The win closes out what has been the most successful year in Hardwick’s career thus far. The former Bellator fighter appeared in back-to-back title bookings this year, scoring a stoppage in both outings.
Hardwick was initially given a shot at Cage Warriors gold in May, being booked for a vacant title fight after attaining a run of five wins and one draw since early 2021. He gained the title with a second-round finish, beating short-notice opponent Orlando Wilson Prins.
Lopes entered this weekend with a significant amount of hype from the regional scene. The Nova Uniao gym member had an impressive 11-fight winning streak before this weekend, with his previous outing being a 94-second LFA main event victory over Wellington Prado.
Earlier wins in Lopes’ career included a January title win over Mathias Poiron in France, and a championship victory in Shooto Brasil.
Undefeated Kennedy Freeman Captures Bantamweight Title
Kennedy Freeman – the daughter of former UFC fighter and MMA pioneer Ian Freeman – continues to make waves in the European MMA scene.
26-year-old Freeman captured the Cage Warriors Bantamweight Championship in the co-main event of the night, extending her undefeated record to six wins in a row with a stoppage against Mafalda Carmona.
The bantamweight title fight became a favorable matchup for Freeman once she was able to begin letting go of her strikes.
The title fight’s pace was relatively slow for the opening 10 minutes of the bout, with frequent unsuccessful takedown attempts from Carmona leaving little room for Freeman to attack.
However, by the third round, Freeman started to unleash flurries of punches which connected cleanly against Carmona. The English fighter was able to mix elbows and knees into her combinations, damaging her opponent.
While it didn’t seem like Carmona was in trouble of being finished soon, her team decided just before the fifth round that she had taken too much damage in the fight. As the fighters were in their corners, word got out that Carmona had decided to retire from the bout.
The performance was a step up for “The Machine 2.0,” who has suddenly re-emerged on the regional scene over the past year.
Freeman first turned pro in 2018, earning a trio of regional wins in her rookie year. After some time away from MMA, she came back to the sport in November 2023, debuting in Cage Warriors with a first-round stoppage victory.
Freeman was given a title opportunity this weekend after earning another finish win in May earlier this year.
Carmona was slotted into this weekend’s card after Freeman’s original opponent, Polish prospect Emlia Czerwinska, had to withdraw from the card. She had a four-fight winning streak brought to a halt with the defeat, a run which included a KSW victory earlier this year.
Here are the quick results from Cage Warriors 181:
Main Card (3:30PM EST / 8:30PM GMT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 11: Harry Hardwick def. Keweny Lopes via TKO, Strikes (RD 4, 1:01) (Cage Warriors Featherweight Championship)
Bout 10: Kennedy Freeman def. Mafalda Carmona via TKO, Retirement (RD 4, 5:00) (Vacant Cage Warriors Bantamweight Championship)
Bout 9: Justin Burlins def. Theodor Berggren via Submission, Arm Triangle Choke (RD 3, 2:44)
Bout 8: James Power def. Dumitru Girlean via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:08)
Bout 7: Sean Clancy Jr. def. Andrey Augusto via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 1:23)
Bout 6: Charles Joyner vs. Yannick Bahati via Draw, Technical Decision
Preliminary Card (1:30PM EST / 6:30PM GMT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 5: Daniel Konrad def. Aiden Lee via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 2:52)
Bout 4: Bailey Gilbert def. Alberth Dias via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Leon Armes def. Michal Folc via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:41)
Bout 2: Qendrim Pallata def. James Dixon via Submission, Neck Crank (RD 1, 2:12)
Bout 1: Michael Tchamou def. Delmar Silva via Submission, Guillotine Choke (RD 1, 1:20)