In a matchup of debuting fighters that served as the featured preliminary-card bout at UFC on ESPN+ 11, Sergey Khandozhko picked up his first UFC win against Rostem Akman.
Khandozhko (27-5-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) managed to outwork and outpoint a game Akman (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) to take the decision with a trio of 29-28 scores.
The welterweight bout closed out the preliminary card of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 11 event at Ericcson Globe in Stockholm. It aired on ESPN2 ahead of the main card on ESPN+.
Khandozhko came into the fight with the advantage in experience and a full training camp, which likely gave him the edge. He had slightly more pop in his strikes against Akman – who took the bout on short notice – and had a motor that took him to the final bell in slightly better shape.
The Swedish fans didn’t like seeing their hometown fighter Akman lose, but the judges gave it to Khandozhko with 29-28 scorecards across the board.
Santos returns after lengthy layoff for highlight-reel KO
Leonardo Santos (17-3-1 MMA, 6-0-1 UFC) made an emphatic return to the octagon after 966 days and made up for lost time with a brutal one-punch knockout of Stevie Ray (22-9 MMA, 6-4 UFC) in their lightweight bout.
Santos, who hadn’t fought since October 2016, showed zero signs of ring rust in the matchup with Ray. The 39-year-old timed a perfect right hand counter that caught Ray clean and immediately dropped him to the canvas. Santos didn’t even need to throw a follow-up shot, and the fight was stopped at the 2:17 mark of Round 1.
“As crazy as it sounds, I felt really calm coming into this fight and beyond that, I was really happy to be back doing what I love,” Santos said. “I trained a lot for this. We studied his game. We knew he was a very tough opponent, someone who is always moving forward. So my strategy was to make him do that, bring him in and fight. That made him get irritated, come forward, and it was when I got him with my right hand.
“After the fight, I was so excited. And it is as if the octagon is too small to contain my excitement and all that I felt after the knockout, so I started running to thank God and celebrate. Now I want to stay active: more fights, more wins.”
Camacho shuts down Hein with second-round TKO
In what was arguably a must win to keep relevant in the UFC, Frank Camacho (22-7 MMA, 2-3 UFC) came through was perhaps the finest performance of his octagon tenure in a second-round TKO of Nick Hein (14-5 MMA, 4-4 UFC).
Typically a wild brawler, Camacho showed more discipline in his game. He picked his shots more wisely on Hein, who really struggled to find answers for the body work of “The Crank.” Camacho forced his opponent’s hands to drop to protect the body and thats when he attacked the head. Hein tried to endure the punishment, but he had to be saved at the 4:56 mark of Round 2, giving Camacho the win in the lightweight bout.
“It feels great,” Camacho said. “What I always dreamed about is finally coming to fruition. It was a rough road to get here, but I’m definitely taking the right steps. I found a really good team, a really good home base for me. I’m excited for what I’m going to do in the next few years in the lightweight division.
“Once I got cracked, I almost went into ‘Crank’ mode. I almost started going out there and started exchanging, but my coaches were really good at reminding me to get behind the jab. I have my job to do and I have combinations that I have been working for eight weeks, so they reminded me to not throw that out of the window. It was close in the first round. He got a takedown, so I would have to give him that round. I knew I was zapping his energy and I was going to pick up the pace in the second.
“Now I’ll go home and see my family, but I feel good – no injuries. I’ll try to get a good turnaround and we will be back out in California ASAP to begin preparation for my next fight. I’m just so excited to see my growth in the sport. I’ve been doing this for so long, but there is still so much to learn. It’s very humbling and it makes your journey even sweeter.”
Malecki hands Santana first loss with second-round choke
An unsuccessful run on Season 28 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series postponed Bea Malecki’s (3-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) arrival to the UFC, but she made the wait worthwhile in a second round submission victory over fellow octagon newcomer Eduarda Santana (3-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC).
In the first round it looked like Santana was going to give Sweden’s own Malecki some serious trouble in the contest. Malecki received some solid guidance from her corner in between rounds, though, and in the second took charge. She took advantage of Santana’s flaw on the ground, got the back and locked in a rear-naked choke to end the women’s bantamweight bout at the 1:59 mark of Round 2.
“It felt amazing to debut in UFC at home,” Malecki said post-fight. “I can’t believe all these people came here to cheer for me and when I won, it was an amazing feeling. Before the fight, we didn’t really know what to expect from Duda, because we didn’t have many of her fights to watch, but she came ready. I could see that she was prepared, but I was ready too. I’ve been training hard, so I just kept going until I had the finish. I saw the opening and realized I could take her back and I did. She was good defending her neck, but then I saw another opening, adjusted my position and I got her.”
Clark outworks Stosic for unanimous decision
The output and pace of Devin Clark (10-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) gave him the ultimate advantage in a unanimous decision victory over Darko Stosic (13-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in their light heavyweight bout.
After a back-and-forth two rounds to begin the fight, the victory was seemingly up for grabs going into the third and final frame. Clark was able to push slightly harder than Stosic. He had the advantage in significant strikes landed, takedown attempts and takedowns landed, which is why he got 29-28 scorecards across the board for the win.
“Stosic is a very tough guy,” Clark said post-fight. “We kind of just kept hitting each other back and forth. He used a lot more cage pressure than I thought he would, ended up being kind of a controlled battle and whoever landed big punches in between won the fight. He landed some, but I guess I landed more.
“I’ll fight whoever and UFC knows that. I would love to fight any of the other light heavyweight fighters who are in this card, even the one that I just fought. I could use a rematch against Aleksandar Rakic. He beat me in December, he got me with a lucky punch, but it was a good fight up until then, so it would be interesting.”
Alvarez takes out Belluardo with elbows
Joel Alvarez (16-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) promised to show a better version of himself than the one who lost his UFC debut. He delivered on that promise, because he looked smooth in a second-round TKO of Danilo Belluardo (12-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC).
After feeling each other out in the first, Alvarez waited for an opening to sweep his opponent during a grappling exchange in the lightweight bout. When on top, the Spanish fighter fired off elbows and short punches to the side of Belluardo’s head to force the stoppage at the 2:22 mark of Round 2.
“The fight went according to plan, how we imagined it would play out,” Alvarez said post-fight. “We knew he would aim for the takedowns and I would have to defend them, with my back to the floor, I was able to turn it around with my wrestling and finish the fight. I’m really happy. This is my second fight in UFC and I’m ready for my third, fourth. I don’t have any opponent in mind, but whoever I face next, I’ll be ready.”
For complete coverage of UFC on ESPN+ 11, check out the UFC Events section of the site.
