After a rare week off, the UFC was back in action on Saturday, with an early card in UFC Vegas 56 emanating from the promotion’s stronghold in Las Vegas.
The Apex-based show was topped by heavyweight standouts Alexander Volkov and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. The pair had been flirting with the top of the division and a potential title shot for the past couple of years, only to be knocked back by a couple of ill-timed losses.
With both men entering off recent defeats — Volkov against Tom Aspinall, Rozenstruik to Curtis Blaydes — one fighter was going to begin another march to the top of the division.
The people’s main event at UFC Vegas 56 could arguably be said to be the show’s co-headliner, between Dan Ige and Movsar Evloev. The Russian featherweight may not have been a household name to start the night, but dedicated fight fans had recognized his talent for years.
One of the more interesting match-ups on the card, meanwhile, was the debut of controversial light heavyweight Askar Mozharov. The Ukrainian fighter had signed with the UFC last year after a fight in the PFL fell through, arriving with a record of 25-7. Which fell to 21-11 when some dubious entries in his official record were uncovered during Fight Week. Which dropped further to 19-12 later in the week.
Sherdog would later run a piece entitled It’s All Been A Pack of Lies as part of their FF-Files series, accusing Mozharov and his team of some pretty shady stuff. But matched up with Alonzo Menified on Saturday, Mozharov (or whatever his name actually is, as he’s fought under more than one, apparently) would have the ultimate chance to prove himself.
Following UFC Vegas 56 on Saturday, tune in for the post-fight press conference, with a live stream available above.
