The second UFC event of 2021 saw a big night for debutants. One of which has a pretty strong bloodline as Umar Nurmagomedov takes home 50K.
To follow-up UFC Fight Island 8‘s strong opening showcase from France’s Manon Fiorot, Umar Nurmagomedov made the walk at bantamweight. Dominant from bell to bell, the cousin of UFC lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov would submit Sergey Morozov with a second-round rear-naked choke. Therefore extending his undefeated record to 13-0.
Later on, in the co-main event, Brazil’s Warlley Alves halted the hype train of Mounir Lazzez. The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 winner went full-steam ahead at the top prospect and battered him for two minutes and 35 seconds before closing the show with strong body kicks.
Both Umar Nurmagomedov and Warlley Alves would do good enough work to earn themselves the performance of the night bonus.
https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1351996059526991873?s=20
Sandwiched between the great performances from the bantamweight Umar Nurmagomedov and welterweight Warlley Alves was the fight of the night.
At 155-pounds, the always exciting and heavy-handed Mike Davis returned after a layoff dating back to Oct. 2019. In his comeback, Davis welcomed the newcomer from Wales, Mason Jones.
Slugging it out early and often, the fighters fought to what looked like a deciding third. Attacking off the back foot, Davis would consistently land better than his opponent thus sealing the victory. Both men performed valiantly and looked for the finish more often than not. Despite suffering his first career defeat, Jones still came out a winner as far as his bank account is concerned.
https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1351996400645545985?s=20
As for possible snubs, many in the community believe Houston’s Issac Villanueva should have received a bonus over others.
Directly prior to Alves’ win, Villanueva took on Vinicius Moreira in a light heavyweight clash. The end result saw Villanueva landing one big clean punch that floored the Brazilian in round two. Villanueva took to the microphone afterward to call for his bonus but ultimately, Umar Nurmagomedov and Warlley Alves shined brighter in UFC President Dana White’s opinion.