Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was back at it again, as the world’s leading mixed martial arts (MMA) organization invaded Sao Paulo, Brazil to stage UFC Fight Night 137, which aired on UFC Fox Sports 1 yesterday (Sat., Sept. 22, 2018). In the main event of the evening Thiago Santos picked up a huge win by knocking out Eryk Anders in a thrilling headlining bout.
Biggest Winner: Thiago Santos
Despite not being the headlining bout UFC originally wanted, Thiago Santos and Eryk Anders put on a show for the Brazilian fans, as the two men let it all hang out from the opening bell. Despite fighting at 205 for the first time, Eryk hung tough against the streaking Santos. Indeed, Thiago hit Eryk with some solid shots, but Eryk Stuck in there, absorbed them and delivered some of his own. I mean they were cracking one another. Ultimately, Anders couldn’t answer the bell for the fourth round after he collapsed twice (see it) on the canvas at the end of the third thanks to some vicious elbows he was eating before the round came to an end. That is now two straight wins and six of seven overall for Thiago, who made good on his first-ever UFC main event, which was also his first fight at light heavyweight. Wherever he decides to fight moving forward, Santos will be trouble for anyone standing in front of him.
Runner Up: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
It has been two long years since “Lil Nog” stepped foot inside the Octagon due to a failed drug test administered by USADA. But, Antonio breathed a huge sigh of relief after he was cleared of any wrong doing after lab in Brazil was blamed for distributing dirty pills. While his fight against Sam Alvey wasn’t the most technical, it got the job done, though you could see Nogueira’s ring rust. Still, once “Lil Nog” saw his foe wounded, he picked up the pace and stalked his opponent until he finally clipped him with a huge left and ended the fight with a few shots on the ground.
That’s Nogueria’s first win since 2016, and now that he’s got his legs and a win under him, expect the Brazilian bomber to get back into the cage sooner, rather than later.
Biggest Loser: Hector Lombard
What in the world happened to Lombard? He has now dropped six in a row in both the welterweight and middleweight divisions. His last win came in 2015, but that was overturned to a no contest after he was popped for steroids. So if we’re getting technical, Lombard hasn’t tasted (clean) victory since 2014. It’s a huge fall from one of the most hyped fighters to ever step foot inside the Octagon after running all over the competition in Bellator. What the future hold for Hector is unclear, but I would be surprised if his next fight is inside the Octagon.
For complete UFC Fight Night 137: “Santos vs Anders” results and play-by-play, click HERE!