Once again the UFC is back on Yas Island once again for UFC Fight Island 2. This card is the 3rd of planned 4 bouts on Yas Island (The last 2 being UFC 251 and UFC Fight Island 1). This card was the most stacked Fight Night card I have seen in a while and one of the most exciting of the year. Let’s get into the fights.
Results
- Askar Askarov defeated Alexandre Pantoja via Unanimous Decision
- Ariane Lipski finished Luana Carolina via submission
- Rafael Fiziev defeated Marc Diakiese via Unanimous Decision
- Jack Hermansson finished Kelvin Gastelum via submission
- Deiveson Figueiredo finished Joseph Benavidez via submission
Askar Askarov and Alexandre Pantoja give grappling showcase
The main event kicked off with a bang. Askar Askarov and Alexandre Pantoja left it all in the octagon as they had a high paced bout. The bout started almost immediately with a grappling exchange as Pantoja looked for the early submission. However, he found no success as Askarov escaped each attempt leading to a clinch exchange which closed out the round with Pantoja in a dominant position has he took Askarov’s back. The second and third rounds followed the same route, with heavy grappling exchanges from the Russian and the Brazilian. In the end, there was only one winner and it was the undefeated Askarov as the judges scored the bout 29-28 x 3. This win extends Askarov’s unbeaten streak to 12. What’s next for the flyweights?
- Askar Askarov
- Alex Perez
- Alexandre Pantoja
- Kai Kara France
Ariane Lipski shows us how knees shouldn’t bend
This fight started out with a grappling exchange instantly as Ariane Lipski and Luana Carolina from Brazil tried to submit each other as they scrambled to the ground. Carolina tried to finalize a calf-slicer on Lipski but Lipski noticed her positioning and reversed the submission. Lipski grabbed Carolina’s leg and locked in a gruesome kneebar to remind us that knees only bend one way. This extends Lipski’s win streak to 2 and ends Carolina’s streak of 6. What’s next?
- Ariane Lipski
- Mayra Bueno Silva
- Luana Carolina
- Montana De La Rosa
Rafael Fiziev and Marc Diakiese give us stand up war
Rafael Fiziev and Marc Diakiese realized that the last 2 fights on the card were grappling heavy. They were probably fed up with it and decided to give fans the most exciting bout in the main card. Fiziev showcased his high level of striking as he battered Diakiese’s body with body kicked that echoed through the empty arena. However, the offense of Fiziev was not the only impressive part. The defense of Fiziev was slick as he managed to pull a ‘Matrix’ style dodge nearly avoiding a high kick. This impressive performance led to a scorecard of 30-27, 29-28 x 2 in favor of Fiziev. What’s next?
- Rafael Fiziev
- Brad Riddel
- Marc Diakiese
- Roosevelt Roberts
Jack Hermansson lands lighting quick submission
This fight was important to these two fighters as each could have a potential claim to the middleweight throne so they had to be dominant in their performance. Hermansson did just that. As Gastelum pressured Hermansson they clinched up only for Gastelum to reverse Hermansson’s takedown and end up on top. However it wasn’t Hermansson who was in trouble, he acted quickly and tried to get a heel hook and sunk it in to submit Gastelum in a little over a minute. This loss hands Gastelum his 3rd loss straight. What’s next for the middleweights?
- Jack Hermansson
- Loser of Till/Whittaker
- Kelvin Gastelum
- Brad Tavares
Deiveson Figueiredo wins flyweight title in rematch
Although this fight was a rematch between Figueiredo and Benavidez it only delayed the inevitable. The bout had shades of the first bout casting over it. Figueiredo dominated Benavidez on the feet by dropping him 3 times and looking for a submission every time the fight went to the ground before looking for a choke and submitting him to claim the title and become the new flyweight champion. This fight hands Figueiredo his 4th straight win. Meanwhile Benavidez has suffered his last 2 straight losses to Figueiredo. What’s next for the flyweights?
- Deiveson Figueiredo
- Brandon Moreno
- Joseph Benavidez
- Possible Retirement
Up Next!
The UFC is back on Fight Island once again next Saturday night where top middleweight contenders Darren Till and Robert Whittaker. They are co-lined by veteran light heavyweights Shogun Rua and Lil’ Nog.
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