Marwan Rahiki
Freaky
Australia
Knockout win in UFC debut
Rahiki defeated Harry Hardwick via TKO (corner stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 2 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
Rahiki earned his UFC contract with a massive comeback win on Dana White's Contender Series in October. He was never in anywhere near that much trouble early on here, although Hardwick did win Round 1 on two of the three scorecards. Once the fight flipped to Round 2, Rahiki took over. He was credited with 46 significant strikes landed in the second frame alone, including a massive flurry along the fence which would have put away most any other man on the roster. The fight was eventually called off between rounds after Hardwick told his corner his jaw was broke. Massive for the featherweight division at 5-foot-10 and just 23 years old, Rahiki is an obviously guy to keep an eye on at 145 pounds moving forward.
Rahiki earned his UFC contract with a massive comeback win on Dana White's Contender Series in October. He was never in anywhere near that much trouble early on here, although Hardwick did win Round 1 on two of the three scorecards. Once the fight flipped to Round 2, Rahiki took over. He was credited with 46 significant strikes landed in the second frame alone, including a massive flurry along the fence which would have put away most any other man on the roster. The fight was eventually called off between rounds after Hardwick told his corner his jaw was broke. Massive for the featherweight division at 5-foot-10 and just 23 years old, Rahiki is an obviously guy to keep an eye on at 145 pounds moving forward.
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Taking on Hardwick in March
Rahiki will face Harry Hardwick at a UFC event in Las Vegas on March 14, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
Rahiki will put his undefeated professional record on the line in his second UFC bout. The 23-year-old Moroccan-born fighter will carry a slight reach advantage into the bout over the older Englishman. With six of his seven professional victories coming via KO/TKO, he will undoubtedly be looking to use his stopping power to end this one early.
Rahiki will put his undefeated professional record on the line in his second UFC bout. The 23-year-old Moroccan-born fighter will carry a slight reach advantage into the bout over the older Englishman. With six of his seven professional victories coming via KO/TKO, he will undoubtedly be looking to use his stopping power to end this one early.
Nets contract with epic comeback
Rahiki defeated Ananias Mulumba via TKO (punches and elbows) at 2:13 of Round 2 at Dana White's Contender Series on Tuesday. After the show, he was one of five fighters to be officially awarded a UFC contract.
ANALYSIS
Rahiki entered the fight as a (-420) favorite, but found himself in trouble almost instantly, as one of his naked leg kicks was met with a thunderous overhand right that sent him to the canvas. "Freaky" was able to rally back and drop his opponent before another unprotected knee resulted in the 23-year-old eating a big shot. While things seemed perilous more often than not, Rahiki's ability to stay in the fight paid dividends, as he was able to hurt and finish an exhausted Mulumba against the cage in Round 2. It goes without saying that Rahiki needs to shore up his defense as he heads into the UFC's featherweight division, which houses some of the hardest pound-for-pound punchers in the sport. He moved to 7-0-0 in professional MMA as a result of the victory.
Rahiki entered the fight as a (-420) favorite, but found himself in trouble almost instantly, as one of his naked leg kicks was met with a thunderous overhand right that sent him to the canvas. "Freaky" was able to rally back and drop his opponent before another unprotected knee resulted in the 23-year-old eating a big shot. While things seemed perilous more often than not, Rahiki's ability to stay in the fight paid dividends, as he was able to hurt and finish an exhausted Mulumba against the cage in Round 2. It goes without saying that Rahiki needs to shore up his defense as he heads into the UFC's featherweight division, which houses some of the hardest pound-for-pound punchers in the sport. He moved to 7-0-0 in professional MMA as a result of the victory.