Jamahal Hill Outlasts Thiago Santos, Forces Stoppage in UFC on ESPN 40 Headliner

Jamahal Hill may not have aced his latest exam in the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight division, but he passed it with room to spare.

The 2019 Dana White’s Contender Series graduate disposed of American Top Team’s Thiago Santos with punches and elbows in the fourth round of their UFC on ESPN 40 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Hill (11-1, 5-1 UFC) closed it out 2:31 into Round 4, as he extended his winning streak to three fights and made his push for more attention at 205 pounds.

Santos (22-11, 14-10 UFC) employed a takedown- and clinch-centric attack that paid some dividends but proved to be a drain on his gas tank. By the time they reached the fourth round, he was running on fumes. Hill touched off a wild exchange with a stinging left hand, gave chase and ultimately tracked down the Brazilian in the center of the cage. Santos collapsed, likely from a combination of exhaustion and damage, and found himself at the Chicago native’s mercy. Hill maintained top position and hammered away with punches and elbows until referee Herb Dean had seen enough.

The 38-year-old Santos has now lost five times in six appearances.

A message from @JamahalH to the rest of the LHW division 🗣 #UFCVegas59 pic.twitter.com/YHzl0lUvhS

— UFC (@ufc) August 7, 2022

Resurgent Neal Blitzes Luque

Fortis MMA standout Geoff Neal brought down “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 21 semifinalist Vicente Luque with punches in the third round of their welterweight co-main event. Luque (21-9-1, 14-5 UFC), who had never before been knocked out, succumbed to blows 2:01 into Round 3.

Neal (15-4, 7-2 UFC) stormed out of the gate in the first round, where he dazed the Henri Hooft protégé with searing left hands on more than one occasion and largely dominated the action. Luque rebounded in the second, as he upped his output and called upon kicks to the body and legs. It was not enough to keep Neal at bay. The 31-year-old Austin, Texas, native went to work with renewed vigor behind clean one-twos in Round 3, buckled Luque with another left and bottled him up along the fence. Neal then let go with a savage volley of uppercuts before another straight left sent his opponent crashing to the canvas in a fight-ending nosedive.

Luque will enter his next assignment on the heels of back-to-back losses.

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Usman KOs Pauga in ‘TUF’ Heavyweight Final

Mohammed Usman—the younger brother of current UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman—plowed through Elevation Fight Team’s Zac Pauga with punches in the second round of “The Ultimate Fighter 30” heavyweight final. Usman (8-2, 1-0) finished it 36 seconds into Round 2 to earn his spot on the UFC roster.

The previously unbeaten Pauga (5-1, 0-1 UFC) punched well in combination and mixed in a few kicks while controlling much of an uneventful first round. Less than a minute into the middle stanza, Usman leveled the onetime NFL hopeful with a counter left hook, followed him to the canvas and separated him from consciousness with a pair of brutal hammerfists.

Miller Wrecks Walker in ‘TUF’ Women’s Flyweight Final

Juliana Miller put away fellow Invicta Fighting Championships veteran Brogan Walker with punches and elbows from full mount in the third round of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 30 women’s flyweight final. Miller (3-1, 1-0 UFC) slammed the door 3:57 into Round 3, nailing down a UFC contract in the process.

Walker (7-3, 0-1 UFC) was woefully ineffective despite a considerable edge in experience. Miller broke down the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt in the clinch, struck for repeated takedowns and piled up points with suffocating control and ground-and-pound. Walker found herself pinned to the canvas yet again in the third round. Miller climbed to full mount, maintained heavy hips and fired away with punches, elbows and hammerfists until the job was done.

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Spivak Stifles Reeling Sakai

Former World Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Sergey Spivak took care of Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Augusto Sakai with punches in the second round of their heavyweight showcase. Sakai (15-5-1, 4-4 UFC) wilted 3:42 into Round 2, as he lost his fourth fight in a row.

Spivak (15-3, 6-3 UFC) delivered repeated takedowns and assaulted the Brazilian with steady ground-and-pound. Eventually, those efforts took a toll. Spivak consolidated his final takedown with additional aggression, moving to a crouched position on his opponent’s back. Sakai failed to heed referee Mark Smith’s warnings to protect himself and instead absorbed a burst of unanswered punches, necessitating the stoppage.

The 27-year-old Spivak has won five of his past six bouts.

McKinney Rebounds, Throttles Gonzalez

Warrior Camp standout Terrance McKinney bounced back from his March 12 loss to Drew Dober, as he submitted Erick Gonzalez with a standing rear-naked choke in the first round of their lightweight feature. Gonzalez (14-7, 0-2 UFC) raised the white flag 2:17 into Round 1.

McKinney (13-4, 3-1 UFC) overwhelmed his counterpart with speed, power, athleticism and technique. Gonzalez managed to sting him with a counter left but conceded a takedown soon after. His situation from bad to worse to downright dire. McKinney climbed on his back as he worked back to his feet, set his hooks and cinched the choke, his crushing squeeze tying a bow on another first-round finish.

Gonzalez has suffered consecutive defeats for the first time as a professional.

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