Two gladiators came to fight last night (Sat., Dec. 2, 2017) at UFC 218 live on pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich., as former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez became the first person to stop game brawler Justin Gaethje.
As advertised, Gaethje and Alvarez delivered violence early. Gaethje destroyed Eddie’s lead leg with snapping kicks. Alvarez returned favor by slamming punches into Gaethje’s body and landing numerous uppercuts down the pipe. The former champion looked really loose in the second round as he circled around Gaethje and landed countless power shots, including more crippling hooks to the body. Alvarez’s cheek swelled up during the melee and it looked like he was chewing on a massive jawbreaker.
In Round 3, Gaethje went back to the lead leg kick. Alvarez tried to disguise his battered leg by briefly pulling guard, but “Highlight” kept the pressure coming. Despite the injury, Alvarez maintained his offensive output with countless uppercuts before landing a monstrous knee that put Gaethje out. Referee Herb Dean stepped in for the third-round TKO stoppage.
Check out the full fight video highlights above courtesy of UFC.
With this performance, Alvarez regains a lot of divisional momentum after losing his 155-pound title to current champion Conor McGregor last year. Not many fighters in the lightweight division would have signed on to fight Gaethje, let alone go toe-to-toe with him, so Alvarez has to be considered for another massive fight his next time out.
For complete UFC 218 results and coverage click here.