5 most explosive moments from UFC Fight Night: Curtis Blaydes vs. Chris Daukaus

Sandwiched between the hugely successful UFC Fight Night in London and the highly anticipated UFC 273 pay-per-view, last night’s UFC Columbus show flew somewhat under the radar. Nevertheless, it turned out to be a largely entertaining show to watch.

Sure, UFC Fight Night: Curtis Blaydes vs. Chris Daukaus didn’t feature too many finishes, but the ones it did have were explosive. It also featured one of the best fights of 2022. So with some wonderful knockouts, tapouts and all-out brawling on offer, this show had everything that you’d want as an MMA fan.

Here are the five most explosive moments from UFC Fight Night: Curtis Blaydes vs. Chris Daukaus.

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#5. Aliaskhab Khizriev debuts in the UFC in style with a slick submission

Aliaskhab Khizriev looked like a spider devouring a fly in his submission of Denis Tiuliulin

Russian prospect Aliaskhab Khizriev garnered quite a bit of hype coming into his UFC debut last night, largely because of his impressive 13-0 undefeated record. Khizriev's record comprises a win over dangerous veteran Rousimar Palhares and a victory on Dana White’s Contender Series.

Last night, he didn’t disappoint, as he dealt with late-notice opponent Denis Tiuliulin with relative ease. He dispatched Tiuliulin with one of the more explosive submissions we’ve seen recently.

The fight was a strange one in many ways, as both men were widely booed in the first round, seemingly for the simple crime of being Russian. Neither man really established true dominance in the first round, but that changed in the second.

Khizriev managed to hit a takedown off the back of a scramble midway through the round, and before Tiuliulin could even react, ‘The Black Wolf’ practically shot up onto his back like a spider wrapping up a fly. He slapped on a fight-ending rear-naked choke to complete a successful UFC debut.

Sure, Khizriev isn’t likely to receive the title fight he called for in his post-fight interview any time soon. It was still an excellent debut for him, marked off with a submission that was both rapid and explosive in comparison to most rear-naked chokes. Hopefully, he can get back in action soon.

#4. Alexa Grasso snatches a submission from the jaws of adversity

Alexa Grasso picked up an excellent victory over Joanne Wood with a slick submission

While it wasn’t billed as a battle between a striker and a grappler, early on, the fight between strawweight contenders Alexa Grasso and Joanne Wood appeared to be going that way. Grasso, usually a sharp boxer, seemed to be struggling on the feet with her Scottish opponent.

After an early takedown was escaped by ‘Jojo’, it looked like she definitely had the advantage over Grasso. When Wood connected with a beautiful spinning elbow, it looked like her Mexican counterpart might be in trouble. Somehow, in one of the slickest moves in recent memory, she managed to use the move against her opponent, catching her at the back of the spin to take her back.

From there, Grasso dragged her down and slapped both hooks in. Before Wood could react, she found herself trapped in a deep rear-naked choke and was forced to tap.

This was a huge win for Grasso, who is now 3-0 as a flyweight. Given the nature of this win, there’s every chance that the UFC might reward her with a shot at champion Valentina Shevchenko next.

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#3. Matt Brown vs. Bryan Barberena put on a UFC Fight of the Year candidate

Bryan Barberena and Matt Brown put on a war for the ages in front of Brown's hometown crowd

Okay, so the welterweight tilt between Matt Brown and Bryan Barberena didn’t feature an explosive finish, but the two brawlers somehow crammed more action into this 15-minute clash than we usually see in an entire UFC event.

After a first round that saw plenty of back-and-forth action, the fight really kicked into gear in the second. With the crowd already hugely into hometown hero Brown, the two men brawled with heavy shots, with ‘The Immortal’ suffering a bad cut to the cheek in the process.

From there, they exchanged huge shots, including some really nasty elbows from short range. When Brown was badly hurt by one, it looked like the fight was going to be over. Somehow, he survived. Not only did he keep swinging back, but the two fighters kept exchanging in crazy fashion pretty much until the final buzzer.

It’d be impossible to name a single explosive moment from this fight, although Brown’s huge counter right hand in the third round – after he’d been badly hurt by a pair of uppercuts – really stood out.

Really, the only complaint could be the decision. Brown appeared to take the first and third rounds, but Barberena won on two of the three judges’ scorecards. In a fight this good, it’s neither here nor there. Essentially, this fight alone was worth watching this event for.

#2. Chris Gutierrez uncorks one of the best spinning backfists in UFC history

Chris Gutierrez switched the lights off on Batgerel Danaa with a sick spinning backfist

While spinning back kicks and spinning elbows have become more common in the UFC in recent years, spinning backfists are still a pretty rare finish to see unleashed in the octagon.

However, last night saw bantamweight Chris Gutierrez uncork one of the better ones we’ve seen in the promotion’s history, earning him a well-deserved $50k bonus in the process.

Faced with Mongolia’s Batgerel Danaa, who was riding a three-fight winning streak with three knockouts, it looked like ‘El Guapo’ might be up against it in the early going. ‘The Storm’ clearly took the first round, largely outstriking Gutierrez and landing a heavy takedown, too.

However, midway through the second round, it appeared that Danaa was becoming too aggressive for his own good. He was still landing the better shots, but seemed to be pushing forward a little too wildly. When he did, Gutierrez caught him with a perfectly-timed spinning backfist that switched his lights off.

‘El Guapo’ still needed to smash him with elbows to force a stoppage, but this was still one of the most memorable finishes of 2022 thus far. While it’s unlikely that Gutierrez will find himself in title contention in the near future, this finish will probably appear on highlight reels for years to come.

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#1. Curtis Blaydes ends the night of Chris Daukaus in brutal fashion

Curtis Blaydes delivered a thunderous knockout of Chris Daukaus in last night's headliner

Many UFC fans felt that last night’s main event fight between Curtis Blaydes and Chris Daukaus had the potential to be somewhat dull, primarily because of the suspicion that ‘Razor’ would simply blanket his way to a win.

Blaydes did win, but it certainly wasn’t dull. In fact, the finish that ‘Razor’ uncorked was so brutal that it may well end up changing his trajectory in the heavyweight division altogether. In fact, after this win, he’s probably regained the momentum that he lost in his defeat to Derrick Lewis.

Early on, it looked like Daukaus had the faster hands, and he tagged Blaydes with a decent right hand in a brief exchange. However, as the round went on, it looked like Blaydes was gaining in confidence, and while he didn’t shoot for a takedown, he was starting to land well.

It didn’t take him long to find his range in the second round at all. As Daukaus came forward, Blaydes connected with a crushing right hand that sent him crashing to the ground, and a few elbows on the mat sealed the deal.

This was a truly brutal knockout from Blaydes, and given his excellent record, it should elevate him back up the rankings, perhaps even into an interim title shot.

With reigning champion Francis Ngannou out indefinitely, there’s even a chance that ‘Razor’ is now the best heavyweight on the roster, and this was a violent taster of what he can do when he’s at his best.