UFC on ESPN 34 Prelims: Devin Clark Rocks William Knight, Scores Third-Round Stoppage

Clark sent Knight to the moon 🌙 #UFCVegas51 pic.twitter.com/3w6WGHBbV4

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 17, 2022

Devin Clark survived William Knight’s initial sprint and once he did, the fight was his for the taking.

Clark (13-6, 7-6 UFC) defeated Knight via technical knockout in their heavyweight bout at UFC on ESPN 34, ending the contest at the 3:21 mark of Round 3 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Clark snaps a two-fight skid in victory, while Knight has lost back-to-back fights for the first time in his career.

Knight put together a strong start, threatening Clark with a tight guillotine early and then following a jumping knee with a flurry of power punches in the waning moments of Round 1. From there, Knight’s output waned and Clark took control. The Elevation Fight Team landed takedowns in both the second and third rounds and also controlled Knight (11-4, 3-3 UFC) in the clinch.

Clark set the stage for the finish when he separated from Knight and rocked his foe with a right elbow and left hook in the final stanza. With Knight on wobbly legs, Clark unloaded with follow-up punches to send the Dana White’s Contender Series alum to the canvas and force the stoppage.

Kianzad Wins Rematch, Improves to 2-0 vs. Lansberg

Pannie Kianzad took a unanimous decision over Lina Lansberg at bantamweight in a rematch of a December 2012 bout. Cageside judges submitted a trio of 29-28 scorecards in favor of Kianzad in the all-Sweden matchup. “Banzai” defeated Lansberg via third-round TKO in their initial meeting at an event entitled Trophy MMA 1 “New Years Bash 1.”

Kianzad (16-6, 5-3 UFC) held her own in the clinch with Lansberg (10-6, 4-5 UFC), as she attacked with elbows and punches in close quarters and outgrappled her opponent while looking to maneuver to the back. By the second round, Lansberg was bleeding profusely near her left eye as a result of those short strikes. That didn’t deter “The Elbow Queen,” who authored her most memorable moment when she dropped Kianzad with an elbow late in Round 2. Kianzad shook it off and put together a strong final frame, where she tagged her foe with punching combinations while consistently angling out of danger.

Klose Overwhelms Jenkins in Return

Drakkar Klose enjoyed a successful Octagon return in his first fight in more than two years, as he defeated Brandon Jenkins via technical knockout in a lightweight encounter. A series of heavy right hands ended Jenkins’ night 33 seconds into Round 2. Klose (12-2-1, 6-2 UFC) had not fought since a loss to Beneil Dariush at UFC 248 in March 2020.

Jenkins (15-9, 0-2 UFC) absorbed a tremendous amount of punishment before the finish. Klose rattled “The Human Highlight Reel” with uppercuts in the clinch and then proceeded to land in the neighborhood of 30 unanswered right hands during a first-round onslaught. Klose also dropped his opponent late in the round, but Jenkins somehow survived until the horn.

He wasn’t as fortunate in Round 2. Klose rocked Jenkins with another uppercut, and then teed off with right hands to make the Syndicate MMA product crumble near the fence, forcing referee Herb Dean to step in on his behalf.



Garcia Chokes Out Ronson Combate Americas veteran Rafa Garcia overcame a point deduction to submit Jesse Ronson in a lightweight bout. The 27-year-old Team Punisher member used a rear-naked choke to elicit a tapout from Ronson (21-11, 0-1, 1 NC UFC) at the 4:50 mark of Round 2. It was the eighth submission triumph for Garcia (13-2, 2-2 UFC) in his professional career.

After an extended period of standing and trading early in Round 1, Garcia began to exploit Ronson’s takedown defense. He grounded his opponent multiple times, including one occasion in the second frame where he had a point taken after landing a knee to the head of Ronson while his foe was still grounded. It didn’t matter. Garcia landed another takedown late in Round 2, transitioned to Ronson’s back and slid his arm under the chin to secure the submission.

Related » UFC on ESPN 34 Round-by-Round Scoring

Buday Grinds Down Barnett

Slovakia’s Martin Buday enjoyed a successful Octagon debut, winning a technical unanimous decision against Chris Barnett in a heavyweight affair. All three judges submitted 30-27 scorecards in favor of Buday. The bout was stopped at the 1:35 mark of Round 3 when it was determined Barnett could not continue due to an illegal blow.

Buday was already well on his way to victory when he landed an illegal downward elbow to the back of Barnett’s head. Barnett fell to the canvas in agony and was examined by a cageside physician during a break, and the fight was waved off shortly thereafter. Buday’s strike was determined to be accidental by referee Dan Miragliotta.

Prior to that, Buday (10-1, 1-0 UFC) wore his adversary down with suffocating clinch work. From that position, the Dana White’s Contender Series veteran did significant damage with knees to the midsection, including one that may have broken Barnett’s ribs late in Round 2. On the heels of a spectacular spinning wheel kick stoppage of Gian Villante last November, Barnett (22-8, 1-2 UFC) struggled to find the space to unleash any flashy striking techniques.

Leavitt Outworks Ogden, Earns Split Decision

Dana White’s Contender Series alum Jordan Leavitt rode a steady diet of leg kicks and positional control to a split-decision triumph against Trey Ogden in a lightweight tilt. Judges Anthony Maness and Mike Bell saw the fight 29-28 in favor of “The Monkey King,” while Junichiro Kamijo submitted a 29-28 scorecard for Ogden (15-5, 0-1 UFC).

Ogden had his moments, as he sprawled well on takedowns, landed multiple straight rights to the body and briefly had Leavitt (10-1, 3-1 UFC) ensnared in a tight guillotine at the end of Round 1. It wasn’t enough to get the nod thanks to Leavitt’s active kicking game and ability to maintain top position for extended periods of time despite not landing a takedown in the fight.

Hughes Rallies Past Nunes

Facing what could have been a must-win situation, Fortis MMA product Sam Hughes put together a strong final 10 minutes to rally for a majority decision triumph against Istela Nunes in a strawweight encounter. Two judges scored the bout 29-27 in favor of Hughes, while a third submitted a 28-28 tally.

Nunes enjoyed a clean opening stanza in which she battered and bloodied Hughes (5-5, 1-3 UFC) with crisp combination punching and kicks to all levels. That pace slowed as the bout progressed, however, and Hughes gradually asserted her will through forward pressure, takedowns and ground-and-pound. “Sampage” ended both the second and third frames battering Nunes (6-3, 1 NC, 0-2 UFC) with strikes from top position, including a mounted crucifix to close out Round 2. To make matters worse for Nunes, the One Championship veteran was deducted a point in the third round for repeated eye pokes by referee Mark Smith.

Alateng Rocks Croom

Fight Ready export Heili Alateng scored a quick technical knockout victory over well-traveled veteran Kevin Croom in a bantamweight matchup. The Beijing, China, native put Croom away 47 seconds into Round 1 to end a two-bout winless streak.

Alateng (15-8-2, 3-1-1 UFC) wasted little time getting to work, rocking his opponent with an overhand right-left hook combination during an initial exchange. From there, “The Mongolian Knight” teed off with a flurry of punches against the fence on a dazed Croom (21-14, 0-3, 1 NC UFC), who collapsed face-first to the canvas from the barrage.