The UFC Vegas series (at least as it pertains to the coronavirus pandemic) turned 30 on Saturday.
UFC Vegas 30 marked the 30th event to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas since the onset of COVID-19 in North America. A grim milestone of sorts, but at the same time, a successful one: the promotion, once it got over foolhardy ideas like an ill-fated event at the Taichi Palace, has been one of the standout “leagues” throughout the pandemic, producing content nearly non-stop thanks to owning their own small arena/production facility.
Kicking off UFC Vegas 30 on Saturday were a pair of fighters who had struggled to find success of late. Hawaii’s Yancy Medeiros, long since stripped of top prospect status, had lost three straight, and had been out over a year. Damir Hadzovic was in similar, but less dire, territory with back-to-back losses and a 15-month absence of his own.
In the first round Hadzovic got started right away with the calf kicks. That did little to deter the forward movement from Medeiros though, who kept working though them to land his jab. Hadzovic did enough with the counters to stay competitive and may have even landed some of the bigger shots. The big moment of the first round came with just a little over a minute left, when Hadzovic swarmed Medeiros and hit a foot trip. He wasn’t able to keep him down long, and the round ended with more exciting striking exchanges and Hadzovic likely doing enough to take the first.
Big trading kicked off the first round with both men having their moments. Having had enough of that, Hadzovic shot a double to get Medeiros to the mat. Like the first exchange, the saw little time there before Medeiros worked back to the feet. That also didn’t work well for the Hawaiian who started taking big shots with his back against the fence, including one blow that opened up a cut on his left eye. Always game, Medeiros stayed in there and returned the odd shot to let Chirs Tognoni know he’s still in there. Another swarm nearly seemed to stop Medeiros, but Hadzovic started to tire before he got the stoppage. A notably tired Hadzovic ended the round – most likely up two rounds to none.
Hazovic appeared to have found a second (or third) wind going into the third round. He landed a big shot and immediately started another onslaught to try to finish Medeiros. Medeiros, as close to being finished as he had been all fight, survived yet again. Again tired, Hadzovic looked to take a break, and Medeiros would not oblige. He was all over Hadzovic for the remaining half round. He took the back of Hadzovic multiple times, had mount, landed big strikes. The round ended with a rear naked choke completely sunk in, but Hadzovic was saved by the bell.
What an absolute battle! 👊
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— UFC (@ufc) June 26, 2021
Official Result: Damir Hadzovic def. Yancy Medeiros by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
