UFC kicks off September with a battle between heavyweight KO artists, as No. 6 ranked contender Alistair Overeem faces No. 9 Augusto Sakai.
A 21-year veteran who has competed against the MMA and kickboxing elite, Overeem (46-18 1NC, fighting out of Amsterdam, The Netherlands) still has his sights set on capturing UFC gold. Over the course of his legendary career, he has delivered memorable knockout wins over former champions Junior Dos Santos and Brock Lesnar, as well as Mark Hunt. Overeem now aims to stop another rising, young contender and re-assert himself as one of the most dangerous heavyweights on the planet.
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Unbeaten since joining the UFC roster in 2018, Sakai (15-1-1, fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil) wasted no time in cracking the heavyweight division’s top 10. Originally signed following a spectacular performance on Dana White’s Contender Series, he has since secured impressive victories against Blagoy Ivanov, Marcin Tybura and former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski. Sakai now hopes to take advantage of his first UFC main event opportunity by earning the biggest win of his career.
Initially slated to take place two weeks earlier, light heavyweights Ovince Saint Preux and Alonzo Menifield will finally clash in Saturday’s co-main event. Both men have the potential to end things in a hurry and there is a very real possibility that this one will end in spectacular fashion without the judges needing to get involved.
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Hunter Azure (29-28 x 3) defeats Cole Smith by Unanimous Decision
Hunter Azure got back in the win column in the bantamweight opener, as he scored a close, but unanimous, three-round decision over Cole Smith.
Azure (9-1) got the fight to the mat in the opening minute, and while Smith didn’t stay there for long, he then got tagged and dropped with a left hand. Again, Smith rose quickly and got out of immediate danger, pinning Azure to the fence and landing a flush elbow that knocked his foe’s mouthpiece out. Once separated, Smith threw some kicks before getting grounded, and even when he rose, Azure stayed in the lead until the horn.
After eating a couple right hands to start round two, Smith got his own takedown. Azure rose quickly, but Smith kept looking for the takedown, even getting his back taken briefly by the Contender Series graduate, who was controlling the grappling exchanges.
Smith (7-2) made a late charge in the third round, nearly catching Azure in a rear naked choke, but a finish wasn’t in the cards, allowing Azure to leave with three identical scores of 29-28 and the win.
Viviane Araujo (30-27 x 2, 29-28) defeats Montana De La Rosa by Unanimous Decision
In a battle of flyweight contenders, Viviane Araujo scored a hard-fought three-round unanimous decision over Montana De La Rosa.
Scores were 30-27 twice and 29-28 for the No. 8-ranked Araujo, now 9-2. The No. 11-ranked De La Rosa falls to 11-6.
Fighting smoothly and confidently, Araujo controlled the action throughout, bloodying De La Rosa’s nose while tagging her regularly with jabs, overhand rights and kicks to her opponent’s lead leg. De La Rosa was competitive throughout, and had some positive moments, but she wasn’t able to land anything to deter Araujo or get her to the mat, leading to a clear victory for the Brazilian.
Brian Kelleher vs Ray Rodriguez
Andre Muniz vs Bartosz Fabinski
Michel Pereira vs Zelim Imadaev
Ovince Saint Preux vs Alonzo Menifield
Alistair Overeem vs Augusto Sakai
