Knockouts Seem Bigger in Texas

Arman Tsarukyan believes he deserves another shot at UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. The two men fought in April 2019 in Russia, with Makhachev coming away with a unanimous decision. Since then, Tsarukyan has spent his time battling back up the UFC rankings.
Besides a controversial decision loss to Mateusz Gamrot in June 2022, Tsarukyan is 8-1 in his past nine fights and is No. 8 in the lightweight rankings. But MMAfighting latest news shows that Tsarukyan’s star will be on the rise even faster. On Saturday night in Austin, Texas, Tsarukyan capped off a wild night of fights by knocking out No. 4 ranked Beneil Dariush in 64 seconds.
Tsarukyan caught Dariush with a knee, putting him down a minute into the fight. He would follow up with ground-and-pound before the fight was waived off. Tsarukyan’s fight was special in a wild night filled with spectacular finishes. UFC President Dana White said after the event that the company gave out over $500,000 in bonuses for the fighters’ performances.
Referee May Have Turned in Night’s Worst Performance

The co-main event was a fantastic bounce-back win for Jalin Turner. But Turner’s victory likely won’t be what the lightweight bout is remembered for. Turner hit Bobby Green with a stiff punch while they were on their feet and sent Green to the canvas. Turner immediately mounted Green to deliver some ground and pound.
What ensued was a sequence that will haunt referee Kerry Hatley for a long time. Turner continues to hammer away at Green, who briefly puts his hands alongside the top of his head to stop the onslaught. However, Turner’s punches continued, and eventually, Green went unconscious again.
Hatley allowed Green to take two more shots while he was unconscious before stepping in. White said after the event that Hatley admitted he made a mistake. But watching the video, it is hard to imagine many on MMA news sites will understand what he was looking at.
Rare Fight-Ending Sequence Pops Up in Consecutive Fights

Seeing a fight ended by a slam knockout has only happened 14 times in the UFC’s 30-year history. Saturday night, the rare occurrence happened twice in back-to-back fights. Drakkar Klose was able to slam Joe Solecki for a first-round knockout.
Solecki was trying to wrap up an armbar when Klose picked him up and slammed him to try to get out of the hold. Solecki briefly went unconscious, and the fight was stopped. Cody Brundage would perform a similar maneuver in the next fight against Zach Reese.
Reese was attempting to submit Brundage off his back with a triangle. Brundage proceeded to pick him up and slam him on the side of his head. Reese may not have been all the way out like Solecki and Brundage followed up with two punches before the fight was waived off.
Figueiredo Feels Comfortable at Different Weight
Former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo was happy not to worry as much about a weight cut after going to bantamweight. The former flyweight champion debuted in the weight class against veteran Rob Font. While Figueiredo wasn’t the most active puncher in the fight, he could win thanks to his power.
Figueiredo is now 22-3-1 in his career. Before his win over Font, Figueiredo had fought Brandon Moreno in a series of four fights over the flyweight championship. Moreno was able to hold a 2-1-1 edge in those fights.
Brady Rebounds in Impressive Fashion
Philadelphia native Sean Brady took a year off after losing his undefeated record with a TKO loss to Belal Muhammad. Fighting former title challenger Kelvin Gastelum was the right matchup to get Brady (16-1) back on track. From the outset, Brady dominated with his grappling and was able to throw Gastelum off his game.
In the third round, Brady was able to get on top and lock in a kimura to force a submission. It was the fifth submission win in Brady’s career. Gastelum has now lost six of his past eight fights.
Ageless Wonder Doesn’t Give in to Odds
Clay Guida is still fighting at 41 years old because he enjoys the competition. Long past his days of being a title challenger, Guida showed why he is still sanctioned to compete in the octagon. Betting odds indicated that many thought Joaquim Silva would knock out Guida.
Silva did knock down Guida in the first round but couldn’t put together the right competition to finish the durable veteran. In Guida’s 62 career fights, he has only lost by knockout twice. While Silva was able to overcome Guida’s wrestling to earn the decision, it was a much more difficult fight than he likely anticipated it would be.
Tate Grabs Another Stoppage Victory
Former bantamweight champion Meisha Tate has been in and out of the sport for several years. MMA breaking news shows Tate initially retired in 2016 before taking time off to have children and returned in 2021. Tate showcased her old form during a fight with Julia Avila.
Tate decided to employ a wrestling-heavy style that Avila couldn’t keep up with. After dominating the first two rounds, Tate was able to wrap up a submission by face crank in the third round. It was only Tate’s second win since 2016.
Stoltzfus Starts Main Card with Submission
Dustin Stoltzfus took a year off after taking a difficult TKO loss to Abus Magomedov in September 2022. The time off may have done Stoltzfus some good. In his return fight, he was able to submit Punahele Soriano in the second round. Stoltzfus improved to 16-5 in his career with the win.
Here’s a look at the rest of the results not mentioned above:
- Light heavyweight: Rodolfo Bellato TKO (punches) over Ihor Potieria, Round 2 4:17
- Welterweight: Jared Gooden win by submission (rear-naked choke) over Wellington Turman, Round 2 1:11
- Women’s flyweight: Veronica Hardy win by split decision over Jamey-Lyn Horth, 29-28 Hardy (x2), Horth 29-28
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