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#2. Alexander Hernandez blitzes Mike Breeden to get back on track
After struggling for traction over the last couple of years, Alexander Hernandez was handed a shot at really getting his UFC career back on track last night. Initially pegged to face Leonardo Santos, he was instead met with newcomer Mike Breeden, who took the fight on just five days’ notice.
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‘Alexander the Great’ capitalized on his opportunity with aplomb, absolutely blitzing Breeden in the first round to pick up the third knockout win of his UFC career.
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It was the kind of one-sided win that made you question quite how the UFC decided Breeden would be a fair opponent for Hernandez. The UFC newcomer had a solid record of 10-3 but looked miles out of his depth in the opening seconds and found himself in trouble instantly.
An elbow appeared to wobble him in the early going, and from there, Hernandez simply didn’t let up. He opened up with a brutal flurry that knocked Breeden’s mouthpiece out and eventually caused the debutant to crash to the ground, ending the fight after just 1:20.
Quite how much we can take from this win is unknown due to Breeden’s status as UFC debutant. Still, it was nice to see Hernandez produce something close to his best form for the first time in a while.
#1. Douglas Silva de Andrade produces the best finish of his UFC career
A few years ago, it looked like Douglas Silva de Andrade would be a fighter to watch at 135lbs. The Brazilian blitzed the likes of Henry Briones and Marlon Vera before running into Petr Yan. Unsurprisingly, he was derailed by the Russian.
A move to 145lbs and a win over former UFC champion Renan Barao appeared to put him back on track – but he then missed the entirety of 2020 and didn’t look himself in a loss this January to Lerone Murphy.
Faced with Gaetano Pirrello last night, though, ‘D’Silva’ pulled out not just the best finish of his UFC career but also one of the most explosive of 2021.
After an opening sequence that saw both men land strikes, Pirrello attempted to throw a low kick – and ate a huge counter left from ‘D’Silva,’ sending him crashing to the ground.
A couple of follow-up shots landed for the Brazilian, but they were largely pointless as it was clear that this fight was over.
Whether Silva de Andrade can now get back to climbing the ladder in the UFC is a question mark, but this was a truly incredible finish from him that may well go viral. To top it all off, the Brazilian is also $50k richer today after earning one of the UFC’s bonuses.
