Alexander Yakovlev made a successful return to the lightweight division on Saturday at UFC on ESPN+ 7 and managed to stop octagon newcomer Alex Da Silva inside the distance.
Yakovlev (24-8-1 MMA, 3-4 UFC) had some rough moments, but ultimately proved to be too much for da Silva (20-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in the bout, which took place at Yubileyniy Arena in St. Petersburg, Russia. He found an opportunity to lock in a modified guillotine choke in the second round that caused his Brazilian opponent to tap out.
The performance marked Yakovlev’s first submission win in UFC competition and his first overall since April 2011. Check out the highlight below (via Twitter):
Yakovlev has alternated between the 155- and 170-pound divisions during his UFC tenure. He’s unbeaten at lightweight, though, and perhaps the finish of da Silva will lead to a more consistent stay in the weight class from the 34-year-old.
For complete coverage of UFC on ESPN+ 7, check out the UFC Events section of the site.
