Aleksandar Rakic Injures Knee, Jan Blachowicz Gets TKO Win at UFC on ESPN 36

Jan Blachowicz may have just re-entered the championship conversation in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s light heavyweight division, though it probably wasn’t the method he would have chosen.

In his first bout since losing the 205-pound belt, Blachowicz (29-9, 12-6 UFC) returned to the win column when Aleksandar Rakic (14-3, 6-2 UFC) suffered an apparent knee injury in the UFC on ESPN 36 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Rakic crumbled to the canvas after sliding backward and putting weight on his right leg, prompting referee Mark Smith to wave off the bout 1:11 into the third round.

Prior to the unlikely ending, it was shaping up to be a competitive bout. Rakic opened a cut on the inside of his opponent’s left eye with a jab during an initial exchange, which had Blachowicz pawing at the wound for the rest of the first round. That didn’t slow the Pole’s offense, as he chopped away at Rakic’s leg with kicks and clipped the Austrian light heavyweight on a couple of occasions. Rakic shifted gears in Round 2, grounding Blachowicz after catching a kick and maintaining top position for the majority of the period.

With the fight potentially tied at one round apiece, there was plenty left to be decided, but instead, Rakic’s injury brought the bout to a premature close. Blachowicz has won six of his last seven UFC appearances dating back to July 2019.

Spann Taps Out Cutelaba

Fortis MMA export Ryan Spann turned Ion Cutelaba’s reckless aggression into a quick victory in the evening’s light heavyweight co-main event. “Superman” elicited a tapout from his opponent with a guillotine choke at the 2:22 mark of Round 1 for his 12th career submission triumph.

Spann (20-7, 6-2 UFC) clipped Cutelaba (16-7-1, 1 NC, 5-6-1 UFC) early with a double jab-right hand combination, but the Moldovan responded by taking his adversary to the mat. Cutelaba executed multiple takedowns during the abbreviated bout, but Spann was consistently able to power his way out of danger. In the finishing sequence, Spann kicked Cutelaba off him, returned to his feet and cinched the choke once his opponent dove forward in hopes of another takedown. From there, Spann tightened his squeeze and powered Cutelaba to his back to force the tap in a matter of seconds.

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Grant Immobilizes, Pounds Out Grant

“The Ultimate Fighter 18” finalist Davey Grant brought the violence against Louis Smolka, wading through some heavy fire to score a knockout victory in a featured bantamweight encounter. The Englishman survived a harrowing Round 2 to put Smolka away 49 seconds into the final stanza.

Grant (14-6, 5-5 UFC) seemed determined to have a short night at the office, as he rocked Smolka with heavy hooks and thudding leg kicks in the opening stanza before sitting the Hawaiian down with a jab late in the period. Smolka’s best asset was his durability, though, and he turned the tide in the second round. The Team Oyama representative touched Grant with punching combinations, landed knees and elbows in the clinch and ended the period by threatening with an armbar.

That momentum faded early in Round 3 when a Grant low kick forced Smolka (17-9, 7-9 UFC) to stumble into a desperation takedown. Grant defended with relative ease and proceeded to render his foe unconscious with hammerfists on the mat, snapping a two-bout skid in the process.

Chookagian Edges Ribas

Perennial contender Katlyn Chookagian spoiled Amanda Ribas’ move to the flyweight division, taking a narrow split decision over the Marcelo Ribas Team representative. Sal D’Amato and Junichiro Kamijo saw it 29-28 for Chookagian, while Derek Cleary submitted a 29-28 tally for Ribas. “Blonde Fighter” has won four straight fights since being stopped by Jessica Andrade in October 2020.

Ribas (11-3, 5-2 UFC), who is expected to return to 115 pounds, stayed in Chookagian’s face for the duration of the fight. The 28-year-old Brazilian landed takedowns in each frame — including a pair of head and arm throws — but she was usually outgunned when the flyweights were standing. The taller Chookagian (18-4, 11-4 UFC) relied on her rangy kickboxing while landing with more power and accuracy. Ribas remained determined until the final bell, and both she and Chookagian closed the show with dueling punches and screams in the waning seconds of the contest.

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Torres Batters Camacho

Dana White’s Contender Series alum Manuel Roberto Torres secured his first promotional triumph in emphatic fashion with a technical knockout of former Pacific Xtreme Combat champion Frank Camacho in an entertaining lightweight affair. Torres (13-2, 1-0 UFC) put Camacho away at the 3:27 mark of Round 1 for his fourth straight professional triumph. “El Loco” has finished 12 of his 13 career wins inside the distance.

Both combatants traded willingly in the pocket, but it was Torres whose shots took the greater toll. The Entram Gym representative battered Camacho (22-10, 2-6 UFC) with power punches, including hooks with both hands and uppercuts while also mixing in knees in the clinch when his opponent attempted to close the distance. Torres got the finish when he slipped a Camacho punch and floored his foe with a massive left-hook, right-hook combination. At that point, referee Herb Dean decided Camacho had endured enough punishment and waved off the fight.

Nascimento Outgrapples Hadley

In a matchup of strength vs. strength, Allan Nascimento’s grappling proved to be superior to Jake Hadley’s in a unanimous decision triumph at flyweight. The 30-year-old Sao Paulo native swept the scorecards, earning a trio of 30-27 tallies from the cageside judges.

With ex-lightweight king Charles Oliveira in his corner, Nascimento (19-6, 1-1 UFC) used a variety of kicks to limit the forward pressure of Hadley (8-1, 1-1 UFC) before getting the fight to the canvas. “Puro Osso” assumed top position in each round, relying on heavy pressure from above along with occasional positional advancements and periodic ground-and-pound to maintain control of the fight. Hadley fought with the appropriate sense of urgency in Round 3, as he twice attempted to ensnare Nascimento in guillotine chokes, but the Brazilian was simply too crafty to fall for his adversary’s traps.

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