For a change, the UFC hosted an event at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Paradise, Las Vegas instead of its go-to venue, the Apex, on March 11.
Former bantamweight champ Petr Yan took on surging Georgian contender Merab Dvalishvili in the main event of the night. Despite starting off at a frantic pace, the bout surprisingly went the full distance of twenty-five minutes.
‘The Machine’ overwhelmed Yan with his persistent catch wrestling, entirely neutralizing the former champ’s lethal stand-up. Merab Dvalishvili picked up a lopsided 50-45 unanimous decision victory, extending his magnificent winning streak to 9 with a record-breaking performance.
The co-main event of the night featured a light-heavyweight clash between veteran UFC heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov and Moldovan prospect Alexandr Romanov. Romanov went for an early takedown as expected and was visibly gassed out after failing to take ‘Drago’ down. Volkov took his ‘King Kong’s’ back and poured vicious ground and pound, forcing the referee to intervene at 2:16 of round 1.
Catch the highlights below:
A light heavyweight clash between Nikita Krylov and Ryan Spann, originally scheduled for February, was rebooked at catchweight on the UFC Las Vegas card. After over two and a half minutes of high paced scrambles, Krylov slapped in a triangle that forced a tap from ‘Superman’.
UFC Las Vegas: Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili full card results
Main card
Merab Dvalishvili def. Petr Yan via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
Alexander Volkov def. Alexandr Romanov via TKO (punches) – (2:16 of Round 1)
Nikita Krylov def. Ryan Spann via submission (triangle choke) – (3:38 of Round 1)
Jonathan Martinez def. Said Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Mario Bautista def. Guido Cannetti via submission (rear-naked choke) – (3:18 of Round 1)
Vitor Petrino def. Anton Turkalj via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Preliminary Card
Karl Williams def. Lukasz Brzeski via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
Davey Grant vs. Raphael Assuncao via sub (reverse triangle) – (4:43 of Round 3)
Josh Fremd def. Sedriques Dumas via submission (guillotine choke) – (3:00 of Round 2)
Victor Henry def. Tony Gravely via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
Ariane Lipski def. JJ Aldrich via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Bruno Silva def. Tyson Nam via submission (rear-naked choke) – (1:23 of Round 2)
Carlston Harris def. Jared Gooden via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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