UFC 220 emanated tonight (Saturday, January 20, 2018) from the TD Garden in Boston, MA. The card was topped by a big man title doubleheader, as heavyweight kingpin Stipe Miocic defended his title against budding star Francis Ngannou, while 205-pound champ Daniel Cormier put his belt on the line against Volkan Oezdemir.
The light heavyweight champ not only emerged with his title intact, but he would earn an extra $50,000 for his Performance of the Night. Oezdemir had some success early with his hands, touching – and at times, even cracking – Cormier through the first few minutes. DC obviously respected the power coming at him, but he turned the tide with his own flush right hand. He took down the wobbled challenger soon after, advanced to the back, and cinched the choke right at the end of the round. Only the bell saved Oezdemir. DC picked up where he left off in the second. After another takedown, he advanced to the crucifix position, and pounded out “No Time” with right hands.
The other Performance of the Night went to Abdul Razak Alhassan, who stretched Sabah Homasi in their rematch on the undercard. The fight began more methodically than their barnburner first encounter, but it soon devolved into the same kind of brawl. A full-power uppercut connected cleanly on Homasi’s chin from the Ghanian, sending him crashing backward, unconscious before his head bounced off the canvas. Alhassan pocketed an extra $50,000 for the jaw-dropping knockout.
The Fight of the Night went to main card featherweights Calvin Kattar and Shane Burgos. Kattar handed the previously unbeaten Burgos the first loss of his career with a simultaneously gorgeous and devastating third-round knockout. Kattar controlled much of the first round with his jab and leg kick, stymieing the aggressive Burgos’ offense. The New York native charged back in the second, connecting with hard counters that bloodied Kattar. Seemingly with the momentum on his side, Burgos soon found himself in serious peril. A long straight right hand from Kattar put Burgos on wobbly legs. Before he could recover, an uppercut sent him reeling backwards, and as he ducked to avoid the follow-up blows, he was met with another picture-perfect uppercut. Burgos was blasted off his feet, smashing into the canvas. The two heavy-handed strikers each banked an extra $50,000 for their wild scrap.
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