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UFC Vegas 30 was the last UFC event for two weeks, as the promotion now won’t be putting on a show until July 10th’s UFC 264. Thankfully, UFC Vegas 30 delivered some incredible action, with no fewer than nine fights ending violently.
And on a card featuring a total of 13 fights, that’s no mean feat, particularly given the decision-fests we’ve been treated to at various points this year.
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So with plenty of highlight-reel action to choose from, here are the five most explosive moments from UFC Vegas 30: Ciryl Gane vs Alexander Volkov.
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#1 Jeremiah Wells makes an explosive UFC debut against Warlley Alves
UFC Vegas 30 was filled with explosive moments, but the best – and most shocking – of the night came early on, as newcomer Jeremiah Wells took out veteran Warlley Alves in violent fashion.
Wells only took the fight on a week’s notice following the withdrawal of Ramazan Emeev. He clearly knew that he probably didn’t have the gas tank to engage Alves for three whole rounds.
So instead, he came out as aggressively as possible, taking the fight to the TUF Brazil 3 winner from the off and hurting him on more than one occasion with some heavy strikes. In all honesty, it was anyone's guess how he didn't empty his gas tank there and then.
Alves did fight back, landing some decent shots of his own, but it was quite clear that he was rattled and needed a good start to the second round to get back into the fight.
Unfortunately for him, that didn’t happen. He attempted a flying strike of some kind coming out of his corner but missed and Wells then came back with a brutal counter-right that sent Alves sprawling off balance.
Alves tried to survive, but from there Wells was on him, ending the fight with a violent flurry of punches on the ground, leaving Alves completely befuddled and unable to defend.
Wells’ record doesn’t suggest the UFC have unearthed a contender here – he’s just 9-2 in MMA overall and he's already in his mid-thirties. But this was a tremendous way to open his octagon account. He'll be a man to watch next time around.
#2 Tanner Boser ends the night of Ovince St. Preux in violent fashion
Coming into his UFC clash with Ovince St. Preux, Tanner Boser almost certainly had his back to the wall. The Canadian heavyweight was coming off two straight losses, and in a world where the UFC is continually trimming its roster, that meant Boser was in the danger zone.
Thankfully for Boser, OSP seemed largely disinterested in the fight as a whole and chose to circle off. That allowed the Bulldozer to attack rather than push the action himself.
It meant Boser could open up somewhat with little fear of any reprisals, at least until midway through the second round, when OSP landed a takedown. Even then, though, the veteran couldn’t get going much, and after a semi-controversial fence grab, Boser was back on his feet.
From there, the Canadian evidently decided he’d had enough of grappling with St. Preux and simply waylaid him with a vicious combination, beginning with a brutal knee to the head.
It was an excellent knockout from Boser, who is now back in the winners’ circle. He should be hopeful of moving back up the ladder in the UFC heavyweight division.
#3 Andre Fili beats Daniel Pineda up before an unfortunate ending
The featherweight fight between Andre Fili and Daniel Pineda was always likely to guarantee some fireworks, but few fans could’ve guessed how one-sided it would be.
The first round saw Fili throw everything he had at Pineda, and how he didn’t put the veteran away is anyone’s guess. That was probably the best we’ve seen Fili look inside the octagon in some time, in fact.
Touchy unloaded on Pineda from the off with heavy, fluent strikes and dropped him three times in the stanza – once with a right hand, once with a brutal head kick, and finally with a body kick that caused the Pit to collapse after a delayed reaction.
Quite how Pineda survived the round – which could’ve been scored 10-7 – is anyone’s guess. However, the second round saw an unfortunate ending, as Pineda took a bad eye poke and couldn’t continue. To say this was bad luck for Fili – who was on his way to an impressive win – would be an understatement.
Even so, his first-round performance was one of the most explosive on the night and definitely warrants a mention here.
#4 Marcin Prachnio folds Ike Villanueva with a body kick
While a crushing knockout via a shot to the head is always fun to watch, there’s something extra brutal about seeing a fighter fold and collapse following a body shot.
Daniel Pineda somehow survived an assault to the body from Andre Fili, but Ike Villanueva was not so lucky on UFC Vegas 30’s preliminary card.
Polish fighter Marcin Prachnio seemed to be struggling with Villanueva in the first round, as the Texan marched forward and landed some good strikes and also took him down late in the stanza.
The second round, though, was very different. Prachnio began to work Villanueva’s leg over with some kicks and then switched things up at the one-minute mark by unleashing a vicious kick directly to the liver.
At first, it looked like Villanueva had absorbed the blow. But moments later, that proved not to be the case. He collapsed to the ground in agony, clutching his body, and the fight was over just like that.
This was one of the most brutal body shot-stoppages in the UFC in recent memory, and Prachnio was quite rightfully awarded an extra $50k bonus cheque for this explosive moment.
#5 Kennedy Nzechukwu unleashes hell on Danilo Marques
UFC Vegas 30 felt like it featured everything, including a stirring comeback from Nigerian prospect Kennedy Nzechukwu.
Faced with grappling expert Danilo Marques, it came as no surprise to see Nzechukwu seemingly in trouble in the early going. Given that his grappling had looked suspect in his previous UFC fights, it felt like only a matter of time before Marques would submit the African Savage.
But Nzechukwu hung in there, despite being on the defensive. And late in the second round, he began to turn the tables and landed some heavy strikes on his Brazilian opponent.
Coming into the third round, it was clear that while Marques was probably ahead, Nzechukwu had more left in the tank. And so he unleashed hell in the form of a swarming, violent combination that finally forced referee Jason Herzog to step in.
Sure, Marques wasn’t unconscious, but given the way Nzechukwu was hitting him, it felt like only a matter of time. This was a thrilling showing from the African Savage, and he’s now on a three-fight win streak – as well as being $50k richer this morning.
