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The Ukrainian won a sensational victory in the UFC in a fight with a knockdown. Video.
Ukrainian fighter of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Igor Poterya (20-5) defeated Robert Brychek (17-5) from Poland in the contractual weight limit (up to 85.3 kg). The main card bout at UFC Fight Night 236 in Las Vegas (USA) ended on the judges' scorecards: 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.
The 27-year-old from Kyiv had only 6 days to prepare for this fight, as he replaced the injured Albert Duraev from Russia. During this time, the Ukrainian, who was an outsider with the bookmakers, managed to lose 15 kg of excess weight, but despite this, he did not look tired or exhausted.
From the first minutes, Igor took the center of the octagon, dictating the density and pace of the fight, punching well with low kicks. The end of the opening round was dictated by the fighter from Kyiv, who scored with several left straight punches.
In the second round, Poterya looked much more confident, using his anthropometric advantage to his advantage and breaking his opponent in the standup.
In the third round, the underdog was able to land a great combination, knocking the Pole down. Igor rushed to finish, tried to grab a choke hold, but missed the moment.
The last minutes were all Potera's: he clinched, worked his elbows perfectly and controlled the course of the fight.
In his last fight, Potera lost to debutant Rodolfo Bellato (2-1-0) from Brazil by knockout in the second round.
On May 14 last year, Poterya (20-4) suffered a crushing defeat in the United States. At the UFC tournament in Charlotte, the 26-year-old from Kyiv was knocked out by New Zealander Carlos Ulberg (9-1).
On January 22, Poteria won his first victory in the promotion. At the UFC 283 tournament in Rio de Janeiro, the 26-year-old from Kyiv effectively defeated local ex-champion Mauricio Rua (27-14-1).