Polish light heavyweight contender Jan Blachowicz continued his surge to the top of the division in the UFC Fight Night co-main event, as he submitted the returning Nikita Krylov in the second round at Olympic Stadium in Moscow, extending his winning streak to four.
According to custom, Krylov came out swinging hard, but he surprised Blachowicz with a takedown in the early going. Krylov had control on the mat for a spell, but Blachowicz stayed busy off his back and eventually scrambled his way into the top position, where he stayed for the rest of the round.
Blachowicz dragged Krylov back to the mat in round two, and he simply mauled “The Miner” until he was able to sink in the D’Arce choke that produced a tap out at 2:41 of the second round.
With the win, the No. 4-ranked Blachowicz improves to 23-7. Krylov, making his first UFC start since 2016, falls to 25-6.
Dagestan’s Shamil Abdurakhimov earned the biggest win of his career, outpointing former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski via unanimous decision.
Scores were 29-28 and 30-27 twice for the No. 14-ranked Abdurakhimov, now 19-4. The No. 12-ranked Arlovski falls to 27-17 with 1 NC.
Abdurakhimov put Arlovski on the deck twice in the early stages of the fight, but was unable to do anything significant with the advantage, prompting a restart from referee Leon Roberts. Once reset, Arlovski was able to get off some significant strikes against his foe before the horn sounded.
Arlovski won the takedown battle 2-1 in round two, and with success in measured spurts on the feet, it was a good round for “The Pit Bull.” Abdurakhimov controlled matters in the third, though, securing his victory on the scorecards.
UFC newcomer Aleksei Kunchenko improved his perfect record to 19-0 in welterweight action, as he won a unanimous decision over Brazilian veteran Thiago Alves.
Both fighters took their time getting acclimated to the Octagon in the first round, with kicks being the weapon of choice for both men in a close, but fairly uneventful, frame.
Alves (27-13) upped his work rate in the second, his kicks landing with audible thuds on the legs of Kunchenko, who still kept the pressure on and got in some shots of his own in response. As the fight progressed, Alves’ kicks kept coming, but Kunchenko was checking them and delivering his punches upstairs. A takedown by Kunchenko didn’t hurt the Tyumen product’s cause, and in the closing minute, he was stalking and scoring on Alves, allowing him to leave with a 30-27 and 29-28 twice win.
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