5 most explosive moments from UFC Fight Night: Johnny Walker vs. Jamahal Hill

#4: Chad Anheliger destroys Jesse Strader in violent fashion

Chad Anheliger looked excellent in his octagon debut win over Jesse Strader

Last night’s bantamweight preliminary bout between Chad Anheliger and Jesse Strader was flying under the radar. While the two men didn’t quite do enough for a $50k bonus, it’s arguable that they produced the most entertaining fight of the night.

The two fighters went toe-to-toe from the off, exchanging heavy strikes and submission attempts in the first round. The first stanza appeared to belong to Strader, but it looked like he was beginning to fade as the fight went on.

Anheliger then dominated the second round. ‘The Monster’ dropped Strader with a right hand early on and then clearly got the better of the remainder of the exchanges, leaving his opponent bloodied and hurt.

It looked like the fight was heading towards the scorecards in the third round. However, Anheliger clearly wasn’t interested in leaving things to the judges.

Instead, Anheliger leveled Strader with a left hand. He then bounced his head off the ground with punches from the mount for what could’ve been considered a late stoppage, even if Strader protested it afterwards.

Overall, this was a hell of a debut for Anheliger. While he’ll obviously face trickier opponents than this in the future, it bodes well for his UFC career overall.

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#3: UFC veteran Jim Miller picks up a tremendous win over Nikolas Motta

Jim Miller marked his 39th octagon appearance with a crushing KO of Nikolas Motta

Last night marked Jim Miller’s 39th fight in the UFC – a record for the promotion – and while many fans expected dangerous newcomer Nikolas Motta to have too much for him, the New Jersey lightweight instead rolled back the years with a classic performance.

Both men seemed content to exchange from the off, which seemed like a dangerous gameplan for Miller, who was expected to attempt to take the Brazilian to the ground early and often.

Instead, he was forced to absorb a couple of hefty blows from the UFC debutant. Despite his advanced age and lengthy career, he did so impressively.

As the fight went on, ‘A-10’ appeared to be getting more comfortable – and sure enough, he surprised Motta with a brutal right hand early in the second round, dropping him like a ton of bricks.

The fight was almost certainly over, but in a bizarre moment, referee Keith Peterson allowed him to smash Motta’s head with more punches, despite his arm being trapped behind his back due to his unconsciousness.

Terrible refereeing job aside, this was a hell of a showing from Miller. Based on his post-fight interview, it doesn’t sound like he’s done yet.