Athletes
The Scorecard | UFC Fight Night: Santos vs Hill
See Which Five Athletes Stood Out With Their Performance At UFC Fight Night: Santos vs Hill
Saturday’s UFC Fight Night event is in the books, and now that the dust has settled in Las Vegas, it’s time to go to the scorecard to see who the big winners were at the UFC APEX.
1 – Jamahal Hill
On a night when any of the card’s winners could be on this list, Jamahal Hill clearly closed the show and earned the top spot with his victory over Thiago Santos. It as a win that wasn’t just big on paper, as Hill took out his highest-ranked foe to date, but big in the fact that the Michigan standout had to weather some adversity and go past the third round for only the second time in his career (and first in the UFC) to halt a former world title challenger in the fourth. It was proof once again that potential champions aren’t made in easy fights, but tough ones, and Hill raised his stock last Saturday.
RELATED: Hill Reacts Post-Fight | Hill's Athlete Profile | Hill's Relationship With Head Coach Chad Pomeroy
2 – Geoff Neal
Speaking of raising his stock, Geoff Neal did just that in halting Vicente Luque in the third round. Like Hill’s win over Santos, it was a big win on paper, but even more so because “Handz of Steel” got over the hump of stepping up and winning when the stakes were at their highest. In previous bouts against higher-ranked contenders Stephen Thompson and Neil Magny, Neal came up short. Against Luque, he came up with the most important victory of his promising career.
RELATED: Neal Discusses His Big Time Win Over Luque | View Neal's Athlete Profile
3 – Mohammed Usman
When you’re the younger brother of one of the greats of the sport and you’re competing in that same sport, it’s got to be tough to hear the constant comparisons. Of course, you don’t hear that out of the mouth of Mohammed Usman, brother of welterweight king Kamaru Usman, but “The Motor” did make a statement on Saturday, as he started carving out his own place in the UFC by knocking out Zac Pauga to win The Ultimate Fighter 30. Will he match his brother’s success? That remains to be seen, but he dealt with a lot of pressure and got the job done last weekend, and that’s a positive sign.
RELATED: Usman Reacts To Winning TUF | View Usman's Athlete Profile
4 – Bryan Battle
Bryan Battle Lands Head Kick KO In 44 Seconds Against Sato | UFC Fight Night: Santos vs Hill
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Bryan Battle Lands Head Kick KO In 44 Seconds Against Sato | UFC Fight Night: Santos vs Hill
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As I wrote last week, Bryan Battle’s decision to move DOWN in weight to compete in what many believe is a tougher division than the one he was in speaks volumes about who he is as a fighter. And if his one-kick knockout of Takashi Sato is any indication, not only was that decision the correct one, but one that could lead him to the top at 170 pounds in a few years. Or maybe sooner, given the Ultimate Fighter winner’s 3-0 start in the Octagon.
RELATED: Battle Discusses Beating Sato | View Battle's Athlete Profile
5 – Terrance McKinney
Terrance McKinney Octagon Interview | UFC Fight Night: Santos vs Hill
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there’s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world’s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Terrance McKinney Octagon Interview | UFC Fight Night: Santos vs Hill
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If you’re not a Terrance McKinney fan by now, are you really a fan of mixed martial arts? Here we have a young man whose back story is so compelling that he could lay-and-pray for 15 minutes and you would still root for him. But here’s a fighter who shows up looking for the finish as soon as the Octagon gate closes, and more often than not, he gets it in the first five minutes, and even when he loses, like he did to Drew Dober, it was a must-see for the 3:17 it lasted. Saturday night was another one for his highlight reel as he halted Erick Gonzalez in the first round, and while I don’t know if “T.Wrecks” will ever become a UFC champion, I will be watching every step of the way to find out.
RELATED: McKinney Reacts To His Submission Win Over Erick Gonzalez | View McKinney's Athlete Profile
UFC Fight Night: Santos vs Hill took place on August 6, 2022 live from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
