UFC 251 esults & video: Prochazka KO’s Oezdemir in debut

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Check out the results and highlights from the UFC 251 ESPN prelims, including Jiri Prochazka knocking out Volkan Oezdemir in a thriller, and Makwan Amirkhani choking out Danny Henry.

UFC 251 chugs right along, and the ESPN part of the prelims just closed out with the #7 ranked light heavyweight, Volkan Oezdemir, welcoming promotional newcomer, Jiri Prochazka, to the Octagon. This was a slobber knocker, with both men being rocked at various points of the match. It was in the second round where Prochazka stunned his foe with a head kick, and then proceeded to knock Oezdemir unconscious with a sinister right hand. The UFC newcomer has made quite a splash in his debut, which should set him right up for another big fight in his next outing.

Before that, Muslim Salikhov Elizeu and Zaleski dos Santos put on a technical three-round standup affair. Each man was able to score their respective strikes, with neither man really taking over for an extended period of time. When the dust settled, it was “The King Of Kung Fu” who took the split decision to extend his winning streak to four.

Also on the undercard, Makwan Amirkhani put Danny Henry in the first round with a sweet Anaconda choke. This was a close one on the feet at first, but as soon as it turned into a grappling affair it was all Amirkhani. “Mr. Finland” has won three of his last four fights. Kicking off the ESPN prelims, lightweights Roman Bogatov and Leonardo Santos went the distance in a wonky one. Santos had a near finish in the second act, and then Bogatov committed two cup-checks and an illegal knee to the head of a grounded fighter to earn a rarely seen two-point deduction. Santos has yet to taste defeat in eight UFC appearances.

**See complete results below

ESPN Prelims:

Jiri Prochazka def. Volkan Oezdemir by KO at :49 of round 2: Light Heavyweight

Volkan opened the bout with a stinging left hook that go the attention of Jiri. A bit of showmanship went on from Jiri, followed by some stiff straights to the face of his opponent. Volkan responded with a hard combo that staggered Jiri, but that momentum didn’t last long. Jiri started swinging back, connecting with more straights. Then a slugfest broke out for the rest of the round. Jiri rocked Volkan with a head kick early in the second round, and then went in for the kill. He unleashed a flurry of violent punches and caught Volkan clean asa day, knocking him out cold! Eek!

Muslim Salikhov def. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos by split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29): Welterweight

There was a lot of respect on both sides, as each man felt out the other with letting loose. Salikhov was the one pressing forward and throwing the flashier techniques. Towards the end of the round, ZDS landed a hard right hand that wobbled Salikhov. ZDS tried to get the finish with ground strikes but time ran out.

The second round saw some more sticky kickboxing, before they started grappling. ZDS looked for the takedown but Salikhov fought it off and stayed standing. Back in open space, they both whiffed on spinning kicks and then went strike for strike. Neither man was really able to take over or establish any momentum.

The bout continued to be highly competitive into the final round. Salikhov landed a spinning kick to the body, which prompted ZDS to throw a Capoeira kick in response. Salikhov started to land with his hands coming from crafty entries, and ZDS was scoring with front kicks. This was another close round that’s hard to judge.

Makwan Amirkhani def. Danny Henry by submission (Anaconda) at 3:15 of round 1: Featherweight

This one got off to a bit of a slow start. The first-half of the opening round saw a slow-paced kickboxing match, Then, Amirkhani shot in and quickly attacked with a Anaconda. After a slight struggle, Henry passed out before he could tap. Wow!

Leonardo Santos def. Roman Bogatov by unanimous decision (29-26 x3): Lightweight

Santos found early success using his boxing combos to answer the pressure of Bogatov. Then, Bogatov accidentally poked Santos in thew eye, resulting in a halt in the action. The fight started back up and Santos briefly took the back after a botched spinning attack from Bogatov. Santos did a good job of disrupting Bogatov’s rhythm with short punches and different looks.

Santos continued to touch his target in the second round. After a set of knees, Santos wobbled Bogatov with an elbow and then went ballistic. He peppered v with a series of right hands, before taking top position and dropping a bunch more strikes. Somehow, Bogatov survived, and then actually worked his way into top position. He then unleashed some furious ground strikes of his own just before the bell.

The final round started with an accidental knee to the groin of Santos. The Brazilian hit the deck in agony, rolling around and using up his allotted time. The fight ultimately resumed and Bogatov went to the takedown. Santos fought hard to stay on his feet, but his back was still to the fence. Bogatov hit Santos in the cup again, prompting Santos to hit the floor again. No point was deducted. The fight resumed again and Bogatov quickly hit a spinning backfist to takedown. Then, Bogatov landed an illegal knee to the face of a grounded Santos. Two points were deducted for the infraction. The fight started yet again and Bogatov went for it. He threw wildly as he pressured forward, but ran out of time.