A pair of debuting lightweights faced off on the UFC 286 preliminary card, as Israel’s Yanal Ashmoz took on England’s Sam Patterson.
Ashmoz was just the second Israeli fighter to make it to the UFC, and was a virtual unknown, representing the biggest question mark on the card. Patterson meanwhile would obviously have the crowd in his corner come Saturday at the O2 Arena.
Inside of a round, however, Yanal Ashmoz gave all the answers fans were looking for.
It was a slow start to this lightweight scrap, with Ashmoz looking to get inside on Patterson. But when he did, he came storming out of the gate, catching a kick, and landing a thunderous left hook as Patterson was on his way down. Ashmoz jumped right into mount, unleashing fury as Patterson’s head bounced off the canvas.
Even after the finish, Patterson continued trying to fight, struggling with ref Marc Goddard as his coaches tried to explain that the fight was already over.
Following the win, Ashmoz said the slow start was him just waiting to feel out his opponent. The left hand was not something he’d been working on, he added. “To be honest, no, but we know he’s tall and he goes back, so we did a combination, going forward and punching.”
Ashmoz called the moment “like a dream come true man. I just came back two years ago and I’m here, standing. Awesome knockout.”
Official Result: Yanal Ashmoz def. Sam Patterson by knockout, Round 1, 1:15
