NGANNOU vs OVEREEM
Stipe Miocic in the UFC 218 co-main event Saturday at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena, as the Cameroon native scored a spectacular first-round knockout over No. 1-ranked contender Alistair Overeem.
“I think I’ve got it,” the 31-year-old wrecking machine said with a smile. “I’m ready for that.”
He sure looked like it.
A confident Overeem fired a wild left hook at Ngannou to begin the fight, and while he missed, he was able to close the distance and lock up with his foe. Ngannou handled the pressure well and a stall in the action produced a restart from referee Dan Miragliotta. That break was all Ngannou needed, as he fired off a left of his own that knocked Overeem out instantly. The official time of Miragliotta’s stoppage was 1:42.
The No. 4-ranked Ngannou ups his record to 11-1. Overeem falls to 43-16 with 1 NC.
CEJUDO vs PETTIS
Wilson Reis, Cejudo went back to his wrestling in round one, as he took Pettis down and kept him there for much of the first five minutes.
Pettis had success with his striking in the first minute of round two, but when he tripped to the mat, Cejudo capitalized and went back to his ground attack. In the final minute, Pettis got loose and rose to his feet but didn’t have enough time to mount the comeback he needed.
A minute into the final round, Cejudo put the fight on the mat once more, and he kept him there until there were 90 seconds left in the bout. It was time for one last charge from Pettis, but he wasn’t able to put it together, allowing Cejudo to leave Detroit with the victory via identical scores of 30-27.
The No. 2-ranked Cejudo moves to 12-2 with the win. The No. 4-ranked Pettis falls to 16-3.
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ALVAREZ vs GAETHJE
