Indian mixed martial arts fighter Anshul Jubli came out all guns blazing and put up a spirited fight on his debut, but USA's Mike Breeden conjured a remarkable late surge to effect the first knock out victory of this edition of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC 294) at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. The defeat dashed Anshul's hopes of becoming the first-ever Indian MMA fighter to win a UFC bout, and made it a bittersweet debut for him. But the 28-year-old can be proud of the way he fought it out. (Sports News)
The lightweight bout began on a somewhat defensive note as Anshul was making his UFC debut, while Breeden was on a four-fight losing streak. Anshul seized the initiative in the first round with 29 significant strikes compared to Breeden’s 18. India's top MMA fighter capitalized on the openings offered by Breeden with punches on his opponent's face.
In the second round, Anshul went for the takedown right away, trying to grab the American's leg, but the experienced 34-year-old expertly got out of the stranglehold. Nevertheless, Anshul kept up the offensive and landed a powerful jab on Breeden's left eyebrow. The American ended the second round with two sold jabs but was still cumulatively lagging the Indian on points.
It was the third round where the bout twisted on its head. With Anshul seemingly headed for a win, Breeden came out for the final round with a vengeance. He could be heard barking like a dog - something which was alluded to after the fight by the presenter, who said Breeden "had the dog in him" - as he upped the aggression and Anshul succumbed to the onslaught. Breeden began to land heavy shots and the bout was waved off at the three-minute mark as Breeden cracked a hard punch on Anshul that hurt him badly.
Earlier, the American missed his weight for the lightweight contest by 3.5 pounds, which means will forfeit 30 percent of his show purse as penalty.
The UFC 294 main card is slated for around midnight, headlined by the lightweight championship where defending champion Islam Makhachev will take on UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. In the co-main event, former UFC middleweight champion Kamaru Usman will face surging contender Khamzat Chimaev.
