5 best moments from UFC Fight Night: Brendan Allen vs. Paul Craig

Last night saw the UFC’s latest visit to the Las Vegas APEX, and despite some late changes, the event turned out to be a decent one.

UFC Fight Night: Brendan Allen vs. Paul Craig saw just one main card bout go the distance, and in the end, four $50k bonuses were handed out. Overall, then, there was plenty to enjoy about last night’s event even if it wasn’t a blockbuster.

Here are the five best moments from UFC Fight Night: Brendan Allen vs. Paul Craig.

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#5. Jonathan Pearce calls out Joanderson Brito and pays the price

Joanderson Brito produced a slick finish last night [Image Credit: @ufc on X]

The UFC’s Las Vegas APEX shows usually receive mixed reactions from the fans. Some seem to believe that the lack of fan interaction there makes for a more intense viewing experience, while some simply see the shows as a way for the promotion to cut costs.

Last night, however, the former group of fans were largely vindicated thanks to a somewhat comical and fun finish produced by featherweight Joanderson Brito in his bout with Jonathan Pearce.

After a close round that seemed to favour Pearce, the second saw ‘JSP’ take the Brazilian down again and force him up against the fence. From there, the two men began to audibly taunt one another, with Brito seemingly chuckling at Pearce’s strikes while Pearce told him to “get up and do something”.

Remarkably, ‘Tubarao’ did just that. After exploding to his feet, he snatched up a ninja choke, and then dropped to his side to tighten it up. Moments later, Pearce was forced to tap out.

Very few fighters manage to call their own finish in the octagon, but this was perhaps the first example of a fighter seemingly calling their own downfall. And that alone makes it one of last night’s best moments.

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#4. Chase Hooper out-slicks Jordan Leavitt with a choke finish

Chase Hooper outgrappled Jordan Leavitt in a fun bout [Image Credit: @choop556 on Instagram]

The lightweight bout between Chase Hooper and Jordan Leavitt was always likely to produce some slick grappling, and sure enough, the two men delivered just that at last night’s event.

In a back-and-forth bout, Leavitt hit an early takedown. From there, both fighters hunted for multiple submissions.

‘The Monkey King’ looked for an omaplata, only for Hooper to counter with his own armbar attempt that looked tight at one point. Leavitt managed to escape that and stunned ‘The Dream’ with a right hand, but in defending a leglock attempt, he gave his back.

That turned out to be a fatal mistake, and moments later, Hooper snaked his way into a rear naked choke, forcing Leavitt to tap out.

The win was Hooper’s third in four fights, and while his overall game still needs work, he’s got plenty of time for that at the age of just 24. In the end, though, this was more proof that he’s not only a dangerous grappler - he’s one of the best in the UFC to watch in fights like this, too.

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#3. Myktybek Orolbai debuts in the UFC in fashion on late notice

Myktybek Orolbai looked good in his octagon debut [Image Credit: @orolbai_uulu_myktybek on Instagram]

Last night’s show featured a number of late changes. One of them saw Team Alpha Male prospect Myktybek Orolbai make his octagon debut on just four days’ notice to take on Uros Medic.

Not only did this look like a tricky test for him due to the late notice, but also because despite tending to fight at 170lbs, he looked like a small welterweight better suited to 155lbs.

However, when it came to fight time, the native of Kyrgyzstan absolutely shone and made light work of Medic, finishing him in the second round.

The newcomer took some heavy shots from Medic in the first round before taking him down, and from there, he wore him down with strong ground work.

In the second round, Orolbai repeated the trick with a takedown. This time, he was able to take the back and eventually locked up a nasty neck crank, twisting Medic’s head until he tapped out.

This was a pretty brutal submission finish, and given he did this on four days’ notice, you have to wonder what the newcomer is capable of with full preparation. For the late notice and the nasty finish, this was definitely amongst the event’s best moments.

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#2. Brendan Allen extends his UFC win streak to six with his submission of Paul Craig

Brendan Allen has now won six fights in a row [Image Credit: @ufc on X]

Last night’s headliner saw two UFC middleweight title hopefuls facing off, and in the end, it was Brendan Allen who came up with the goods. ‘All In’ finished Paul Craig in the third round of their bout, using his now-trademark rear naked choke to tap the Scotsman out.

For the most part, aside from a seemingly close calf slicer attempt in the first round, the fight was business as usual for Allen. He landed the takedowns, controlled Craig on the ground, and busted ‘Bearjew’ open around the eyebrow with a nasty elbow in the latter stages of the first round.

After a second round filled with more solid work from ‘All In’, the finish came early in the third. A guillotine attempt was avoided by Craig, but that allowed Allen to take the back. From there, he sunk in his fourth rear naked choke in a row to claim the finish.

Allen has since called for a title eliminator in his next bout, and while he might not be ready for that just yet, a six-fight win streak is nothing to sneeze at. Overall, this excellent finish was one of the night’s best moments.

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#1. Amanda Ribas destroys Luana Pinheiro with a violent flurry

Amanda Ribas produced a finish of beauty against Luana Pinheiro [Image Credit: @amandaufcribas on Instagram]

The best moment at last night’s UFC event was almost certainly produced by strawweight contender Amanda Ribas. Not only did she come from behind to take out Luana Pinheiro, but she also did so in serious style.

Ribas got hurt on more than one occasion in the first round, eating a number of power punches from her fellow Brazilian. But she always hung tough and never looked in true danger.

In the second round, she began to turn things around. She used her low kicks to chop at her foe, and her pace began to wilt Pinheiro by the third round.

Sure enough, after a big flurry stunned Pinheiro, Ribas followed with a beautiful spinning hook kick that landed flush and basically turned her lights out. A right hand followed up to drop her, and that was that.

Given that Pinheiro was ranked at No. 9 coming into this one, it’s likely Ribas will now rise into the top 10 thanks to this win. Can she climb into contention? On this showing, the answer is likely yes, and so it’ll be fascinating to see who she’s matched with next.

Overall, the brutality and aesthetics of her finishing flurry definitely made for the best moment of the night.