Barbosa swings a mighty sledgehammer, even at 5-foot-6, 145
pounds.
The Dana White’s Contender Series graduate shined in his
Ultimate Fighting Championship debut, as he zapped Dennis
Buzukja for a sensational one-punch knockout in the first round
of their featured
UFC Fight Night 273 prelim on Saturday at the Canada Life
Center in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Barbosa (18-2, 1-0 UFC) drew the curtain 1:20 into Round 1.
Buzukja (12-6, 1-4 UFC) tested the water with a one-two and a front
kick to the body, then allowed himself to be lured into a
close-quarters exchange. Barboza found the off switch with a clean
left hook. Buzukja collapsed to the canvas, his eyes open, the
thousand-yard stare in full effect. No follow-up shots were
required.
Meanwhile, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 32 finalist Robert
Valentin turned away Julien
Leblanc with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their
middleweight scrap.
Leblanc (10-3, 0-1 UFC), who climbed into the cage on a run of five
consecutive victories, bowed out 2:22 into Round 1.
Related »
UFC Winnipeg round-by-round scoring
Valentin (11-6, 1-3 UFC) hammered the Canadian’s inner lead leg
with kicks, followed them into a takedown and transitioned
immediately to full mount. He then scrambled to the back, secured
position with a body triangle and weaved his arms around Leblanc’s
neck. What started as a face crank soon turned into an inescapable
rear-naked choke that produced the tapout.
The win was Valentin’s first since Dec. 9, 2023.
Further down the undercard, MMA Vlaardingen product Gokhan
Saricam dispatched Tanner
Boser with punches in the second round of their heavyweight
confrontation.
Boser (22-11-1, 5-6 UFC) packed his bags 4:43 into Round 2, losing
for the first time in more than three years.
The 35-year-old Saricam (12-2, 1-0 UFC) had the Shaved Bears Fight
Team export in trouble late in the first round, then seemed to
meander due to fatigue early in the second. Boser pushed a frenetic
pace, punched in combination and zeroed in on his opponent’s lower
extremities with kicks. Those efforts proved ineffective. Saricam
rallied, sat down the Canadian with a one-two on the counter and
swarmed with follow-up punches, resulting in the finish.
Saricam has rattled off four straight victories.
Finally, former Fury Fighting Championship titleholder John Yannis
disposed of Jamie Siraj
with a violent volley of elbows in the first round of their
bantamweight affair.
Siraj (14-4, 0-1 UFC), who entered his promotional debut on the
strength of back-to-back victories, succumbed to blows 2:43 into
Round 1.
Yannis (10-4, 1-1 UFC) trapped the Canadian grappler on the feet
and unleashed his hands. He decked Siraj with a right hook, reset,
staggered him a second time with the same punch and forced the
ex-Battlefield Fight League champion into a defensive shell. Yannis
ultimately denied an attempted takedown, powered into top position
and connected with a series of elbows that prompted the
stoppage.
The 31-year-old Yannis has won four of his past five bouts.
In other action, Melissa
Croden (8-3, 2-1 UFC) took a unanimous decision—29-28, 29-28,
29-28—from Darya
Zheleznyakova (10-3, 2-2 UFC) in their three-round women’s
bantamweight pairing; J.J. Aldrich
(15-7, 11-6 UFC) laid claim to a unanimous decision over Jamey-Lyn
Horth (9-3, 4-3 UFC) in their three-round women’s flyweight
tilt, as she swept the scorecards with 29-28 marks from all three
judges; and John
Castaneda (21-8-1, 4-4-1 UFC) lost a point due to low blows and
settled for a majority draw—29-27, 28-28, 28-28—with Mark
Vologdin (12-4-2, 0-0-1 UFC) in their three-round catchweight
clash at 139 pounds.