By:  | November 19, 2023 8:55 am

Jeka Saragih got his official UFC career off to the perfect start in Las Vegas this morning. The Indonesian stopped Lucas Alexander early in the opening round of their featherweight fight.

Alexander accepted the fight at relatively late notice and weighed in at 148lbs, slightly over the featherweight limit. Saragih lost to Anshul Jubli in the final of the Road to UFC lightweight tournament but was awarded a contract anyway.

He dropped down to featherweight for his official debut and it could not have gone any better. Saragih came in as an underdog but made light of the odds to finish the Brazilian in brutal fashion.

Low expectations

Alexander was coming off the biggest win of his career and he landed a solid low kick and then feigned a takedown attempt at the start of the round. A left hook, straight right combination from the Brazilian stopped Saragih in his tracks.

A left uppercut from short range caught Saragih on the saw in as the Indonesian struggled with his opponent’s reach and range. Alexander seemed to slip and ladned on his back but immediately tried for a leg lock.

Seragih slipped out and Alexander got back up only for the Indonesian to catch him with a huge right hand. The Indonesian had him hurt and chased him across the octagon, landing a few follow up shots to his downed opponent to finish the job.

The end came at the 1:31 mark and Saragih celebrated wildly. Expectations surrounding his UFC career had been low after the stoppage loss to Jubli and the Indonesian has already surpassed them.

Saragih improves to 14-3 and will feel he is in contention for a $50,000 USD performance bonus. Alexander drops to 8-4 and might think twice about accepting short notice fights in future.

 

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Successful debut

Also stepping up at short notice was Myktybek Orolbai. He looked well prepared for his UFC debut and actually came into this contest as a favourite.

Orolbai demonstrated why as he controlled the Serbian on the ground during a one sided opening round. There was more of  the same in the second but the LFA veteran was able to find the finish.

He secured an early takedown and put Medić under constant pressure. Eventually Orolbai took his opponent’s back and sank in a neck crank which forced the tap at the 4:12 mark.

With the win Orolbai improves to 12-1-1 and his habit of finishing opponents inside the distance could make him a real fan favourite. Medić  drops to 9-2 and sees his two fight winning streak snapped.

 

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Best of the rest

In the main event Brendan Allen (23-5) prevailed over Paul Craig (17-7-1) in a battle between two middleweights looking to move towards the upper echelons of the division. The American finally broke his opponent’s resistance with a rear naked choke early in the third round.

UFC Vegas 82, Las Vegas, November 19th
Brendan Allen def. Paul Craig via Submission (Rear-naked choke) at 0:38 of R3
Michael Morales def. Jake Matthews via Decision (Unanimous)
Chase Hooper def. Jordan Leavitt via Submission (Rear-naked choke) at 2:58 of R1
Payton Talbott def. Nick Aguirre via Submission (Rear-naked choke) at 0:58 of R3
Amanda Ribas def. Luana Pinheiro via TKO (Spinning wheel kick and punches) at 3:53 of R3
Myktybek Orolbai def. Uroš Medić via Submission (Neck crank) at 4:12 of R2
Joanderson Brito def. Jonathan Pearce via Submission (Ninja choke) at 3:54 of R2
Jose Johnson def. Chad Anheliger via Submission (Rear-naked choke) at 4:49 of R3
Christian Leroy Duncan def. Denis Tiuliulin via TKO (Punches and elbows) at 4:24 of R2
Mick Parkin def. Caio Machado via Decision (Unanimous)
Jeka Saragih def. Lucas Alexander via KO (Punches) at 1:31 of R1
Ailín Pérez def. Lucie Pudilová via Decision (Unanimous)
Trey Ogden vs. Nikolas Motta end in No Contest (Premature stoppage) at 3:11 of R3
Rafael Estevam def. Charles Johnson via Decision (Unanimous)