Meanwhile, at UFC 295, Alex Pereira defeated Jiri Prochaska to become the light heavyweight champion.
Tom Aspinall became the first British heavyweight champion to win a UFC title by defeating Sergei Pavlovic in a title fight at UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden, while Alex Pereira defeated Jiri Prochaska. He won the vacant light heavyweight title with a series of elbows to the head.
Aspinall knocked out Pavlovic in the first round for the interim heavyweight championship on Saturday night in front of a packed crowd that included former President Donald Trump.
The interim title fight was added late after the scheduled main event heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic was canceled after Jones tore his pectoral tendon during training. It was a card.
While the UFC is waiting for Jones to return, Aspinall currently holds the gold medal.
“It’s been a crazy two and a half weeks,” Aspinall said.
His tearful celebration lasted longer than the battle. Aspinall needed just 69 seconds to earn the 11th knockout of his career — he’s only gone past the second round once in eight UFC fights — and collapsed on the canvas in tears.
Aspinall won a consecutive right to Pavlovich Temple, sending the Russian crashing to the canvas.
“He’s a big, scary guy,” Aspinall said. “I’ve never been more scared in my life than fighting this guy. But I also have a lot of strength and I believe in myself.”
As the fans cheered for the new champion, Aspinall leaned against the cage.
Pereira becomes light heavyweight champion
In the co-main event, Pereira won his second UFC Championship in just his seventh fight for the promotion.
Brazil’s Pereira, who won the middleweight belt by knocking out Israel Adesanya on November 12 last year and lost it in a rematch in April, had some success early on with vicious leg kicks, but Prochaska’s accurate hitting caused problems.
Prochaska had won 13 consecutive mixed martial arts (MMA) bouts, including her first three fights in the UFC.
The 31-year-old Czech continued to move forward, changing his stance, but his aggression was eventually rewarded by Pereira’s precise counter-punches, paving the way for the Brazilian to win, with the bout ending at 4 p.m. It ended in 08 minutes. of the second round.
Pereira became the ninth fighter in UFC history to win championships in two weight classes.
In his post-fight interview, Pereira called on Adesanya to step up to light heavyweight and face him in a third title fight, saying, “Adesanya, come to your daddy.”
The light heavyweight division has not had a champion since Jamahal Hill vacated the title in July after being injured in a pickup basketball game. Hill was in the garden watching the battle.
He wasn’t the only one with a name in the house.
Trump and musician Kid Rock were greeted with cheers of “USA!” united states of america! chant as he made his way to his cage-side seat before the start of the main card. UFC President Dana White accompanied Trump and Kid Rock to watch their fight. Trump was a fan. They clapped their hands and interacted with the visitors.
Former UFC 115-pound champion Jessica Andrade ended her losing streak at three with a TKO victory over Mackenzie Dern at 3:15 of the second round. Andrade became the first woman in UFC history to get four knockouts in a single fight, and she set the record for most wins in women’s UFC history with 16 wins over Amanda Nunes.
Since New York state legalized MMA for its debut in 2016, the UFC has held a major card at Madison Square Garden every November (except 2020). Conor McGregor, Georges St-Pierre and Daniel Cormier will all headline the MSG pay-per-view in what will likely be the biggest main event yet as Jones defends his heavyweight title against Miocic. That was promised.
Jones, who was on the short list of great MMA fighters, tore a tendon during training last month and was forced to withdraw. White then decided that the interim championship fight was against a fighter of Miocic’s stature. Miocic, a two-time heavyweight champion, has not fought since March 2021.
Depending on Jones’ health, the game could be rescheduled as early as next summer.
“That’s the fight they want, that’s the fight that makes sense, that’s the fight that should happen,” White said.
Even without the expected fight, the company had a reason to celebrate at MSG with 19,039 fans and $12.4 million in prize money. The UFC currently holds the top three spots for the highest gate at the Garden. Sunday also marks the 30th anniversary of the company’s debut show, UFC 1.
UFC Hall of Famer Royce Gracie won three fights that night in a no-rules tournament in Denver, but it was a $1 billion tournament owned by Endeavor, which currently stands as the world leader in MMA. It was just the beginning for the company.
The UFC is as much about personalities as it is about great fights, and New York native and recovering drug addict Jared Gordon gave fans at the Garden a reason to cheer.
Gordon scored his first KO since 2017, when he defeated 2016 Olympic silver medal wrestler Mark Madsen in a qualifying match. Gordon has been open about his drug problems, overdoses, and the difficulty of staying clean while pursuing a grueling MMA career. He now has a new reason to be grateful for his fight in New York.
“I was shooting heroin at Penn Station, which is below this building,” he said. “Now I’m fighting in it and knocking out my opponent.”