UFC Vegas 9 results - Former title-challenger pays tribute to Chadwick Boseman following stunning KO win; Alistair Overeem back in title picture
The UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada was once again the location for tonight’s UFC Vegas 9 event, which featured a seven-bout fight card headlined by a heavyweight clash between former title contender Alistair Overeem and rising prospect Augusto Sakai.
Alistair Overeem entered tonight’s headliner on the back of his impressive TKO win against Walt Harris while "The Reem's" counterpart Augusto Sakai entered the fight on a blazing six-fight winning streak, with his latest win coming via split decision against Blagoy Ivanov back in May.
While Augusto Sakai led the scorecards in the first four rounds of the fight, in the fifth and final round, Overeem took him down and punished him with some heavy ground and pound until the referee had to step in to call an end to the contest, declaring Alistair Overeem the winner via TKO. With this finish, Alistair Overeem now sits at third in the list of heavyweights who have the most number of knockouts in UFC history, just a couple of finishes shy from the top spot.
The win also puts Overeem in contention for one last run at the only piece of gold he hasn't yet been able to wrap around his waist, in what's been a glorious four-decade long MMA career - the UFC heavyweight title.
Tonight’s UFC Vegas 9 co-main event featured former UFC interim light heavyweight title challenger Ovince Saint Preux taking on Alonzo Menifield.
Saint Preux entered the contest on the back of a split decision loss to Ben Rothwell in his last outing while his opponent Alonzo Menifield headed into the fight looking to shake off the first ever defeat of his professional career after having lost to Devin Clark at UFC 250.
The former UFC light heavyweight contender delivered a stunning one-punch knockout in the second round of the fight, leaving Menifield out cold on the mat. Saint Preux then paid homage to the recently departed actor Chadwick Boseman by striking the "Wakanda Forever" pose from the latter's movie "Black Panther".
Checkout all of tonight’s UFC Vegas 9 results below:
UFC Vegas 9 Main Card (7pm EST on ESPN+)
Alistair Overeem vs. Augusto Sakai – Overeem def. Sakai via TKO (hellbows) in Round 5
Ovince Saint Preux vs. Alonzo Menifield – Saint Preux def. Menifield via KO (left hook) in Round 2
Zelim Imadaev vs. Michel Pereira – Pereira def. Imadaev via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:39 of Round 3
Brian Kelleher vs. Ray Rodriguez – Kelleher def. Rodriguez via submission (guillotine choke) at 0:39 of Round 1
Bartosz Fabinski vs. Andre Muniz – Muniz def. Fabinski via submission (armbar) at 2:42 of Round 1
Viviane Araujo vs. Montana De La Rosa – Araujo def. La Rosa by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Hunter Azure vs. Cole Smith – Azure def. Smith by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)