UFC Fight Island 6 was a bit of a slow boil, but when the co-main and main events arrived, well, they blew the roof off the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi.
No, not literally. But it was a heck of a finish on Saturday, and when the dust had cleared, the smoke settled, it was the co-main event winner that earned one of two Performance of the Night bonuses.
That was Jessica Andrade, who announced her arrival in the women’s flyweight division in style. Never a slow starter, Andrade stormed out of the gate like a bull in a china shop. She was swinging hard, swinging early, and managed to land a slam takedown on opponent Katlyn Chookagian in the opening round. The fight never made it to the second. Instead, Andrade drilled a shot to the body, forcing Chookagian to flee. Her body locking up, Chookagian ate a second body shot that dropped her.
It appears that the power of “Bate Estaca” is alive and well at 125lbs. Improving to 21-8, the victory snapped a two-fight losing streak for the former strawweight champ.
The other Performance of the Night bonuses at UFC Fight Island 6 was awarded to light heavyweight Jimmy Crute. He scored his own TKO finish of Modestas Bukauskas, then called out Nikita Krylov after the win.
Fight of the Night at UFC Fight Island 6 was awarded to newcomers Mateusz Gamrot and Guram Kutateladze. Gamrot, a former double champ in Poland’s KSW, had the higher profile. But it was Kutateladze, a Georgian fighting out of Sweden, who won the split decision in the end. However, Kutateladze was not happy with his performance, espousing the belief that it was Gamrot, who came on strong in the third and had a clear edge in takedowns, who had really won the bout.
Regardless, the pair will share Fight of the Night honors and both take home an extra $50,000.
