LAS VEGAS – Andrew Sanchez beat Wellington Turman with a first-round knockout Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN+ 32 in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Sanchez, who got back in the win column after a decision loss to Marvin Vettori in October 2019.
Result: Andrew Sanchez def. Wellington Turman via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 4:14
Updated records: Sanchez (12-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC), Turman (16-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC)
Key stat: It was five years and a day since Sanchez’s previous stoppage win in an official fight – at RFA 28 before he was on Season 23 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
Sanchez on the fight’s key moment
“He came out hard. He threw a front kick that hit me right in the chin – hit me with something that kind of buzzed me a bit. He was throwing big and he was missing big. He started slowing down. I started jumping the 1-2s I’ve been working on nonstop since getting up to Tristar. I rocked him a couple of times and one of them just laid him out flat. For a decision machine like myself, it feels good to get a finish.”
Sanchez on his improvements
“My confidence is back and it’s higher than ever. I can do everything. I was just pumping out decisions, close fights. Ever since I lost that close fight to Anthony Smith, I was like, ‘I really can’t just rely on my wrestling for every fight – someone is going to stop it.’ I worked endlessly, diligently, on my striking – became obsessed with it. I took a bit of a dive. I was lost, trying to figure out my style – kind of lost my identity, and you saw it in my last fight. I was doing a lot of guard, I was learning bit by bit, and I feel like it all melted together now. I think now is when I make my run. Now is the real beginning.”
Sanchez on what he wants next
“Now my confidence – I got a KO. Let me drop another guy and get another finish, and then I’m going to start calling people out. I’m only thinking about what’s right in front of me. So I don’t have a name. Sorry, UFC. … I’ll be calling people out soon. I feel a tear coming on.”
To hear more from Sanchez, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
