Two of the most explosive knockout artists in the UFC light heavyweight division will go to battle this weekend.
Thiago Santos and Johnny Walker meet Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas — and it would be shocking if the bout between the two natives of Brazil goes to decision. This main event has major meaning in the 205-pound division.
ESPN has Santos ranked No. 10 in the world at light heavyweight and Walker is trying to ascend the ladder. Both men were born in Rio de Janeiro, but train elsewhere — Santos out of Florida’s American Top Team and Walker at SBG Ireland, the home gym of Conor McGregor.
Santos (21-9) is tied for the second most KO/TKOs in UFC history with 11. “Marreta” has dropped three straight following four straight wins, but one of those losses came against then-champion Jon Jones in a 2019 UFC light heavyweight title fight in which Santos blew out both of his knees. Santos, 37, is still looking for his first victory since surgery. He is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 259 in March.
Walker (18-5) is coming off a huge first-round knockout over Ryan Spann in September 2020. He has had only two decisions in his pro career, but has won all four of his UFC bouts via finish. Walker, 29, was considered a bright prospect before back-to-back losses to Corey Anderson and Nikita Krylov in 2019 and 2020.
In the co-main event, Kevin Holland will meet Kyle Daukaus in a matchup of up-and-coming middleweights. Holland (21-7), a 28-year-old Texas resident, is trying to bounce back from two straight losses, which followed a fantastic five-fight winning streak in 2020. Daukaus (10-2), a 28-year-old from Philadelphia, has dropped two of three in the UFC after holding the Cage Fury FC middleweight title.
Also on the card, exciting welterweights Alex Oliveira and Niko Price face off, former title challenger Bethe Correia takes on fellow Brazilian Karol Rosa and Antonina Shevchenko, sister of champion Valentina Shevchenko, meets top prospect Casey O’Neill in a women’s flyweight bout.
Follow the action live with recaps and analysis Marc Raimondi and Jeff Wagenheim or watch the fights on ESPN+.
Fight in progress:
Lightweight: Jamie Mullarkey (13-4, 1-2 UFC; +125) vs. Devonte Smith (11-2, 3-1 UFC; -150)
Men’s featherweight: Douglas Silva de Andrade (27-4, 5-4 UFC) def. Gaetano Pirrello (15-7-1, 0-2 UFC) by first-round KO (punches) | Watch this fight on ESPN+
Silva de Andrade got his first finish since 2016, and what a finish it was. The 36-year-old Brazilian countered a kick with a sharp left hook that sent Pirrello crashing to the mat for a knockout 2:04 into the fight.
Silva de Andrade has won two of his last three, while Pirrello, who is 29 and from Belgium, has lost both of his UFC bouts.
Women’s bantamweight: Stephanie Egger (6-2, 1-1 UFC) def. Shanna Young (8-5, 0-2 UFC) by second-round TKO (strikes) | Watch this fight on ESPN+
Egger used takedowns in both rounds to control the fight, delivering a ground-and-pound beatdown in Round 2 to get the stoppage for her first UFC victory.
The 33-year-old from Switzerland, who had dropped her Octagon debut a year ago, had to fend off a submission attempt from Young in the first round. But in the second, Egger’s offense was too much for Young, and shortly after Egger dropped a big elbow to Young’s face, referee Mark Smith jumped in at 2:22 to end it.
Young, who is 30 and fights out of Knoxville, Tennessee, has lost both of her UFC bouts.
Men’s bantamweight: Alejandro Perez (23-8-1, 8-3-1 UFC) def. Johnny Eduardo (28-13, 3-5 UFC) by second-round submission (armbar) | Watch this fight on ESPN+
Perez had not fought since July 2019, so he took a while to get going. But after being taken down early in Round 2 and having to battle his way back to his feet, he turned things around quickly. Perez took Eduardo to the canvas and locked in a straight armbar to get the finish at 4:13.
The 32-year-old Perez, who is from Mexico and fights out of San Jose, California, ended a two-fight losing streak.
Eduardo, a 43-year-old Brazilian who had not competed since June 2018, lost his third in a row.
Wow an armbar finish with the legs in the crucifix position. Very impressive. 🙏🏽 #UFCVegas38
— Tatiana Suarez (@tatianaufc) October 2, 2021
Still to come:
Light heavyweight: Thiago Santos (21-9, 13-8 UFC, -155) vs. Johnny Walker (18-5, 4-2 UFC, +130)
Middleweight: Kevin Holland (21-7, 8-4 UFC -165) vs. Kyle Daukaus (10-2, 1-2 UFC, +140)
Welterweight: Alex Oliveira (22-10-1 1 NC, 11-8 1 NC UFC, +160) vs. Niko Price (14-5 2 NC, 6-5 2 NC UFC, -190)
Middleweight: Misha Cirkunov (15-6, 6-4 UFC, +125) vs. Krzysztof Jotko (22-5, 9-5 UFC, -150)
Lightweight: Alexander Hernandez (12-4, 4-3 UFC, -550) vs. Mike Breeden (10-3, 0-0 UFC, +400)
Lightweight: Joe Solecki (11-2, 3-0 UFC, -135) vs. Jared Gordon (17-4, 5-3 UFC, +115)
Women’s flyweight: Antonina Shevchenko (9-3, 3-3 UFC, +180) vs. Casey O’Neill (7-0, 2-0 UFC, -220)
Women’s bantamweight: Bethe Correia (11-5-1, 5-5-1 UFC, +400) vs. Karol Rosa (14-3, 3-0 UFC, -550)
