UFC Fight Night: Cannonier rebounds, Zalal keeps rolling in Las Vegas

Jared Cannonier had to navigate some dicy moments in his main event matchup with Gregory Rodrigues, but in the end, “Tha Killa Gorilla” was able to secure a fourth-round finish and a return to the win column to close out Saturday’s fight card at the UFC APEX.

Fighting in his first main event, Rodrigues came out firing on all cylinders, taking the fight to the former title challenger, sitting him down twice in the opening frame. He dialled back his output in the second, allowing Cannonier to work his way back into the contest before the two locked horns in a tremendously entertaining middle frame. Late in the third, Cannonier cracked Rodrigues with a heavy elbow in close that put “Robocop” on the deck, with the MMA Lab representative trying to find the finish before the horn sounded.

While Rodrigues made it to the buzzer, he was still clearly rocked when the fourth round began, and Cannonier took full advantage, instantly closing the distance and putting it on his Brazilian foe, earning the finish just 21 seconds into the round.

The win snapped a two-fight skid for Cannonier and helped the frequent headliner steady himself in the shifting middleweight ranks. Though he’s slipped out of the Top 5, his finish of Rodrigues and overall resume should ensure that he remains in the Top 10 going forward, where he’s likely to continue facing ascending talents and established veterans alike.

ZALAL KEEPS WINNING

Youssef Zalal picked up his fourth UFC victory in the last 12 months, collecting a unanimous decision win over Calvin Kattar in the co-main event.

The Factory X representative was quick and crisp early, working behind a sharp jab and good movement to snipe at the Top 15 mainstay over the first two rounds, frustrating Kattar as he struggled to close the distance and cut off Zalal. While Kattar was able to have more success in the third round, winning the frame on all three scorecards, there was never a point where Zalal was in real danger, leading to his earning 29-28 scores from all three judges and secure the biggest win of his career.

Zalal was released by the promotion following a majority draw with Da’Mon Blackshear in August 2022 and a four-fight run without a victory. Since then, “The Moroccan Devil” has gone 6-0, collecting five consecutive finishes before beating Kattar on the cards on Saturday. He’s fighting with far more confidence and activity than he did in his initial run, and it has not only produced four wins in the last calendar year, but should also result in Zalal breaking into the Top 15 when the rankings update next week.

In landing on the wrong side of the cards on Saturday, Kattar has now lost four straight and five of his last six dating back to his January 2021 bout with Max Holloway. With his 37th birthday coming next month, it’s going to be interesting to see where the featherweight stalwart goes from here.

IMPRESSIVE FINISHES FROM SADYKHOV, SHAHBAZYAN

Edmen Shahbazyan and Nazim Sadykhov posted consecutive first-round stoppage wins in the middle of the main card, cranking up the excitement following the solid middleweight opener between Andre Petroski and Rodolfo Vieira.

Shahbazyan heard what his corner told him and executed just over 90 seconds into his clash with Dylan Budka, connecting on a pull right hand that put “The Mindless Hulk” on rubber legs and allowed the once highly regarded prospect to get back into the win column. The two men felt each other out, finding their range in the center of the Octagon early, but as soon as Shahbazyan’s head coach Eric Nicksick called for the step-back right hand, “The Golden Boy” listened, fired, and set up the finish.

Four straight wins to begin his UFC tenure pushed Shahbazyan’s record to 11-0 overall, elevating him into the Top 15 in the 185-pound ranks. He faltered against the divisor’s elite before a year away, and has gone 3-2 since returning, showcasing the persistent finishing ability that will continue to make him a threat each and every time he steps int the Octagon.

Though the finish came in between rounds at the advice of the doctor, Nazim Sadykhov collecting a stoppage win over Ismael Bonfim is an outstanding result for the talented lightweight from Azerbaijan.

Fighting for the first time in 14 months, Sadykhov needed half a round to get warmed up and make his reads, but once he settled in, “The Black Wolf” looked sharp. He connected with a question mark kick that caught Bonfim across the eyes late in the opening stanza, causing the Brazilian to stagger backwards and do everything he could to defend and make it to the end of the round.

But in the corner, Bonfim complained about being unable to see, prompting the doctor to be called in. After speaking with the lightweight in his corner, the bout was halted.

While it’s not the way Sadykhov wanted the fight to end, it’s still a stoppage win over a tough out, one that moved him to 3-0-1 in the UFC and 10-1-1 for his career. The lightweight division is always packed with talent, but the 30-year-old New Yorker is a dark horse to keep tabs on in the 155-pound weight class.

ASCENDING TALENTS SHINE EARLY

Saturday’s preliminary card slate was largely a showcase of the emerging talent working forward on the UFC roster at the moment, with the lone outlier being a strawweight stalwart that finally landed on the happy side of a split decision verdict.

Newcomer Jose Delgado closed out the preliminary card slate with an emphatic showing in his promotional debut, blowing through fellow DWCS alum Connor Matthews.

The latest representative of the MMA Lab to ascend to the biggest stage in the sport, the 26-year-old Delgado fought like a poised, polished veteran on Saturday, finding his range and timing early and taking the fight to Matthews from the outset. As soon as he put the former military man on the canvas, it was lights out, as Delgado quickly climbed into mount and pounded out the finish, wrapping up his first UFC win in less than half a round.

A month after turning 40, Angela Hill showed she’s still capable of turning back the emerging set, registering a split decision win over Ketlen Souza in a competitive back-and-forth in the 115-pound weight class. Constantly locked into close battles, Hill used a quick start and solid volume over the opening 10 minutes to banks a pair of rounds on two scorecards to finally come away from a split decision result with a smile on her face.

Returning for the first time in well over a year, Rafael Estevam maintained his unbeaten professional record with a unanimous decision win over Jesus Aguilar. A member of the DWCS Class of ’22, Estevam used his superior grappling to ground and grind out the victory over the game Mexican, who turned up the intensity in the third, but wasn’t able to find a finish.

After getting back into the win column in July following the first loss of his career, Gabriel Bonfim turned in his best effort to date on Saturday, battering and ultimately submitting Khaos Williams. The younger of the UFC’s Bonfim Brothers, Gabriel was sharp and measured throughout, showcasing his diverse striking weapons before diving on a D’arce choke late in the second and putting Williams to sleep with just two seconds remaining in the frame.

Bantamweight Elijah Smith became the second second-generation fighter to compete in the UFC and the first to register a victory, using his superior speed and striking ability to get the better of things in a competitive battle with veteran Vince Morales. The son of TUF alum Gilbert Smith Jr., “Swift” is just 22 years old and already in the win column in the UFC, making him yet another name to pay attention to in the coming years in the 135-pound weight class.

One fight earlier, Valter Walker, the brother of UFC light heavyweight Johnny Walker, secured his second straight win by heel hook, securing the tap from Don’Tale Mayes in just 67 seconds. Walker looked to be in vastly superior shape than in his first two appearances, and at 27, has a chance to be an intriguing addition to a heavyweight division that is always in need of fresh names and is light on up-and-coming fighters to watch.

And in the opener, Jacqueline Cavalcanti showed she’s ready for a real step up in competition, collecting her fourth straight UFC victory and seventh consecutive win overall with a unanimous decision victory over Julia Avila. The 27-year-old Portuguese bantamweight has long, clean striking and having entered the fight already stationed in the Top 15, a matchup with someone carrying single digits next to their name next time out could be on the horizon.

These fight cards don’t always get a ton of attention and seldom feature a plethora of established names, but the emerging set showed out on the prelims, showcasing why events of this nature are critical long-term for the development of weight classes and in unearthing new names to pay close attention to going forward.