The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was in Belfast, Northern Ireland for the first time in promotional history with UFC Fight Night 99: Mousasi vs Hall II. The 13-fight card produced a ton of excitement, with more than 50 percent of the contested bouts ending inside the distance. Following the entertaining evening of scraps in Northern Ireland, let’s take a look at which of the competitors from UFC Fight Night in Belfast we may no longer see in action inside the Octagon… ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK Alexander Yakovlev A win over UFC veteran Paul Daley earned Yakovlev a UFC contract, and then he faced the stiffest test of his professional mixed martial arts career to date in the form of current No. 1 contender Demian Maia. He survived three one-sided rounds against Maia before meeting Niko Musoke his next time out and suffering another unanimous decision defeat. That prompted a move down to the UFC’s 155-pound division, where he was greeted by former UFC lightweight title challenger Gray Maynard. “Thunder of the North” defeated Maynard via unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards, but he opted to move back up to 170 pounds following the contest. In his return to the UFC’s welterweight division, the Russian took on George Sullivan and defeated him via first-round knockout. His next time out, he took on Kamaru Usman and suffered another one-sided UD defeat. His most recent outing inside the Octagon came Saturday in Belfast, where he faced Zak Cummings and was submitted with a straight armbar in the second stanza. Being on a two-fight defecit and 2-4 in the UFC, I think the UFC let’s Yakovlev walk, unless they plan to use him for a 2017 trip to Russia. Milana Dudieva The Russian picked up a split decision victory over Elizabeth Phillips in what was her promotional debut but has since dropped back-to-back fights, both as a result of TKO. After such losses in devastating fashion, I think there is a fair chance that the UFC will opt to part ways with her. It would not surprise me to see them keep Dudieva around, especially if they are planning a Russian takeover in 2017, though I think more than likely we have seen the last of her inside the Octagon.
