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UFC 295 took place this past Saturday at Madison Square Garden. It was the promotion's penultimate pay-per-view of the year, and it did not disappoint, despite being deprived of its original headline attraction, which was Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic for the UFC heavyweight championship.
The event had countless finishes, but it was the main card that drew the attention of the MMA world. Every fight, whether it was contested for a title or just a ranking in a division, ended with a knockout or TKO. New champions were crowned, and fighters on the decline managed to turn back the clock.
While UFC 295 had plenty of knockouts, some stood above the rest. And on a card that featured the likes of former kickboxing knockout artist Alex Pereira and the heavyweight division's boogeyman in Sergei Pavlovich, fans expected nothing less.
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#5. Jared Gordon vs. Mark Madsen, UFC 295 early prelim fight
While Diego Lopes opened the main card with an explosive and chaotic TKO over Pat Sabatini, Jared Gordon's finish over Mark Madsen, which was the last bout of the early prelims, was more notable for several reasons. First, Gordon is not a knockout artist. In 27 fights, he has scored just seven knockouts.
Second, it was a turn in fortune from a rough patch that saw him dealt a controversial split-decision loss to Paddy Pimblett, then a no-contest against Bobby Green after an accidental clash of heads. So to take on the then 12-1 Mark Madsen was a tall order. Hardly anyone expected him to win.
But more than that, the finish was clean. Madsen's back was against the fence as he clung desperately to a single collar tie in the clinch. In response, Gordon blasted him with several short elbows, dropping him, before several unanswered blows prompted a merciful referee stoppage in round one.
It was all then punctuated by an emotional post-fight interview where Gordon touched on his past struggles with substance abuse.
#4. Jéssica Andrade vs. Mackenzie Dern, UFC 295 main card fight
Before UFC 295, Jéssica Andrade was at a career crossroads. She was a former champion with nearly every athletic attribute a fighter could want. But, she was not the 'Bate Estaca' of old, or so it seemed. She came into her bout with Mackenzie Dern with a three-fight losing streak, having been finished in all three bouts.
Meanwhile, Dern entered the octagon having never been finished in her career or knocked down. Furthermore, she had the confidence of having beaten Angela Hill, even dropping her. With the odds stacked against her, and her career possibly hanging in the balance, Jéssica Andrade authored a vintage performance.
Dern quickly found herself unable to drag Andrade to the mat. The one time she did, she couldn't hold her there. With no other option, she lunged into reckless exchanges with her chin exposed. Andrade made her pay by cracking her every time, dropping her multiple times in the pocket.
Finally, with Dern's back to the fence, 'Bate Estaca' blasted her with a left hook and right cross that sent her crashing into the canvas. Dern was helpless, and no follow-up shots were needed, as the referee stepped in to end the bout in round one.
#3. Alex Pereira vs. Jiří Procházka, UFC 295 main event
After a difficult but successful debut in the UFC light heavyweight division, Alex Pereira took on Jiří Procházka for the promotion's 205-pound strap. It was a clash of strikers with a breadth of knockout power, and a vacant championship was on the line. Furthermore, 'Poatan' was avenging his mentor, Glover Teixeira.
Teixeira had previously lost the light heavyweight title to Procházka, so Pereira's battle was a poetic one. The first round of their fight was a chess match, with 'Poatan' crippling the Czech phenom with calf kicks that either dropped him or left him limping.
Meanwhile, Procházka used his movement and awkward angles to pick his shots. In round two, however, his tendency to fight with his hands low, while also extending combinations in the pocket, where his reach advantage is nullified, came back to haunt him.
Pereira sniped him behind the ear with a right, before dropping him with his trademark left hook. While Procházka immediately attempted a takedown, Pereira battered the side of his head with elbows, causing him to lose consciousness for a split second. Unfortunately, the controversial nature of the stoppage takes away from it.
#2. Benoît Saint-Denis vs. Matt Frevola, UFC 295 main card fight
Besides Ciryl Gane and Manon Fiorot, Benoît Saint-Denis is the most prominent French fighter on the UFC roster. After a stunning loss against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos on his promotional debut, the Frenchman spent his next four bouts on Fight Night cards before being welcomed back to pay-per-view.
With a four-fight win streak, he faced Matt Frevola on the main card of UFC 295. Frevola came into the event with a three-fight knockout streak, while Saint-Denis had finished his last four opponents, with two submissions and two knockouts. At Madison Square Garden, the two men clashed in a lightweight battle.
While Saint-Denis looked sharp on the feet, he jumped on a guillotine that landed him on his back. He managed to work his way back to his feet but conceded another takedown. As Frevola attempted a front headlock, they both stood back up and the moment Frevola tried circling away, he was intercepted by a thunderous head kick that dropped him.
One follow-up punch was all the Frenchman needed to leave Frevola out cold for a first-round knockout.
#1. Tom Aspinall vs. Sergei Pavlovich, UFC 295 co-main event
UFC 295's marquee bout was originally Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic. Both men were set to compete for the undisputed heavyweight title. But an unfortunate pectoral tear forced Jon Jones to withdraw from the matchup, and Tom Aspinall was signed on as a short-term replacement to face Sergei Pavlovich, the backup fighter.
Ahead of the bout, much was made about Pavlovich's fearsome reputation as the most powerful man in the division. He was a knockout artist without equal in the UFC, and Tom Aspinall was well aware of that, frequently describing his opponent as terrifying during the leadup to their clash.
But when both men did finally lock horns at UFC 295, Pavlovich was the one on the receiving end of a knockout after a quick exchange in the pocket. His six-fight knockout streak came to an end in the most ironic and poetic way, with a knockout at the hands of a man many thought needed to submit him to win.
In victory, Aspinall defeated the heavyweight division's boogeyman and enthroned himself as the interim champion.
