5 most explosive moments from UFC Fight Night: Jan Blachowicz vs. Aleksandar Rakic
With a number of the UFC’s more exciting fighters in action, hopes were high that last night’s Fight Night event would produce some fun fights and explosive finishes.
For the most part, UFC Fight Night: Jan Blachowicz vs. Aleksandar Rakic delivered the goods, with a number of vicious knockouts and submissions on offer to whet the appetite of the fans.
Sure, nobody will be talking about this show once we roll around to the bigger pay-per-views that are set for a few weeks’ time, but in all honesty, that doesn’t matter.
Here are the five most explosive moments from UFC Fight Night: Jan Blachowicz vs. Aleksandar Rakic.
#5. Andre Petroski picks up his third UFC finish with a slick anaconda choke
Prior to last night’s opening bout between Andre Petroski and Nate Diaz protégé Nick Maximov, the latter had bragged to anyone who would listen about his grappling skills – even stating that he could take out Khamzat Chimaev if the two were to fight.
To be fair, given that he was 2-0 in the octagon and 8-0 overall, Maximov’s confidence might’ve been understandable. After last night, though, it’s unlikely that he’ll be quite so outspoken again. The Diaz protégé was thoroughly whitewashed and submitted in just over a minute by Petroski, who should now have a lot of hype attached to his name.
Like Maximov, Petroski had gone 2-0 in the octagon prior to last night, and quite why he was such an underdog was a bit of a mystery. In the end, though, he proved those betting lines entirely wrong.
Interestingly, Maximov was basically the architect of his own downfall here. He made a sloppy attempt at a single leg takedown, and when Petroski sprawled, Maximov’s neck was far too open. Indeed, Petroski quickly snared up an anaconda choke, locked it down, and hit a gator roll to leave his opponent unconscious.
This was a genuinely excellent win for the TUF 29 veteran, and as he took little to no damage here, the promotion should probably fulfill his request to take another fight as soon as possible. He’s got the momentum now, after all.