UFC Auckland Review

Alastair Bishop Posted On February 25, 2020

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In the evening’s main event, Dan Hooker defeated Paul Felder in a close, split decision victory. Having successfully defended on home soil, “The Hangman” has now won 7 of his last 8 contests and will look to continue climbing the lightweight rankings.
- Showing respect to “The Irish Dragon” and calling for his next opponent, Hooker said: “I’ll defend this land, no matter what the cost. Thank you. It was an honour (to fight Paul Felder). He’s a tough son of a gun. I enjoyed myself. I want Justin Gaethje next. Let’s go.”

In the co-main event, Australian Jimmy Crute recorded an impressive first round submission victory over Polish light heavyweight Michal Oleksiejczuk. With the victory, “The Brute” improves to an 11-1 professional MMA record and reaffirmed his position as one-to-watch in the light heavyweight division.
- Reflecting on the bout, Crute said: “He’s too dangerous to stand in front of, so I took him down. I said I’d take him down and take his arm. I’m coming to win fights and make smart decisions. I approach this sport like I’m going on a hunt. I’m not just winging it anymore. I have a job and game plan, so I stick to that. I’ve never been this emotional walking out to a fight. It hit me hard. After my last fight, I didn’t want to let anyone down. I didn’t want to let myself down, because I know how much I put into this. I want one more fight, then I want a rematch with Misha Cirkunov. I need to earn it first. I don’t care who I fight before him.”

China’s Yan Xiaonan defeated Poland’s Karolina Kowalkiewicz via unanimous decision in their bout in the strawweight division. In a convincing performance, Yan recorded the biggest victory of her career to date and is poised to quickly rise through the strawweight rankings.
- Delighted with her performance, Yan said: “I’m super proud of the victory and happy with my performance. I’m happy I made everyone proud. I’ll fight anybody ranked above me. I want to return in three or four months.”

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