Brother of Ilia Topuria beats Volkanovski's pupil in debut at UFC 312. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter/UFC News
Talent runs in the family. Inspired by his brother Ilia in his corner, his brother, Alexander Topuria, showed quality in the debut held at UFC 312 this Saturday (8). Facing Colby Thickness, the Georgian imposed his game with the right to 'suplex' and victory on points. The bantamweight event (up to 61,2 kg) was held in Sydney, Australia.
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The result saw Aleksandre debut with a win and improve his record to six wins and one loss. He is also a training partner of Merab Dvalishvili,bantamweight champion (up to 61,2 kg).
Ward of Alexander Volkanovsky, Thicknesse suffers his first defeat in his career, precisely in his debut in the organization.
Topuria imposes strong game and emerges victorious in debut against Thicknesse at UFC 312
The fight began with Topuria pressuring Thicknesse, but he was the target of some good blows. Aleksandre, however, started to enjoy the fight and landed blows that ended up hurting the Australian. On the other hand, Colby couldn't find his way with the strategy. In the final stretch, the Georgian still had time to apply a 'suplex', a type of blow in which the fighter lifts the opponent and throws him backwards, common in Greco-Roman wrestling.
Thickness landed some good punches in the second round, but Topuria continued to be superior and hurt his opponent more. As time went on, the Australian managed to even things up, while Volkanovski asked for more action with kicks in his corner.
The third round was to confirm the victory. With a more peaceful strategy, Aleksandre bet on grappling, held his opponent and confirmed the victory by the judges' decision.
Jonathan Micallaef surprises with strategy and surpasses Kevin Jousset
Jonathan Micallaef won Kevin Jousset by unanimous decision. Photo: Instagram.
In the second fight of the night, the debutant Jonathan Micallef maintained Australia's winning streak by defeating the French Kevin Jousset by unanimous decision of the judges, in a duel valid for the welterweight category (up to 77,1 kg). This was the third consecutive victory for the Australian, who has a record of eight wins and only one loss.
The two moved around a lot and exchanged strong blows throughout the fight. Even though he was forced to move backwards most of the time, Micallaef was successful in landing several blows to his opponent's waistline. In the final part of the round, he took the Frenchman to the ground with a strong kick to the head, which almost ended the fight.
The strike was a weapon constantly used by the Australian, who varied kicks to the head, leg and waistline. Throughout the 15 minutes, Micallaef's advantage in speed, precision and leg movement was evident.
Rong Zhu wages 'war' and takes away Kody Steele's invincibility
In the third fight of the preliminary card, the Chinese Rong Zhu derrotou Kody Steele by unanimous decision and ended the American's unbeaten streak, which now has seven wins and one loss. In his second stint in the Ultimate, Zhu recovered from his loss to Chris Padilla in
The first five minutes of the fight were spectacular for the fans. The two athletes started exchanging blows and landed strong blows against each other, generating great reactions from the audience. In the second round, the Chinese fighter knocked his opponent down with a great jab in the first exchange of punches. From then on, he found the distance on his feet and began to dominate Steele, who demonstrated an impressive ability to absorb blows.
At the end of the 15 minutes of confrontation, Rong Zhu was declared the winner by unanimous decision of the judges.
Quillan Salkilld debuts on the right foot and wins by knockout in 19 seconds
Quillan Salkilld won in less than 20 seconds. Photo: Instagram/UFC.
In the first fight of the card, the Indian Anshul Jubli measured forces with the owner of the house, Quillan Salkilld, in a duel valid for the lightweight category (up to 70,3 kg). Even though expectations for the Australian's first fight in the Ultimate were high, he still managed to surprise everyone with his performance.
At 19 seconds into the fight, Salkilld connected a quick combination of jab and a straight punch that hit the Indian's head, knocking him out. Jubli, who was grabbing his opponent's legs at the time the fight was stopped, protested against referee Jim Perdios's stoppage. The victory broke the record for the fastest in the history of a debutant in the category, the most populous in the UFC.
UFC 312 results
MAIN CARD (00pm Brasília time)
Average weight (up to 83,9 kg): Dricus du Plessis derrotou Sean Strickland in the unanimous decision of the judges (50-45, 50-45, 49-46) – fight for the belt
Straw weight (up to 52,1 kg): Weili Zhang derrotou Tatiana Suarez placeholder image in the unanimous decision of the judges (49-46, 49-46, 49-45) – fight for the belt
Heavy weight (up to 120,2 kg): Tallison Teixeira derrotou justin tafa by technical knockout (punches) at 35 seconds of R1
Light heavyweight (up to 93 kg): Jimmy crute e Rodolfo Bellato tied in the judges' majority decision (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)
Welterweight (up to 77,1 kg): Jake matthews derrotou Francis Meadow in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
PRELIMINARY CARD (20:30 p.m. Brasília time)
Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Gabriel Mosquitinho finished Jack Jenkins with a rear naked choke at 2:06. from R3
Light weight (up to 70,3 kg): Tom nolan derrotou Viacheslav Borshchev in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Flyweight (up to 56,7 kg): Cong Wang derrotou Bruna Brazil in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Bantam weight (up to 61,2 kg): Alexander Topuria defeated Colby Thicknesse by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Light weight (up to 70,3 kg): Zhu Rong derrotou Kody Steele by unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Welterweight (up to 77,1 kg): Jonathan Micallef derrotou Kevin Jousset by unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Light weight (up to 70,3 kg): Quillan Salkilld derrotou Anshul Jubli by knockout (punch) at 19sec of R1
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