UFC Fight Night 204 Prelims: Makwan Amirkhani Anaconda Choke Sedates Mike Grundy

Mr. Finland gets it done in England 🇫🇮

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— UFC (@ufc) March 19, 2022

Makwan Amirkhani steadied himself in the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division, as he put Mike Grundy to sleep with an anaconda choke in the first round of their featured UFC Fight Night 204 prelim on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London. Grundy (12-4, 1-3 UFC) lost consciousness 57 seconds into Round 1.

Amirkhani (17-7, 7-5 UFC), who entered the cage in a three-fight tailspin, countered an ill-conceived takedown with the choke. Sensing he was in real danger, Grundy rolled and repositioned himself in a bid to escape. However, Amirkhani was wise to those efforts, zip-tied one of his legs to create additional leverage and waited for the Team Kaobon export to go limp.

The win was Amirkhani’s first since July 11, 2020.

Pavlovich Buries Reeling Abdurakhimov

Ex-Fight Nights Global champion Sergei Pavlovich made his first appearance in more than two years a memorable one, as he cut down Shamil Abdurakhimov with punches in the first round of their heavyweight duel. Abdurakhimov (20-7, 5-5 UFC) met his end 4:03 into Round 1, suffering his third straight defeat.

Pavlovich (15-1, 3-1 UFC) flexed his might behind a seven-foot wingspan. He decked Abdurakhimov with a straight-line uppercut, trailed him to the canvas and cut loose with a volley of unanswered hammerfists and punches until referee Daniel Movahedi had seen enough.

It marked the 12th first-round finish of the 29-year-old Pavlovich’s 16-fight career.

Craig Triangle Vanquishes Krylov

Former British Association of Mixed Martial Arts champion Paul Craig submitted Nikita Krylov with a triangle choke in the first round of their light heavyweight clash. Craig (16-4-1, 8-4-1 UFC) brought it to a dramatic close 3:57 into Round 1, recording his fourth consecutive victory.

Krylov (27-9, 8-7 UFC) seized the reins at the start. He moved into top position, hammered Craig with elbows and appeared to have him teetering on the brink with a series of brutal standing-to-ground punches. The Scotsman refused to wilt, caught the overzealous Krylov in a triangle choke from the bottom and let his squeeze do the rest.

The 30-year-old Krylov has lost four of his past six bouts.

Related » UFC Fight Night 204 Round-by-Round Scoring

Undefeated Shore Bests Valiev

Onetime Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Jack Shore kept his perfect professional record intact, as he took a unanimous decision from Timur Valiev in a three-round bantamweight scrap. Shore (16-0, 5-0 UFC) swept the scorecards with 29-28, 29-28 and 29-27 marks from the cageside judges.

A short-notice replacement for Umar Nurmagomedov, Valiev (18-3, 2-1 UFC) did his best work in a second round that saw him deliver a pair of takedowns and largely neutralize the Welshman. It was not enough to keep Shore at bay. The promising 27-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt controlled the majority of their standup exchanges and floored Valiev twice in the third round. Shore also incorporated two takedowns across the final five minutes and managed to shed a tight guillotine choke from the World Series of Fighting veteran.

The loss was Valiev’s first since Feb. 20, 2016.

Reed Upends Favored McKenna

Former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder Elise Reed rebounded from her July 24 technical knockout loss to Sijara Eubanks with a split decision over Cory McKenna in a three-round women’s strawweight affair. Judge Derek Cleary saw it 30-27 for McKenna, while Anders Ohlsson and Clemens Werner struck 29-28 scorecards for Reed.

It was a largely uneventful exercise. Reed (5-1, 1-1 UFC) leaned on her trusted right hand, mixed in occasional kicks and staggered the Team Alpha Male product with a multi-punch burst in the third round. McKenna (6-2, 1-1 UFC) executed takedowns in all three rounds and paired them with modest ground-and-pound, but those efforts failed to turn the tide in her favor.

The setback snapped McKenna’s four-fight winning streak.

Mokaev Guillotine Submits Durden

Undefeated blue-chip prospect Muhammad Mokaev did not disappoint in his promotional debut, as he submitted former Valor Fighting Challenge champion Cody Durden with a guillotine choke in the first round of their flyweight pairing. Durden (12-4-1, 1-2-1 UFC) checked out 58 seconds into Round 1.

Mokaev (7-0, 1-0 UFC) drilled his counterpart with a flying knee and caught the choke when the Covington, Georgia, native tried to scramble back to his feet. Durden attempted to slam himself free but only wandered deeper into danger once the two men hit the canvas. Mokaev tightened the screws on the choke and prompted the tapout from the American Top Team rep.

It was the second sub-minute finish of the 21-year-old Mokaev’s career.