Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned after a week off to stage UFC Vegas 28 inside UFC Apex last night (Sat., June 5, 2021) in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the main event, Jairzinho Rozenstruik scored a buzzer-beating knockout over Augusto Sakai (see it here). In the co-headlining act, Marcin Tybura handed Walt Harris his third straight defeat.
Biggest Winner: Jairzinho Rozenstruik
“Bigi Boy” made the most of his latest headlining duties, knocking out Sakai with one second left in the opening frame. That was good enough to earn him an extra $50k in post-fight bonus cash. It also put him back in the win column after coming up short in his last outing against Ciryl Gane. In avoiding back-to-back defeats, “Bigi Boy” can expect a move up in the rankings. And with the promotion thinning out its division a bit, Rozenstruik is hoping to sneak into the mix with another big win or two. For now, he can enjoy his latest conquest and extra cash in his account before he gets back in mix. And whoever stands across from him knows he has to have his head on a swivel to avoid suffering the same fate as Sakai.
Runner Up: Marcin Tybura
Don’t look now, but there’s another player in the Heavyweight division looking to cause a raucous. While Rozenstruik was busy knocking out Sakai in the very first round, another big man had done the same minutes prior. Indeed, Tybura finished Walt Harris via strikes in the co-headlining act, also in the first round. With the win, Marcin earns his fifth straight victory inside the Octagon, putting the rest of the weight class on notice that another contender is rising. He should crack the Top 10 come next week, a spot he deserves more so than a certain couple of fighters in the weight class ahead of him.
Biggest Loser: Walt Harris
“Big Ticket’s” woes inside the cage just keep getting worse, losing his third straight fight, this time at the hands of Marcin Tybura. To make matters worse, all three defeats have come via knockout. Where Harris goes from here is anyone’s guess. But one thing is certain, Harris needs to up his game and show matchmakers he does have what it takes to hang with the best of them before he gets his walking papers. Because if he suffers another loss in his next outing, it will be his fourth straight, possibly ending his run inside the world-famous Octagon.
For complete UFC Vegas 28 results and coverage click here.