Australia’s Alexander Volkanovski made a statement in the main card opener, as he extended his winning streak to 16 with a second-round stoppage of perennial featherweight contender Chad Mendes.
Mendes and Volkanovski set a fast pace, with Mendes holding the edge on the feet, but Volkanovski not far behind. A takedown by Mendes in the final minute probably earned him the round, but things were just heating up.
A minute into the second round, Mendes rocked Volkanovski and then dropped him with a left hand. The Aussie was up immediately and he got even with some hard punches in return. With three minutes left, Volkanovski got more aggressive with his striking, but Mendes responded with a takedown. Volkanovski got up quickly, and both were now bleeding. With 1:45 left, Mendes got another takedown, and this time he took his foe’s back. In a subsequent scramble, they rose to their feet, and Volkanovski landed several hard shots before a body shot followed by a right to the head crumbled the former world title challenger, prompting referee Mark Smith to stop the bout at 4:14 of round two.
With the win, the No. 10-ranked Volkanovski falls to 18-2. The No. 5-ranked Mendes falls to 18-5.
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