UFC Fight Island 4 went down Saturday night in Abu Dhabi, and the card opener was a battle of returning fighters. Both Tunisia’s Jessin Ayari and Brazil’s Luigi Vendramini had been out of action since 2018. For Ayari, his last fight had come in Moncton, New Brunswick in Canada, a loss to Stevie Ray. Vendramini, meanwhile, was coming off his debut, a loss to Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Ayari started off with pressure, immediately. Looking to land a big combination in the opening seconds, he put Vendramini on the backfoot quickly. However, it was Vendramini who landed the first big shot of the fight, with a huge left hook that rocked Ayari. Vendramini followed up with a huge combination including multiple clean right hands,. However, it was the picture-perfect head kick that dropped Ayari. Vendramini followed up with some ground-and-pound but the damage was done, and the fight was over after a few follow-up shots. What a knockout by Luigi Vendramini.

RELENTLESS! What a start to #UFCFightIsland4 as @VendraminiLuigi gets the quick finish!!

📺 #UFCFightIsland4 live on ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/90yPgQqyWN

— UFC (@ufc) October 3, 2020

Luigi Vendramini was looking to rebound after a tough loss in his UFC debut and then having to heal up after multiple injuries leading to his hiatus. He more than made up for the lost time, beating Ayari in the first round. The impact of his journey back to the Octagon was on display after the knockout as he ran around the cage screaming at the top of his lungs.

Luigi Vendramini def. Jessin Ayari by KO (Punches) in Round 1 (1:12)

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Weight-cutting is the ultimate test of discipline and willpower. Many fighters in the sport consider it very unprofessional to miss weight. In this series, we will shine a light on fighters who cut a massive amount of weight, who have missed weight multiple times in the past, who have made weight-class changes, along with how the weight-cut and weigh-in could affect possible upcoming match-ups. Basically, every aspect of weight-cutting and how it affects the fight game.

UFC Fight Island 4 goes down this weekend, putting the spotlight on the women’s bantamweight division with two key fights in the weight class. Here’s a closer look at some of the cuts ahead of Friday’s weigh-in.

Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm (13-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC)

Bantamweight (135lbs): 5-3 (UFC), Former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion

Featherweight (145lbs): 1-2 (UFC), Former UFC Women’s Featherweight Title Challenger

Holly has had one of the most decorated women’s mixed martial arts careers in the sports history. 5 of Holm’s 11 UFC bouts have taken place with a UFC Championship on the line. Holm dethroned long-time bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey, in spectacular fashion in 2015 and captured the belt for the first time. Holly eventually lost the belt but also moved up to the featherweight division in order to take on Germaine de Randamie for the inaugural women’s featherweight belt. Though Holm lost the fight, she got another shot at the featherweight belt in a fight against Cris Cyborg, but again came up short.

Holm last fought in the featherweight division back in the middle of 2018 when she was able to grab a unanimous decision victory over Megan Anderson. Since moving back down, Holm got another crack at Amanda Nunes for the bantamweight strap but was unsuccessful and quickly finished. Holm beat Raquel Pennington in her last fight and will be taking on Irene Aldana on October 3 to try to make her path back to the bantamweight belt.

The post The Weight Cutting Chronicles: UFC Fight Island 4 appeared first on Cageside Press.