- Rozenstruik defeated Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem via knocked out in a dramatic final ten seconds of the bout during the main event of the evening.
- Reflecting on his comeback victory, Rozenstruik said: “I never give up, I work hard. I tried to find an opening, I couldn’t find it for much of the fight but I found it in the last one and there you go. His game plan didn’t surprise me, he used to grapple quite a bit, he’s an intelligent fighter and knows how to fight, but I found a way to win. I knew he was ahead and that I had to work harder to get the win. I had to find a way and that’s what I did. I’d like Francis in March or April, that would be perfect, I’m in.”
- Inside the Capital One Arena, American Aspen Ladd also left it late to defeat her Russian counterpart Yana “Foxy” Kunitskaya. Ladd came out flying and provided a pin-point left hook just 33 seconds in, stopping the experienced Kunitskaya’s two fight win streak in its tracks.
- Aspen spoke of her delight to bounce back from defeat in her last outing: “It feels good to get a win again, it’s all about getting back on track to my original goal which was – get in, make a name for myself, become better. After the loss, I basically revamped everything as far as desire to get back in, the urge and fire after a loss is so much more. You learn a lot from wins, but you learn so much more from losses and you come back hungry. You always want it, but there’s a definitely a different level after something like that. I knew Yana would be tough, I was out at the PI and I looked at her and thought that she would be big and strong and she definitely was. I’m going to go enjoy the holidays with my family and figure things out from there.”
- Tajikistan’s, Makhmud Muradov put on an outstanding performance and defeated Trevor Smith via knockout at 4:09 of round 3.
- Muradov shared his enthusiasm about his win and willingness to return again soon to the Octagon®: “This was my first fight in the United States, but not my last fight. I’m happy I’m here and opening this card, I’m happy I got my first KO in the UFC, I’m happy. If you give me three months, I can show the UFC and fans my big power, before it was always two weeks or three weeks, now I have two months with a full camp and I show everyone what happens. Maybe I fight six times again next year, who knows. I’m waiting for my contract, maybe I’ll have my next fight in March or April and whoever the UFC wants that is near my rank, but I’m open to everything.”
- In one of the night’s headline moments, history was made in the all-American featherweight showdown between Bryce “Thug Nasty” Mitchell and Matt “Robo” Sayles, as Mitchell finished his opponent with a spectacular ‘Twister’ submission. The UFC® had only seen the unique move once before in the sport’s 26-year history and earnt Mitchell a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus, extending his win streak to three.
- Following his victory, Mitchell talked through his stunning submission that was shared widely across social media: “Still being undefeated is the best feeling in the world. You know what my favourite board game is? Twister. I’m a huge Eddie Bravo fan and I got that from YouTube. I worked so hard for this fight, I almost knew for sure that I was going to get him out of there. In my last two fights, I’ve given up 11 pounds and 15 pounds, so I hired a nutritionist, I put weight on and I knew I could go out there and put on a performance like that. When I fought those other guys, it was a huge deal how much stronger and bigger they felt. When I got a hold of Matt, I knew he was working every time he moved. I just had to be patient, you can’t go too early before they’re ready. I’m going to rest up and keep training my skills and continue bettering myself.”
