Fight Coverage
Last Time In Glendale
Ahead Of The Octagon’s Return To Glendale, Arizona, We Are Taking A Look At The Last Time The UFC Held An Event Over Five Years Ago
It has been more five years since the Octagon has touched down in Glendale, Arizona. But Saturday, September 12, the fans inside Desert Diamond Arena get an early taste of combat sports as Brazil’s Jean Silva headlines Noche UFC for the second year in a row, this time against Arizona’s own Jose Miguel Delgado.
Back in June 2021, two title fights sat atop the marquee of what was then called Gila River Arena, as middleweight king Israel Adesanya returned to 185 pounds to defend his belt against Marvin Vettori and Mexico saw its first ever champion when Brandon Moreno submitted Deiveson Figueiredo.
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Saturday afternoon action promises another spectacular round of fights from the Valley of the Sun, but before that, let’s look back at what went down at UFC 263: Adesanya vs Vettori 2.
Terrance McKinney’s Debut Knockout
You couldn’t have drawn up Terrance McKinney’s UFC debut any better.
Taking the fight on just eight days’ notice, “T. Wrecks” did not waste a second. Literally. It took McKinney only seven ticks of the clock to score his first UFC win by knockout against Matt Frevola. With the bout on the early prelims, it was one of those moments that showed why you should be in your seats from the first fight of the night.
Whenever McKinney fights, this knockout is always mentioned and is evidence as to how dangerous he is during the first minutes of a fight.
Leon & Nate Battle to The Final Horn
There was 25 minutes of scheduled action between welterweights Leon Edwards and Nate Diaz to mark the final fight before championship belts were on the line. It was the first non-title, non-main event five-rounder in UFC history, with Edwards leaving Glendale with his hand raised, but not without a fight.
What To Do In Glendale Both Before & After Noche UFC
With a minute left in the frame, the Stockton-native hit Edwards with a left hand that stumbled Edwards. Diaz continued to put the pressure on until the final horn, but “Rocky” was able to survive and pick up a unanimous decision win. Nearly one year later, Edwards went on to become the undisputed welterweight champion by defeating Kamaru Usman.
‘Tijuana You Have A Champion!’
After their epic first meeting ended in a draw back in December 2020, Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo met once again hoping to settle the score and what a historic night it was.
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Moreno put his foot on the gas immediately, his confidence evident as Figueiredo struggled to find his groov. In the second frame, “The Assassian Baby” took Figueiredo down and then took his back, sinking in the rear-naked choke and ending things nearly halfway through the round. It marked the first time a Mexican-born fighter had claimed UFC gold, and a moment Moreno will never forget.
Saturday night, he returns to the same arena he claimed the flyweight title in when he faces Joseph Morales in the co-main event.
Adesanya Reigns Supreme
After moving up to 205 pounds to chase double-champ status against Jan Błachowicz didn’t go his way, Israel Adesanya moved back to down the weight class where he sat atop the throne to pick up another title defense. And this one, against Marvin Vettori, looked easy.
The two had met three years prior in Adesanya’s second UFC fight, where the Nigerian edged out a split decision win. But this time around, which was the second meeting between them in Glendale, Adesanya left no doubt picking up the unanimous decision victory with 50-45 across all the scorecards. The win marked Adesanya’s third title defense at 185 pounds, as he would go on to defend his belt twice more after his impressive showing in Glendale.
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