ALUCE PEREIRA DELIVERS KNOCKOUT OF YEAR CONTENDER AT UFC VEGAS 115

UFC Vegas 115 was another night filled with that trope that a card that seems weak on paper and is filled with a lot of unknown names can be more entertaining than some of the bigger cards the UFC puts on. From Renato Moicano’s submission win over Chris Duncan, to any of the other exciting finishes on the night, to a seemingly soccer-kick KO (that wasn’t a KO), which generated a lot of controversy, UFC Vegas 115 was a fire card.

And yet, one of the bigger highlights from the night came from the undercard. And for the second straight week, a fight on a UFC card has produced a Knockout of the Year contender. Last week, it was Alexa Grasso sending Maycee Barber into oblivion. This week, it was the strength of the hard-hitting Alice Pereira.

First of all, no, Alice Pereira is not related to Alex Pereira. But when you look at what Alice Pereira did on this night, it might be hard for some fans not to draw a connection between the two.

During the UFC Vegas 115 prelims, Alice Pereira squared off with Hailey Cowan. The first round proved well for Pereira, known as “Golden Girl.” Pereira was able to beat her opponent to the (literal) punch, using her quickness and power to batter Cowan during the opening five minutes. Cowan, in fact, was visibly bruised around her face as a result of that frame.

But Cowan is a tough fighter who was not to be deterred. In the second round, Cowan landed a major slam in the center of the Octagon, and it appeared that she was in control of the action. Cowan was unable to do much with her ground game, however, and she didn’t seem to put up much of a fight as Pereira got the action back to the feet.

And then, just as round two was coming to an end, Pereira unleashed a devastating knee that landed directly on Cowan’s face. Cowan dropped in a heap, and the referee quickly stepped in to wave off the fight.

It was definitely a needed performance from Pereira. She dropped her UFC debut to Montse Rendon at Noche UFC 3 in September, a performance that Pereira has openly admitted she’d like to move on from. Well, here, move on is what she did.

Pereira displayed the power that got her attention from the UFC in the first place. And the thing is, even though her name is “Golden Girl,” she isn’t an elderly woman from the classic TV show. Pereira is just 20 years old.

- TOM ALBANO

ISLAM MAKHACHEV FORCES QUICK TAP FROM RENATO MOICANO TO CLOSE OUT UFC 311

Islam Makhachev and Renato Moicano, UFC 311 Credit: Gabriel Gonzalez/Cageside Press

Once again proving that in MMA, anything can happen, Islam Makhachev picked up a new opponent for the main event of UFC 311 just a day out from the fight.

That new opponent, Renato Moicano, had been paired up with Beneil Dariush. However, with Arman Tsarukyan injured during fight week, “Money” Moicano had a chance to make just that, and claim his first UFC championship.

Moicano wasn’t shying away from the fight. He started the fight landing a few leg kicks and straight punches. Moicano slightly stumbled Makhachev, getting his attention. Makhachev was able to take Moicano down, and get into half guard. Moicano used his guard to kick Makhachev off him, but in the scramble, Makhachev latched onto a d’arce choke and Moicano tapped shortly after the choke was locked in.

The lightweight division is in an interesting position. The obvious next title fight is Makhachev v Tsarukyan 2, the original UFC 311 main event. Then we have Justin Gaethje taking on Dan Hooker in a five-round co-main event at UFC 313. Dustin Poirier, Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush are also all looming around the top five. Beneil Dariush stated that he would like to fight Poirier next as well. Makhachev has a plethora of fitting challengers for his lightweight throne.

Featherweight champ Ilia Topuria also took to Twitter/X after the fight, expressing an interest in fighting Islam Makhachev.

Official Result: Islam Makhachev def. Renato Moicano by Submission (D’arce Choke), Round 1, 4:05

- Patrick McCorry