UFC Vegas 18 Results: Volkov Beats Overeem Via TKO to Highlight Main Card

Alexander Volkov picked up a second-round TKO win over Alistair Overeem to close out UFC Vegas 18 from the UFC's Apex Facility. 

The Russian utilized his long reach and boxing skills to batter his 40-year-old opponent until he got the stoppage in the second round. 

Volkov looked sharp from the jump. He began the opening round peppering Overeem's lead leg with repeated kicks before opening up his boxing game. 

The Reem's defense left a lot to be desired as he shelled up and simply survived the first five minutes. Volkov's aggression only grew as the round went on. 

That momentum carried Volkov into the second round, and he picked up right where he left off. A bloodied Overeem hung in for a while, but he was only delaying the inevitable. Volkov built combinations off a firm jab, and the Dutch kickboxer's guard no longer kept the strikes from coming in.  

This was the best Volkov has looked in his time with the UFC. It's his second consecutive second-round TKO after losing to Curtis Blaydes in June 2020. He showed that his striking is a serious threat in the division and should get another crack at a top heavyweight sooner rather than later. 

The heavyweight tilt was the finale of a card that featured an unforgettable knockout from Cory Sandhagen and strong performances from Beneil Dariush and Alexandre Pantoja. 

Here are the complete results and a closer look at the main card. 

Main Card

• Alexander Volkov def. Alistair Overeem via TKO at 2:06 of Round 2
• Cory Sandhagen def. Frankie Edgar via KO at 0:28 of Round 1
• Clay Guida def. Michael Johnson via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
• Alexandre Pantoja def. Manel Kape via unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27)
• Beneil Dariush def. Diego Ferreira via split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)
• Danilo Marques def. Mike Rodriguez via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:52 of Round 2

Preliminary Card

• Devonte Smith def. Justin Jaynes via TKO at 3:38 of Round 2
• Karol Rosa def. Joselyne Edwards via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
• Lara Procopio def. Molly McCann via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-27, 29-28)
• Seung Woo Choi def. Youssef Zalal via unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27)
• Timur Valiev def. Martin Day via unanimous decision (30-25 x2, 30-26)
• Ode Osbourne def. Jerome Rivera via KO at 0:26 of Round 1

Cory Sandhagen def. Frankie Edgar

Cory Sandhagen was expected to win over Frankie Edgar but the fact that he didn't even need 30 seconds to do it was shocking. Sandhagen unleashed a flying knee that finished the former lightweight champion instantly at the 28-second mark of the first round. 

Sandhagen has proven to be a dynamic striker who can end a fight at a moment's notice. After knocking out Marlon Moraes with a spinning wheel kick in the second-round last time out this fight only served to confirm that. 

Picking up a dominant win over a fighter with the reputation of Edgar is only going to strengthen his case for a title shot sooner rather than later. 

Sandhagen's quest for a title shot hit an unexpected speed bump when Aljamain Sterling submitted him in the first round at UFC 250. 

Adding this to his highlight reel should have him in line to at get an opportunity to see the winner of the scheduled fight between Sterling and champion Petr Yan. 

Clay Guida def. Michael Johnson

Clay Guida made his UFC debut in 2006, and Michael Johnson debuted in 2010. Somehow, the two had never fought before 2021, but they made up for the lost time in a fun matchup of lightweight veterans. 

Guida's signature relentless style gave him the edge against Johnson, who struggled to deal with constant pressure from The Carpenter. But Johnson had his moments in the striking department, even stunning Guida in the third round. 

However, he spent a huge chunk of that round fighting off a rear-naked choke attempt from his 39-year-old opponent. 

Guida's ceiling at this point is evident, but this is the best he's looked in a while. Coming off back-to-back losses to Jim Miller and Bobby Green, his striking looked much better and paired well with his wrestling. 

As for Johnson, this was another disappointing result. He's the epitome of the fickle nature of success in MMA. He holds wins over Dustin Poirier, Tony Ferguson and Edson Barboza but can never quite seem to put everything together consistently. 

Alexandre Pantoja def. Manel Kape

The striking was fast and furious in the flyweight bout between Alexandre Pantoja and Manel Kape, but in the end, it was Pantoja's activity and volume that made the difference. He picked up a unanimous-decision win after three rounds of fast-paced action. 

Pantoja was most often the aggressor, while Kape was happy to fire back with counters. The 27-year-old was clearly disappointed with the decision, but his hesitancy to lead the dance was enough for Pantoja to get the nod on the scorecards. 

The final minute of the third round was a good summary of what the fight looked like:

Pantoja's striking was on display as he extended his record to 23-5. His only recent losses have come against champion Deiveson Figueiredo and undefeated Askar Askarov, so this victory should get him right back in the mix. 

For Kape, he may have lost his UFC debut, but he proved he belongs in the organization after a three-fight winning streak in Rizin. 

Beneil Dariush def. Diego Ferreira

Beneil Dariush just can't seem to get the respect he deserves, and that apparently extends to some judges as well. The Iranian-born lightweight extended his winning streak to six in a split decision, with one of the judges giving Ferreira the fight 29-28. 

Dariush entered the bout with finishes in his last four matchups, and it looked like he might extend that streak in the first round. 

Ferreira did a good job surviving the early onslaught and put his toughness on display. He brought a six-fight win streak of his own to the cage and proved he should continue to see high-quality opponents in the near future. 

As for Dariush, it's getting harder to deny he should be fighting top-five guys in the division. Lightweight is among the most brutally deep divisions in the sport, but Dariush's win streak has shown his incredible development since losing to Alexander Hernandez in 2018. 

He's a well-rounded fighter with finishing power to spare. He's showing it's high time to see him against one of the division's best.  

Danilo Marques def. Mike Rodriguez

Danilo Marques may not have the best striking in the game, but his grappling is something to take seriously. Mike Rodriguez found that out the hard way. 

Rodriguez was expected to take the win in the light heavyweight bout that opened the main card, but Marques' grappling proved to be too much. His striking left something to be desired, but it was just enough of a threat to set up the takedown. 

From there, it was clearly Marques' world. 

The first round saw him all over Rodriguez, but in the second round, he locked in a rear-naked choke that ended the fight quickly. 

The win moves Marques to 2-0 in the UFC, and even though he didn't come into the organization with much fanfare, that kind of grappling should get him noticed fairly quickly.