Lightweight Nazim Sadykhov made his UFC debut count. Evan Elder’s night may have ended early, but he almost certainly won some new fans following UFC Vegas 69.
A card rather thin on paper, UFC Vegas 69 had some snoozers, and some bangers. Sadykhov vs. Elder belonged in the banger column, with both men rocking the other in the opening round. The foot hit the gas pedal from the opening bell, with the action progressing at a break-neck pace. Where Elder held the edge in power, Sadykhov appeared to have superior shot selection and accuracy, plus an advantage in overall volume.
The pair didn’t seem to slow down much in the second round, with the frantic pace continuing. It wasn’t until the third that anything changed — following two close, back-and-forth, exceptionally violent rounds, a kick by Sadykhov saw his knee catch Elder in the head. A cut immediately opened up, which ref Mark Smith was quick to alert the doctor to. The cageside physician didn’t like what he saw, and that was a wrap — Sadykhov had the TKO win.
The extra $50,000 for Fight of the Night should help soften the blow for Elder.
Main event flyweight Erin Blanchfield picked up 50K of her own, care of her second-round submission of Jessica Andrade. The night was a star turn for Blanchfield, who called for the winner of next month’s title fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso. She may just get it.
The second Performance of the Night bonus went to Mayra Bueno Silva, who dominated a game Lina Lansberg before submitting her in the second via kneebar. Silva then questioned why Raquel Pennington was apparently next in line for a title shot at bantamweight.
