ROLDAN Sangcha-an is set to receive a huge consolation despite losing his flyweight fight against Jon delos Reyes in UFC Fight Night Manila on Saturday night.
The 24-year-old Filipino fighter, apart from the fight purse, will take home, like Delos Reyes, a US$50,000 bonus from the UFC after their thrilling encounter was adjudged Fight of the Night.
The preliminary card bout proved it was worthy to be in the main card as both pint-sized pugilists engaged in explosive exchanges that thrilled the sellout crowd.
[See Sad night for homegrown MMA fighters]
The fight was none more exciting than in the second round where Sangcha-an hit Delos Reyes with a punch that left his Filipino-Guamanian foe with a nasty vertical cut beside his right eye and turned his face into a bloody mess.
But Delos Reyes managed to turn the tables by connecting on a right cross to the chin that knocked Sangcha-an down and sent his mouthpiece flying, before finishing the Baguio native off with a rear-naked choke.
“I’m disappointed, but it’s part of the game,” Sangcha-an said. “I accept this defeat and learn from it because champions who don't accept defeat will never be champions. I am proud to represent the Philippines."
“It was a slow start,” Delos Reyes said. “I knew it was a tough fight.”
Performances of the Night went to Jon Tuck for scoring the quickest win of night with first-round knockout of Tae Hyun Bang, and Neil Magny for scoring an improbable come-from-behind TKO victory over Hyun Gyu Lim.
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