Both fighters pulled off stunning submissions in their respective bouts, with Puelles in the co-feature against Clay Guida, and Andrade topping the show against Amanda Lemos.

For Puelles, the end came with a submission of veteran Guida, care of a kneebar. It’s the second straight win by kneebar for the Peruvian fighter, and third overall during his UFC tenure — a promotional record.

Andrade also made a bit of history at UFC Vegas 52, stopping Lemos by way of a standing arm triangle. That made Andrade the first UFC fighter to ever secure victory with the rarely-seen submission, a feat clearly worthy of a $50,000 Performance bonus.

Fight of the Night at UFC Vegas 52 went to the wild prelim affair between Sergey Khandozhko and Dwight Grant. Both welterweights were looking to get back in the win column on Saturday, and they fought like it. Each scored a knockdown on the other, but it was Khandozhko securing a TKO finish just prior to the end of the second round.

All four fighters will take home an extra $50,000 for their bonus-winning efforts at UFC Vegas 52.

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Grant was coming of a split decision loss to Francisco Trinaldo in October 2021. Coming into Saturday night, the 37-year old Grant was 3-3 in the promotion.

Khandozhko was returning after more than two years off, most recently having dropped a decision to Rustam Khabilov in November 2019.

With every welterweight looking up at the champion Kamaru Usman and a tough top 10 in the division, both Grant and Khandozhko needed a big win in order to begin to make their way towards contendership.

Some feeling out kicked off Grant vs. Khandozhko, with both fighters looking to find their range. When they did, it was Khandozhko dropping Grant with a hook, leading to the first big moment of the fight. Khandozhko opted not to get on top, instead letting Grant back up. Grant had some time to shake the cobwebs out, and he managed to land on Khandozhko. Both men appeared game to continue trading; Grant landed a hook, but Khandozhko continued to walk him down, landing combinations and particularly his right hand.

With just over a minute remaining, it was Grant dropping Khandozhko! Grant moved in for the kill, but the Russian made it back to his feet, sweeping, and actually finished the round controlling from the back.

In the second, a right hand from Grant saw Khandozhko going down again. He wasn’t down long, but the naked kick he’d thrown just before that had cost him. More looping hooks were exchanged between the two. Khandozhko continued to move forward; Grant circled along the fence. As the round went on, Grant landed some heavy shots; Khandozhko went to the body with a kick. Near the final minute, Khandozhko caught Grant with a hook, and he was hurt. A jab followed, then a left hook dropped Grant. He was rocked, and Khandozhko unloaded, landing another left as Grant was coming up! Grant went down, covering up and eating more strikes, sending in the ref!

Official Result: Sergey Khandozhko def. Dwight Grant by TKO, Round 2, 4:15

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Cageside Press confirmed the booking with a source familiar with the situation, following an initial report by Eurosport. The fight finds both men looking to bounce back from setbacks in their last outing — and for Khandozhko, the fight marks his first bout since 2019.

Grant (11-4) came up short against Francisco Trinaldo in October of last year, losing a split decision. It was the second straight split decision for Grant, though one fight prior against Stefan Sekulic, the judges saw it in his favor.

A 2018 Dana White’s Contender Series winner, Grant debuted inside the octagon that December, and has posted a 3-3 record to date.

Khandozhko (27-6-1) joined the UFC in 2019, winning his debut then dropping a bout to the highly touted Roustam Khabilov. The Russian, who previously competed for ACB, had two fights fall through in 2021, against Nicolas Dalby and David Zawada— first due to injury, then thanks to a COVID-19 diagnosis.

He did not fight in 2020 either.

The UFC’s April 23, 2022 event has no venue, location, or broadcast plan officially announced. The following bouts have been reported for the card to date:

• Qileng Aori vs. Cameron Else
• Louis Cosce vs. Preston Parsons
• Clay Guida vs. Claudio Puelles
• Mike Jackson vs. Dean Barry
• Jéssica Andrade vs. Amanda Lemos
• Montana De La Rosa vs. Maycee Barber
• Tyson Pedro vs. Ike Villanueva
• Tanner Boser vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
• Manel Kape vs. Su Mudaerji
• Dwight Grant vs. Sergey Khandozhko

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On Wednesday, MMA DNA was first to report that David Zawada would face Sergey Khandozhko at the Fight Night event, originally anticipated to be the UFC’s return to the U.K. While no official announcement was made, the date seemed like a lock — however, reports have begun to circulate that the card may shift to Las Vegas, at the UFC Apex, thanks to logistical complications brought about by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and the emerging delta variant.

In any case, Zawada confirmed the booking on social media following the initial report.

Germany’s Zawada (17-6), a KSW alum, last competed in January on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi, losing a split decision opposite Ramazan Emeev. Prior to that setback, Zawada had spoiled the debut of Abubakar Nurmagomedov, earning a Performance of the Night bonus for his triangle submission win.

Khandozhko (27-6-1) will be looking for his second win inside the octagon this September. He enters the fight off a loss to Rustam Khabilov, back in 2019. Prior to that, he’d won his debut against Rostem Akman.

The Russian fighter had been expected to face Nicolas Dalby in June, but was forced out of that contest due to injury.

The UFC’s September 4 event is expected to be headlined by middleweights Derek Brunson and Darren Till.

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On Wednesday, the UFC Europe social media account announced that Nicolas Dalby will fight Sergey Khandozhko on June 26 at UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Volkov.

Dalby (19-3-1) bounced back from his first UFC loss since returning to the promotion in 2019. He would defeat Daniel Rodriguez in a very close unanimous decision. Before that, he would lose to Jesse Ronson in under three minutes via submission. The loss would eventually be overturned to a no-contest as Ronson failed a drug test.

Khandozhko (27-6-1) has not been in action since his loss to Rustam Khabilov in 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 21: Magomedsharipov vs. Kattar. The Russian fighter won his UFC debut against Rostem Akman the same year, five months prior.

The UFC’s June 26 event does not have an official location, venue, or broadcast plan announced.

With the latest addition, the UFC’s June 26 fight card now includes the following match-ups:

• Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov
• Raoni Barcelos vs. Timur Valiev
• Maxim Grishin vs. Ovince Saint Preux
• Tim Elliott vs. Su Mudaerji
• Michel Prazeres vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov
• Justin Jaynes vs. Charles Rosa
• Danilo Marques vs. Ed Herman
• Isaac Villanueva vs. Marcin Prachnio
• Warlley Alves vs. Ramazan Emeev
• Renato Moicano vs. Jai Herbert
• Nicolas Dalby vs. Sergey Khandozhko

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Welterweights Rustam Khabilov and Sergey Khandozhko threw down on the preliminary portion of UFC Moscow on Saturday. Khandozhko had won his promotional debut in June against Rostem Akman, and brought a three-fight win streak with him to the CSKA Arena. Khabilov, meanwhile, had a six-fight win streak snapped when he dropped a unanimous decision to Carlos Diego Ferreira back in February.

Khandozhko, born in Moscow, would likely have the crowd on his side Saturday.

Sergey landed leg kicks, moving back to start the fight. Rustam was trying to push the pace early but was having trouble with the reach of Sergey. However, he shot in on a takedown and got the fight into a clinch up against the cage. From there Rustam was unable to get the takedown, and the ref eventually separated them from the clinch. However, Rustam immediately shot in for another takedown, but was unable to get the fight to the ground as time ran out in the first round.

Rustam shot for a takedown to start the second round, however, Sergy’s takedown defense was perfect up against the fence. After a few minutes of defending, Rustam was able to get the takedown on the bigger fighter. Sergey returned to his feet, however, he was slammed down again by Rustam. Rustam was smothering Sergey up against the cage, landing knees to the body. Sergey was able to reverse the position to end the round on the feet.

Sergey tried to make up for the lost time to open the third and got taken down as a result. Getting taken down following a great level change by Rustam, Khandozhko was in a bad spot. Sergey would get taken down again after getting back to his feet, and Rustam Khabilov would work his way into half-guard. Rustam would then move into full guard and land punches from the top. The referee kept warning Rustam to be active, but Sergey was doing a great job of minimizing the damage. However, he opened up with ground and pound to end the round and fight.

👁 of the 🐯!@RustamTheTiger earns the UD! #UFCMoscow pic.twitter.com/OiBrDDL3Og

— UFC (@ufc) November 9, 2019

Official Result: Rustam Khabilov def. Sergey Khandozkho by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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Since making his promotional debut back in 2012, Rustam Khabilov has gone 9-3 in the UFC lightweight division. Well established as a force to be reckoned with, the Russian has wins over the likes of Jorge Masvidal, Norman Parke, Vinc Pichel and others. He has a deep record, in other words. However, despite this he never really made it big in the lightweight division. One of the primary reasons for not being able to do so is because of the very notable names he lost to.

Back in 2014, when he was scheduled to face Benson Henderson, Khabilov was on a career high six-fight winning streak and was coming off a big win over Jorge Masvidal. Had he managed to get the win there, he would have automatically become one of the prime contenders for the lightweight title. However, not only did he lose to Henderson, he even proceeded to lose the next fight to  Adriano Martins.

Those two losses sent him all the way to the back of the line. It would take him three years and another six-fight winning streak to emerge from the shadow of those consecutive losses, but he was finally placed against BJJ-artist Carlos Diego Ferreira. A win here would be the escape route for Khabilov into demanding a contenders match-up from the company against a big name but sadly he lost the fight.

Usually fighters don’t need such an elaborate winning record in order to simply become contenders. However, given the lightweight division is by far the most stacked division in the sport it makes it very difficult for most to even break in the list of names who have a legit shot at the title.

Given Khabilov has lost to three notable names and most probably will have to wait for at least a year in order to find a breakthrough in the division, his decision to move up makes sense. Welterweight is a competitive division but is nowhere near as close as lightweight. Given the division is seeing some massive changes in terms of contenders this also gives Khabilov the playing field he needs if he wants a title shot.

Standing in his path Saturday at UFC Moscow is Sergey Khandozhko, who’s currently on a three fight winning streak and had a successful debut against  Rostem Akman back in June this year. If Khabilov can pass this test, he could join the stable of fighters who have found great success moving up, not down, in weight of late.

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The UFC Vancouver card, going down a week from today, has hit a small bump in the road. Originally reported by TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter, Sergey Khandozhko has been forced to pull out of the card due to a visa issue. That leaves Michel Pereira without an opponent, with precious little time to find a new one.

The UFC is, however, seeking a short notice replacement to face ‘Demolidor.’

Khandozhko (26-5-1) was set to make his second walk to the octagon in Vancouver, after making his debut earlier this year. The Russian welterweight made his debut at UFC Stockholm in June, where he fought his way to a unanimous decision victory over Rostem Akman.

Pereira (22-9) landed on most fan’s radar thanks to a bizarrely creative ROAD FC appearance earlier this year where he executed a moonsault during his fight with Dae Sun Kim. The Brazilian’s performance went viral, leading to the UFC snatching him up. He made his promotional debut at UFC Rochester back in May, pulling off another highlight reel showing. His flying knee knockout of Danny Roberts earned him a Performance of the Night bonus.

UFC Vancouver (UFC Fight Night 158) takes place Saturday, September 14 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia. The card is headlined by a must-see lightweight showdown between Justin ‘The Highlight’ Gaethje and Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone.

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The UFC’s third and final Canadian show of 2019 just had a few more names added. On Thursday, the Canadian Press reported that TUF alum Brad Katona would face Contender Series winner Hunter Azure at the event. In addition, they confirmed previously reported bouts featuring Michel Pereira taking on Sergey Khandozhko, and Marvin Vettori stepping in for David Branch against Andrew Sanchez.

The card, also known as UFC Fight Night 158, takes place at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C. on September 14.

Katona (8-1) suffered his first career defeat earlier this year at UFC Ottawa. Falling to Merab Dvalishvili, he’ll look to bounce back against Azure (7-0), an undefeated American who made quite the impression earlier this year on Dana White’s Contender Series.

Michel Pereira (22-9, 2NC), infamous for his moonsault and other flashy attacks in ROAD FC, will head to the octagon for the second time at UFC Vancouver. The Brazilian welterweight will be facing Russia’s Khandozhko (27-5-1), also in his sophomore fight for the promotion.

Vettori (13-4-1), meanwhile, fills in for injured former WSOF champ Branch against Sanchez, who defeated Marc-Andre Barriault back in May.

Also set for the UFC Vancouver card are the following bouts:

Donald Cerrone vs. Justin Gaethje – Main Event
Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Uriah Hall
Marcin Tybura vs. Augusto Sakai
Misha Cirkunov vs. Jim Crute
Andrew Sanchez vs. Marvin Vettori
Todd Duffee vs. Jeff Hughes
Kyle Prepolec vs. Austin Hubbard
Cole Smith vs. Miles Johns
Louis Smolka vs. Ryan MacDonald
Glover Teixeira vs. Nikita Krylov

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Rostem Akman was making his promotional debut at UFC Stockholm. The Swedish fighter came in with a 6-0 record featuring five knockouts and one submission. His last fight came just last month, where he won by third-round knockout.

Sergey Khandozhko was also making his UFC debut on Saturday. The Russian is a veteran of the sport with a 26-5-1 record with 10 knockouts and seven submissions. Oddly enough, he was signed to the promotion for this fight on just a two-fight win streak.

The pair exchanged early, but Akman opted to pursue a takedown, pressing his opponent into the cage. No dice on the attempt, and they met again in center. Akman walked his opponent down, while Khandozhko worked to maintain distance. Akman certainly showed some power, and mixed in some low kicks, while Khandozhko looked to land a left hook. However, far too often Khandozhko swung wild, and at the end of the round, Akman was able to rock him.

Khandozhko opened the second attacking the lead leg of Rostem Akman. Almost immediately, the Swede was showing some redness on the limb. Akman, however, was able to back his opponent up; Khandozhko created some space with a kick to the body. The pair would continue to exchange, and it was Khandozhko stunning his opponent with a punch. Akman went down, perhaps in part having lost his balance, and Khandozhko followed him down, only to have to avoid getting his leg caught. Pulling free, they returned to the feet and it was Akman who drove his foe into the cage, but Khandozhko managed to be the one getting the fight down. Akman was quickly free, back up, and then down again in a scramble that ended with Akman in side control at the buzzer.

Round three saw Akman again walking his opponent down, with Khandozhko on the outside. In an exchange by the fence, Khandozhko landed a punch that briefly stunned Akman. He would recover, and later in the round get the fight to the floor. He nearly pulled Khandozhko on top of him, however, and had to briefly give up control. A quick adjustment, and Akman had Khandozhko down again. Akman’s pressure was beginning to add up, but in the final ten seconds Khandozhko would manage to crack Akman one last time.

It was close as it headed to the judges, who ultimately ruled in favor of Khandozhko. Not a popular decision with the Swedish crowd, but certainly not a robbery.

Sergey Khandozhko def. Rostem Akman by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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