Derrick Krantz had made his UFC debut in Rochester this past May, a short-notice replacement against Vicente Luque. Krantz came up short that night, but the former LFA welterweight champion had a second chance to make a strong impression at UFC Shenzhen on Saturday. There, he took on Chinese prospect Song Kenan, who had won two straight to open his UFC career. Most recently, however, Song had lost a decision to Alex Morono in Beijing.

Song closed the distance and launched a kick to the body to open the fight against Krantz. The American looked a half-step slower, and Song took advantage, moving well, and firing off a couple more kicks. Krantz would add leg kicks of his own, and his right hand would land, but throughout the first, Song’s kicks, low and high, were more varied, and more successful. Krantz would begin to circle, and begin pressing the pace as the round wore on, but he couldn’t seem to get his timing down until the final thirty seconds. Then, Krantz would land with a couple of heavy punches, but Song responded with a flying knee, not landing clean, and a high kick.

The second had Krantz evading a jab, scooping Song up, and dropping him down. Not a huge slam, but impressive, and Krantz moved right into side control. Song tried to lock up his opponent’s head but was way out of position for a guillotine. Krantz moved to half guard and came close to mounting. Song tried to scoot back to the fence, and tried for a kimura, only for Krantz to briefly mount, only to be immediately reversed! Song took the back, but out the back door went Krantz, escaping. Krantz went back to the well, taking Song down again, this time along the fence. The American then locked on with a standing guillotine as Song worked back up. Song escaped, and the final minute saw a couple of transitions and some exciting grappling, including a triangle attempt from Song.

Between rounds, Krantz’s corner called for him to fight like it was his final fight, asking for five punches, presumably in a bunch. Despite his domination in wrestling in the second, he’d start round three trading, only to wind up bloodied and in danger. Song looked in the driver’s seat until a huge takedown from Krantz with around three minutes remaining. Krantz worked to the back, but slipped off, which allowed Song to move back to his feet. Kenan Song looked exhausted, however — but so did Krantz. Both men had their hands low. Song had a large lead in terms of striking in the third. A takedown might seal the deal, but Song was backing Krantz up, using his jab and front kick. Krantz would close and look for a body lock and takedown right at the buzzer, but it was too late.

Chinese athletes improve to 3-1 tonight after Song Kenan gets it done by unanimous decision! #UFCShenzhen pic.twitter.com/WPStlwVozB

— UFC (@ufc) August 31, 2019

With the third round secured, Song would go on to win the unanimous decision on the scorecards. That improved him to 3-1 in the UFC, and move Chinese fighters to 3-1 to that point in the event.

Song Kenan def. Derrick Krantz by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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Vicente Luque started his career with a 7-4-1 record and six stoppages, earning a spot on The Ultimate Fighter. He went 1-1 on the show and lost in his UFC debut. Since then, however, he’s been on an absolute tear. Luque is 8-1 since the loss with eight stoppages and the one loss coming to current contender Leon Edwards. The Brazilian-American has won four straight fights with his last fight being a Fight of the Year candidate against Bryan Barberena.

Derrick Krantz is stepping up on less than a week’s notice to take on the fearsome Luque. Krantz is a 34-veteran with multiple fights against UFC and Bellator standouts like Derek Campos and Dustin Poirier among others. “D-Rock” has won six of his last seven fights, with the last two coming by knockout.

Round one started with a flurry by Krantz, as he hit Luque clean with a hard right uppercut. He then got a takedown after a failed guillotine by Luque. Krantz then began to look for submissions, first by getting Luque’s back and looking for the rear-naked-choke, and then after that fell through he looked for a guillotine from the bottom.

However both submissions would fail, and the two would return to the feet. Not long after returning to the feet, Luque hit with Krantz with a big knee and a left hand that would drop the Texan. He would swarm with ground and pound, and that was all she wrote.

Good win after some adversity from Luque. This is now his fifth win in a row, all by the way of stoppage.

4️⃣ KO/TKOs in a row for @VicenteLuqueMMA #UFCRochester pic.twitter.com/QVIjNLgEuf

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 19, 2019

Vicente Luque def. Derrick Krantz by TKO (punches) in Round 1 (3:52)

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Rochester, NY — Nearly every UFC card has a debuting fighter or two. That’s just the nature of the sport of MMA. High turnover, short careers, and injuries a plenty. It wasn’t any of that which opened the door for Derrick Krantz, however. It was Neil Magny and a failed USADA drug test.

Now, Krantz (23-10) joins the exclusive club of fighters who have stepped into a main card battle on less than a week’s notice. No easy feat, but Krantz has the resume, he told reporters including Cageside Press on Thursday.

“UFC is looking to grow talent. I’m not old but I’ve got a lot of experience so it’s hard to put someone with my credentials right in the UFC. So taking this fight on short notice really helped me get there,” he explained.

Perhaps the writing was on the wall. “After my last fight [at LFA 63], I got to meet Dana White. It kind of lit a fire under me. Like, ‘I’m just going to stay in the gym.’ I also signed with new management: Jason House with Iridium Sports. He was really adamant that, ‘You stay ready, I’ll get you there.’ He pulled through.”

“It’s just one of those things where it’s supposed to happen,” Krantz believes. “I took my first MMA fight on five days’ notice. There’s no difference taking my first UFC fight on five days’ notice.”

The experience so far has been a blur. “A lot of it is just going so fast. I’d say I’ve spoken to maybe hundreds of different people today. It’s been going crazy.”

There also hasn’t been much time to check out opponent Vicente Luque. Krantz wasn’t even sure how to pronounce the Brazilian-American’s name. “I’ve watched some of his videos, he likes pressure, he likes throwing some heavy shots. He doesn’t mind looking for submissions, he’s just looking to finish fights. That’s the way I fight, so it’s going to be an interesting fight.”

It’s a fight that, as short notice as it is, Krantz very much wanted. “My management told me they were looking for a replacement. They asked me if I could make weight. I told them I could. He sent them my name, then he said he was waiting to hear back. So I wanted to throw some fire at it, so I gave them a little shoutout on Twitter and Jason called me and said we got the fight.”

Watch the full UFC Rochester media day press scrum with Derrick Krantz above!

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The UFC is coming to Rochester, New York, on May 18. The event will be held in the Blue Cross Arena. The card is set with 12 bouts headlined by Kevin Lee and Rafael dos Anjos and also has four debuting fighters and many rising up-and-comers. Unfortunately, the card took a big hit in the co-main event. Neil Magny was set to take on rising star Vicente Luque but Magny was pulled due to a USADA mishap. With that said, on just five days notice, veteran Derrick Krantz will step in and fight Luque.

How Will Derrick Krantz Fare in the UFC:

Derrick Krantz has been fighting professionally for 12 years with 34 total fights. He has ten losses but some of those are to James Nakashima, Alex Morono, Dustin Poirier, Derek Campos, Sean Spencer, and Andrey Koreshkov. Krantz is a veteran who isn’t too old at 31 and is a good signing for the UFC.

He’s well-known for his big power in his hands. Krantz has lights out power in both his hands, scoring some crippling knockouts in his career. He relies on his power on the feet but is good in bursts and has a sufficient jab. Krantz has some good wrestling as well but it’s his ground-and-pound that is a fight ender. He’s got some good qualities, but against a good wrestler and a faster opponent, he will have trouble.

How he Matches Up with Vicente Luque:

Luque is 8-1 in his last nine fights and on a four-fight win streak proving he is a top contender in the welterweight division. Luque is dangerous on the feet and on the mat and can finish this fight anywhere. Luque is the much crisper and faster striker. I don’t see Krantz taking Luque down but if so, Luque has six submissions and Krantz has five submission losses. Stepping in on short notice against a legit contender doesn’t look good for Krantz.

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UFC welterweight Neil Magny, who had been set to co-headline UFC Rochester this weekend, has announced that a failed USADA drug test has resulted in him being pulled from the card. Magny announced the news himself on social media, as USADA no longer announces failed drug tests until the adjudication process is complete. Additionally, it was reported Wednesday that LFA’s Derrick Krantz had stepped up to replace Magny against Vincente Luque. Krantz revealed the news on social media as well.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxdaZuFgJKu/?utm_source=ig_embed

In the case of Magny (21-7), who has fought some of the toughest opponents out there in the welterweight division, the news comes as a shock. In a statement on Instagram, Magny revealed that USADA had informed him that he had failed a drug test due to the presence of the banned substance Di-Hydroxy-LGD-4033. He added that he was cooperating with the Anti-Doping Agency, which oversees the UFC’s Anti-Doping Policy. He added that “I have faith in USADA that I will be cleared of any wrong doing” before addressing his supporters, thanking them and saying “I assure you that I have not let you down.”

LGD 4033 is an SARM (selective androgen receptor modulator) designed to help with muscle loss and osteoporosis. It has also become a preferred alternative to traditional steroids, as the limited amount of research done on the substance shows fewer side effects.

Magny last fought at UFC Argentina in November, losing to Santiago Ponzinibbio in the main event.

Krantz (24-10), meanwhile, steps into a big opportunity at UFC Rochester. He had been expected to appear on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series this summer. Instead, he jumps right into the deep end against Luque. Krantz has won two straight bouts, most recently finishing Justin Patterson by knock out LFA 63 in March.

UFC Rochester (UFC Fight Night 152) takes place May 18 at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, NY.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxdM-UCg7hG/?utm_source=ig_embed

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