Brazilian MMA fighter Alex Pereira (36) captured the UFC under-93 kg belt by dominating Czech Jiri Prochazka on Saturday in New York.
Pereira violently hit his opponent with a right hook during a standing phase, before the referee stopped the fight, in the main event of UFC 295.
The New York evening suffered a few weeks ago the withdrawal of legend Jon Jones, who was to face Stipe Miocic in the heavyweight category.
In the same category, it was ultimately the Englishman Tom Aspinall who put on a show by dominating the Russian Sergei Pavlovich, who remained on six victories by knockout in the first round. Aspinall knocked out his opponent with a right after just over a minute of fighting, to capture an interim belt.
The French Benoît Saint-Denis, a former special forces soldier converted to MMA, crushed the American Matt Frevola in the first round and will enter the top 15 lightweights.
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