4/14/24: Alex Pereira Stops Jamahal Hill In First Round To Defend UFC Light Heavyweight Title
Also: Zhang Weili overcomes Yan Xiaonan in hard-fought decision
Welcome to a Sunday edition of the Knockdown Daily. Today’s issue has a report on the top storylines coming out of UFC 300, plus a few other major MMA stories. Don’t forget, we’ll be back tomorrow with our weekly preview and 10 takeaways from the past few days in MMA. Let’s begin.
Alex Pereira Stops Jamahal Hill Early To Defend UFC Light Heavyweight Title For First Time
It was a quick night at the office for Alex Pereira, who put away Jamahal Hill in the opening round Saturday to defend his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship for the first time.
Pereira’s victory headlined UFC 300, a landmark pay-per-view event in the promotion’s schedule which went down from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Pereira connected with a left hook three minutes into their fight, sending Hill falling onto his back. He followed up with a few shots on the ground, convincing the referee to step in and end the bout. The bout was still in the feeling-out process before the sudden finish, with neither fighter landing anything significant before.
Pereira was appearing for the first time since earning the light heavyweight title with a finish over Jiri Prochazka last year. The former GLORY Kickboxing talent made the move up to light heavyweight after dropping his title to Israel Adesanya in 2023. Just three fights into his stint within the division, Pereira has a win as champion to his name.
The defending champ expressed afterward that he did not take damage during the fight, and even offered to compete at UFC 301 in Brazil next month.
Hill was returning to the title picture after an injury kept him on the sidelines for months. The 32-year-old briefly possessed the light heavyweight belt in early 2023, beating Glover Teixeira in a tough five-round battle to earn the vacant title. However, he relinquished the championship later that year after suffering a ruptured Achilles in an out-of-training incident.
Pereira is just the second fighter to successfully defend his UFC light heavyweight title since Jon Jones departed the division in 2020. The other, Jan Blachowicz, defended his belt once before losing it to Teixeira.
Zhang Weili Dominates Tough Yan Xiaonan For Unanimous Decision, Retains Strawweight Belt
Zhang Weili defended her UFC Strawweight Championship in Saturday’s co-main event spot, coming close to finishing tough challenger Yan Xiaonan and eventually settling for a lopsided unanimous decision result.
Zhang had Yan in trouble near the end of the first round of their title fight with a rear naked choke attempt. Yan remained in the position until the round expired, although she seemed visibly shaken when trying to return to her corner afterward. Pundits on the UFC broadcast wondered whether the fight should have been stopped due to the submission.
The second round also went the way of Zhang, who got the fight to the ground once again and unloaded with punches from a dominant position. Yan endured a long series of punches while on the ground and eventually escaped the position.
A swing in the momentum during the third round threatened a potential comeback win for Yan. Zhang suffered a pair of flash knockdowns halfway through the fight, getting clipped by right hands from Yan. Zhang seemingly slowed down after an active initial 10 minutes in the fight, allowing Yan to regain control of the fight.
Yan seemingly dropped Zhang again early in the fourth round, although Zhang later regained composure and banked insurance rounds in a fight she was already en route to winning. Zhang picked up takedowns in the fourth and fifth frames, allowing her to control the fight and stifle the comeback that Yan was attempting.
Zhang is now the second-ever strawweight champion in UFC history to defend their belt more than once. The record for most wins as champion remains in the hands of Joanna Jedrzeczyk, who retained her belt a total of five times before eventually dropping it.
Zhang started her second run with the belt in late 2022, earning a second-round victory over Carla Esparza via submission. She then defended her belt for the first time last August, going five rounds against Amanda Lemos for a scorecard victory.
Max Holloway Scores Last-Second Knockout Against Justin Gaethje To Capture ‘BMF’ Belt
Former UFC Featherweight Champion Max Holloway scored a clear “Knockout of the Year” contender in the final moments of his five-round fight with Justin Gaethje, putting him to sleep with an overhand right with just one second to spare in the bout.
Holloway instructed Gaethje to trade blows with him in the middle of the cage to close out the fight, upping the pace of the contest after both athletes previously showed some restraint for nearly five entire rounds. The fighters wailed away with wild punches—most of them missing—although a right hand from Holloway connected and caused the fight to end in “Knockout of the Year” candidate fashion.
Despite Holloway looking for a finish to close out the fight, it was obvious that he was already succeeding in the bout and otherwise would have won on scorecards. He stunned Gaethje numerous times earlier in the five-round contest, although the lightweight talent showcased his toughness by surviving nearly all moments where he was in trouble.
Holloway earned a big moment early, damaging the nose of Gaethje with a spinning head kick just before the first round concluded. Holloway had the higher volume of shots as the fight progressed and was clearly having the more impactful blows as well.
Holloway now holds the “BMF” title, an alternate UFC belt that is placed on matchups between fan favorites who are expected to deliver entertaining performances. This bout seemed to be more of a special attraction matchup in comparison to other fights on the card, as it put two high-profile names from different divisions against each other.
The fight was Holloway’s return to lightweight, competing in the division for the first time since he fought Dustin Poirier in 2019. He plans to return to featherweight for his next bout and called out 145-pound champ Ilia Topuria on Saturday night.
The loss on Saturday ends a run of momentum for Gaethje after previously beating notable contenders Poirier and Rafael Fiziev.
A full report on Saturday’s card, including a breakdown of all of the earlier bouts on the show, can be read in my story at POSTWrestling.com
I’ll also be live this morning at 11 a.m. ET for their post-show on Youtube. You can watch live or on replay here.
Here are the quick results:
Main Card (10:00PM EDT / 7:00PM PDT) (PPV)
Bout 13: Alex Pereira def. Jamahal Hill via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:14) (UFC Light Heavyweight Championship)
Bout 12: Zhang Weili def. Yan Xiaonan via Decision, Unanimous (UFC Strawweight Championship)
Bout 11: Max Holloway def. Justin Gaethje via TKO, Strikes (RD 5, 4:59) (UFC Lightweight BMF Championship)
Bout 10: Arman Tsarukyan def. Charles Oliveira via Decision, Split
Bout 9: Bo Nickal def. Cody Brundage via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 3:38)
Preliminary Card (8:00PM EDT / 5:00PM PDT) (ESPN / ESPN+)
Bout 8: Jiri Prochazka def. Aleksandar Rakic via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 3:17)
Bout 7: Aljamain Sterling def. Calvin Kattar via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 6: Kayla Harrison def. Holly Holm via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 1:47)
Bout 5: Diego Lopes def. Sodiq Yusuff via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:29)
Early Prelims (6:00PM EDT / 3:00PM PDT) (ESPN / ESPN+)
Bout 4: Renato Moicano def. Jalin Turner via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 4:11)
Bout 3: Jessica Andrade def. Marina Rodriguez via Decision, Split
Bout 2: Bobby Green def. Jim Miller via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 1: Deiveson Figueiredo def. Cody Garbrandt via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 4:02)
Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler Announced For UFC 303
The long-discussed fight between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler finally has an announced date.
McGregor and Chandler will face off in a welterweight bout at UFC 303 on June 29th from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, as announced by the promotion this weekend. The fight will be McGregor’s return to the cage after nearly three years out of action.
McGregor, a former two-division champion, has been inactive since an ankle injury took him out of a bout against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. He has been in a career slump since 2016 having lost three of his past five fights in MMA.
Chandler, a former Bellator champion, has put together a negative record of two wins and three losses against top names since he joined the UFC roster in 2021. His last bout, a late 2022 appearance against Dustin Poirier, saw him get submitted in the third round. The upcoming appearance gives him an opportunity to regain momentum after a few tough outings.
Talk regarding a potential fight between McGregor and Chandler has been public for more than a year. The duo coached a season of “The Ultimate Fighter” last year, with the idea being that they would face off sometime after the show finished airing. After many delays—including a solid portion of 2023 where McGregor had to re-enter the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) testing pool before fighting—their fight is officially on the schedule.
McGregor will be returning to the welterweight class for the fourth time in his career. While he is best known for title runs at featherweight and lightweight, previous fights against Donald Cerrone and Nate Diaz were contested at 170 pounds.
For Chandler, it will be just his second time competing in the weight class. He had a one-off fight in the division back in 2010, beating Sal Woods on a Strikeforce card.
Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier Booked For UFC 302
UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev will defend his title at the promotion’s early June pay-per-view against Dustin Poirier, per an announcement made this weekend.
Makhachev and Poirier will headline UFC 302, which is booked to go down on June 1st from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, USA.
Makhachev will be making his third appearance as champion. He initially earned the vacant belt in 2022, submitting Charles Oliveira in the second round with a rear naked choke.
He prevailed in two title bouts last year against then-featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski. In the first fight, Makhachev won in a competitive decision outcome. The second bout, which saw Volkanovski step in on short notice after Oliveira withdrew from the fight due to injury, ended in a first-round finish due to strikes.
When looking beyond Makhachev’s title reign, the 32-year-old will be putting a 13-fight winning streak on the line in Newark later this year.
Poirier will be trying for the third time in his career to gain undisputed champ status. While he earned an interim title in 2019 with a victory over Max Holloway, fights in the past against Oliveira and Khabib Nurmagomedov have stopped him from earning a more substantial reign.
Another title shot is coming to Poirier after he scored a second-round stoppage win against Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299 last month.
Former Champ Strickland To Face Costa In Co-Main Event
Middleweights are expected to collide in a five-round co-main event at UFC 302. Appearing for the first time since losing the 185-pound division title, Sean Strickland will fight Paulo Costa.
Strickland had his short reign as champ put to an end in January, dropping a five-round split decision to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297. He dethroned Israel Adesanya just a few months before, going the distance against him to pick up the belt.
Costa is similarly also trying to bounce back from a loss. He had an unsuccessful return to the cage in February, losing a decision to Robert Whittaker. The fight earlier this year was his first appearance since an August 2022 fight against Luke Rockhold.
Anthony Pettis To Face Chris Avila On Diaz vs. Masvidal Undercard
MMA veteran Anthony Pettis will lace up the boxing gloves once again later this year.
Pettis has been booked to face Chris Avila in a 175-pound, six-round boxing match on June 1st from the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, USA, as announced this week. Their bout will take place on the undercard of a boxing bout between former UFC stars Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal.
Pettis will be competing in boxing for just the second time in his career. He stepped into the ring for the first time last April, going eight rounds against the legendary Roy Jones Jr. for a majority decision win.
The long-time UFC fighter has been branching out since his two-year run in the PFL wrapped up in 2022. He competed on a Karate Combat show late last year, beating career rival Benson Henderson on scorecards.
Avila, a fighter who comes from an MMA background and has previous bouts in UFC and Bellator, has been focusing on boxing for the past few years. He has run in the same circles as “influencer boxing” events, competing on Jake Paul undercards and on the “MF & DAZN X Series.” He fought just last month under boxing rules, defeating Jake Bostwick.
CFFC Announces Two Title Fights For Return To Philadelphia
Title fights at middleweight and bantamweight will be presented when CFFC 132 takes place from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA on June 14th.
Returning 185-pound champ Kyle Daukaus will compete in the main event spot against Canadian prospect Keanan Patershuk.
Daukus, a fighter who exited the UFC roster in late 2022 and rejoined CFFC last year, will be looking to defend his title for the second time. He initially captured the belt last September with a decision victory over Gregg Ellis, then returned earlier this year to submit Sean Connor Fallon with a darce choke.
The upcoming fight will be Patershuk’s first time competing for a regional belt. He has earned five wins and one loss since debuting in 2022, including a pair of CFFC victories. His last win came against Khadzhimurat Bestaev last November, stopping him in under three minutes with punches.
A new bantamweight champ will be crowned when Emily Martins and Auttumn Norton meet in the co-main event. CFFC’s women’s bantamweight title has been inactive for years, with the title last being utilized when now-UFC fighter Katlyn Cerminara fought for the promotion in 2016.
Martins is a 20-year-old prospect who is still in her rookie year as a pro. She has picked up submission wins in both of her fights thus far, finishing via rear naked choke each time.
Norton has the experience edge in MMA, having fought as a pro since 2019. She has competed four times under the notable Invicta FC banner and is getting a CFFC title shot following a finish win from last September.
Along with the two title fights announced for CFFC 132, the promotion revealed a flyweight matchup between former title challenger Shamel Findley and undefeated Bilal Hasan.