Besides Calvin Kattar throwing himself into contendership at featherweight by edging out Dan Ige, the biggest storyline following UFC Fight Island 1’s conclusion was the performances from UFC newcomers: Modestas Bukauskas, Khamzat Chimaev, and Mounir Lazzez.
Each of them were awarded $50,000 bonuses for their standout showings.
Modestas Bukauskas def. Andreas Michailidis
The way in which Modestas Bukauskas’ UFC debut came to an end may have been controversial, but his performance was nothing short of impressive. The former Cage Warriors light heavyweight champion finished Andreas Michailidis with a flurry of elbows at the very end of the opening round.
Bukauskas displayed solid footwork, as well as the ability and willingness to trade heavy shots on the feet. He scored the finish by landing several vicious elbows right behind Michailidis’ ear as he attempted a takedown up against the cage.
At 26 years old, standing a solid 6’3” with an (11-2) record, Bukauskas has the 205lb division on notice as a dangerous up and comer.
Khamzat Chimaev def. John Phillips
You could not have looked any more calm and confident before, during, and after your UFC debut than Khamzat Chimaev did Saturday night against John Phillips. He came out and immediately ripped a kick to the body and secured a double-legged takedown.
From there, it was total control on the ground for the Swede they call ‘Borz’. Fierce ground and pound eventually led to an opening for a D’Arce choke, which Chimaev locked in for the finish in the second round.
It was a flawless performance for the still undefeated middleweight (7-0), who will likely look to keep the momentum rolling with a quick turnaround.
Mounir Lazzez def. Abdul Razak Alhassan
Mounir Lazzez lived up to his nickname ‘The Sniper’ this past Saturday in his inaugural UFC appearance. What was even more impressive though was the granite chin he displayed as he fended off an early barrage from the powerful Abdul Razak Alhassan.
After withstanding the storm, Lazzez was able to put on a striking clinic on his way to a unanimous decision victory.
His composed demeanor in the midst of fighting in his “second hometown” carried over to the post-fight interview where he answered to why called out Mike Perry.
“Just because my teammate has an issue with him… so if one of my team has an issue with someone then you have a problem with all of us,” he said. “I just want to put him in his place because he’s an idiot and he’s inspiring the new generation with the idiot stuff he do.”
Mike Perry vs Mounir Lazzez makes all types of sense and the young prospect from Tunisia has what it takes to compete with the UFC veteran.
Perhaps the biggest storyline of UFC Fight Island 1 that has flown under the radar is the success via UFC newcomers: Modestas Bukauskas, Khamzat Chimaev, and Mounir Lazzez. All three of them used their respective styles that got them to the dance in order to have successful debuts.
Look out for each of them as the year progresses.
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