5 biggest winners from UFC Fight Night: Derek Brunson vs. Darren Till

#4. Khalil Rountree – defeated Modestas Bukauskas in a UFC light-heavyweight bout

Khalil Rountree was responsible for last night's most violent finish against Modestas Bukauskas

One fighter who almost certainly had his back to the wall last night was Khalil Rountree. ‘The War Horse’ had lost his previous two fights and was just 1-3 in his last four, meaning a third loss likely would’ve seen him cut from the UFC.

However, Rountree basically saved his UFC career with one of the most brutal finishes in recent memory. He put Modestas Bukauskas away in the second round. It was probably Rountree’s best showing since his big knockout of Gokhan Saki back in 2018.

The veteran of TUF came out far more aggressively than we’d seen him previously, and he had Bukauskas on the back foot from the off. The first round saw ‘The Baltic Gladiator’ suffer a badly broken nose, but if he thought that was bad, worse was to come.

TKO from LEG KICKS. 😬Khalil Rountree with a VICIOUS strike to the knee that brings this one to a close. #UFCVegas36 pic.twitter.com/7m1tDRomSh

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) September 4, 2021

With Bukauskas’ leg already beaten up, Rountree delivered a vicious oblique kick that folded his knee in at the side. This caused ‘The Baltic Gladiator’ to outright scream in pain as the fight was stopped.

The kick may be questioned from a moral standpoint, but there’s no denying its effectiveness and brutality. It likely rescued Rountree’s UFC career, making him a huge winner.

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#3. Paddy Pimblett – defeated Luigi Vendramini in his UFC debut

Paddy Pimblett was impressive in his UFC debut against Luigi Vendramini

After describing himself as the best signing of the decade and the UFC’s new cash cow, there must’ve been plenty of pressure on Paddy Pimblett coming into his octagon debut last night.

But despite some sticky moments, ‘The Baddy’ came through big time and impressed hugely in his first trip to the octagon. He took out Luigi Vendramini in impressive fashion.

Early on, it looked like Pimblett could be in some trouble. Holding his hands worryingly low, he was tagged by multiple big shots from Vendramini.

But ‘The Baddy’ was never outright hurt. As the round ticked on, he found his range and then opened up with an absolutely savage flurry that had ‘The Italian Stallion’ reeling and eventually sent him crashing down.

If that wasn’t enough to turn Pimblett into a star, his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping almost certainly was. It saw him demand that the UFC go back to the UK with him in the main event or co-main event.

Absolute SCENES. #UFCVegas36 pic.twitter.com/9aRcKKQcfH

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) September 4, 2021

Whether Pimblett can reach the top of the UFC, emulating Bisping and Conor McGregor, is another thing entirely, but for now this was an excellent start for him.