UFC on ESPN 4 (informally known as UFC San Antonio) is all wrapped up. Though the main card had enough finishes to rectify an initial surge of decision fights, the record for the most decisions to open up a card was broken at nine. Join us as we break down some of the more pivotal moments on this fight card.
UFC on ESPN 4 Top Five Moments
Walt Harris knocks out Alexey Oleinik
Walt Harris earned a knockout victory over Alexey Oleinik extremely early into their scheduled three-round fight. Harris went for a jumping knee that would land on Oleinik’s armpit. The impact knocked Alexey Oleinik off balance and briefly opened him up for punches. Harris capitalized with an overhand left that dropped Oleinik. The impact was enough to leave Oleinik out cold on the canvas. The referee waved the fight off at 12 seconds. The broadcasters noted this was the third-fastest knockout in UFC heavyweight history. Having decisively defeated the number-nine-ranked heavyweight in the world, Harris will likely be a top ten heavyweight before long. He was ranked at number 14 coming into this fight.
Greg Hardy TKO’s Juan Adams in Grudge Match
After quite a bit of build-up, Greg Hardy and Juan Adams finally met in the cage. Adams, having a wrestling background, wisely shot for an early takedown. Hardy effectively defended against the takedown. Being in an advantageous position, Hardy began landing rapid hammer strikes on his foe. While he absorbed multiple punches, Adams held onto the single leg takedown attempt. As the number of shots landed quickly mounted, referee Dan Miragliotta warned Adams to show him something. Had Adams let go of the single-leg and moved, Miragliotta might’ve let the contest continue. Unfortunately for Adams, that never happened. Greg Hardy TKO’d Juan Adams 45 seconds into the very first round.
There is an undeniable controversy surrounding Greg Hardy. And with that baggage has come many detractors–some of which are active UFC fighters. Juan Adams has been one of Hardy’s most vocal critics. In speaking out, Adams gave everybody a reason to tune into this fight. Unfortunately, the fight was over before it really started. Although the stoppage was controversial, this much-anticipated grudge match was one of the more noteworthy occurrences of the event.
Dan Hooker Knocks Out James Vick
Dan Hooker would be the first person to win via finish at UFC on ESPN 4. Up until his fight against James Vick, all nine of the previous fights had gone to decision. Hooker broke the decision streak and did it impressively. Even the pro-James Vick Texas crowd had to be thankful for the outcome. Decisions were making the event grow staler with each passing fight. Dan Hooker landed two left hooks onto Vick’s jawline that would drop him. Hooker followed Vick to the ground and finished him off with some quick ground and pound. Everybody who watched this event from start to finish owes Dan Hooker and James Vick a debt of gratitude.
Andrei Arlovski Switches Up Striking Attack
At UFC on ESPN 4, Ben Rothwell and Andrei Arlovski had a rematch that was over 10 years in the making. From the start of the fight, Arlovski’s striking looked quite impressive. He mixed up his shots beautifully, and his output seemed unusually high for him.
This new form of striking, although extremely effective against Rothwell, took its toll on Arlovski’s gas tank. Noticeably fatigued, he significantly slowed down in the third round. But having absorbed significant damage, so too had Rothwell. Though he was fighting a man nicknamed “Pitbull”, his face looked as if it had been attacked by an army of angry house cats. Rothwell was practically drowning in the blood pouring out of his own face. The fight went the distance, and an exhausted, yet impressive Arlovski had his hand raised in the end. With the victory, Arlovski now has the most wins in UFC heavyweight history at 17.
Ray Borg Emotional Post-Fight Victory Speech
Ray Borg defeated Gabriel Silva via unanimous decision. The victory marks his first win since March of 2017. During his two-year winless stretch, his newborn son was diagnosed with hydrocephalus. Because of this, Borg’s son had gone under the knife multiple times. Despite immense adversity, Borg’s son continued to fight—and so did Borg. After being declared the victor, Borg tried to hold back tears with obvious futility. Overwhelmed with emotion, he briefly collapsed to the canvas. He stood back up and spoke to Jon Anik:
“It’s been a long road. My boy is somewhere in the building. First of all, thank you to Sean Shelby and everybody. I want to keep my job. I love my job. I’m sorry I took it for granted so much. I’m back baby. And uh, this fight is dedicated to a few people. My Grandfather passed away a couple of months ago. Today is the day after my birthday, of uh, a good friend, his daughter Mia battled a hard two-year fight against terminal cancer. She passed away about a year ago. And this win is for all you NICU parents. Anybody who’s ever spent time in the NICU. Everybody knows how hard that is. This goes out to all my hydro warriors. All you hydrocephalus warriors. You guys are the man. And I love all you guys. Thank you all for having me. I love you, San Antonio.”
Sometimes, when life beats you down, it’s just nice to win one. Congratulations, Ray Borg.
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