Derrick Lewis and Shamil Abdurakhimov to headline UFC Albany, Full Fight Card
UFC MAKES ITS DEBUT appearance in the Capital Region and there will be no shortage of fireworks for the inaugural event. One of the rising stars of the heavyweight division gets the nod for his first main event as No. 10 Derrick Lewis meets fellow divisional standout Shamil Abdurakhimov. The event takes place Friday, Dec. 9 at the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y.
Lewis (16-4) has won seven of his nine Octagon appearances since entering the UFC in 2014. Riding a four-fight winning streak, The Black Beast has finished 15 of his 16 pro wins – seven via first-round knockout.
Abdurakhimov (17-3, fighting out of Dagestan, Russia) hopes to crack the top-15 heavyweights in the world with a big win over Lewis this December. A well-rounded competitor with nine first-round finishes and the ability to knock an opponent out or submit him, Abdurakhimov poses the biggest threat Lewis has seen thus far in his career. With 26 finishes between them, this bout has Fight of the Night written all over it.
In the bantamweight division, No. 3 Raphael Assuncao (23-5) enters enemy territory when he clashes with lifelong New Yorker and the No. 8-ranked Aljamain Sterling (12-1).
Sterling hopes to put on a show with another flashy finish when he makes his first pro appearance in his home state. A win over a talented veteran in Assuncao would catapult Sterling to the top of the division.
No. 13 Patrick Cummins (8-4) will attempt to ruin No. 15 Gian Villante’s (14-7) New York homecoming in a light heavyweight showdown.
Cummins, a two-time NCAA Div. 1 All-American wrestler out of Penn State University, with four knockouts and two submissions in eight professional victories, he has the ability to finish the fight wherever it goes.
Villante, on the other hand, is a fan favorite whose heavy hands make all his fights a must-see. A training partner of former middleweight champion Chris Weidman, Villante comes from one of the top gyms in the sport and he intends to make New York proud with another highlight reel knockout.
The card also has the following bouts:
- Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Hamilton
- Corey Anderson vs. Sean O’Connell
- Oluwale Bamgbose vs. Joe Gigliotti
- Randy Brown vs. Charlie Ward
- Keith Berish vs. Ryan Janes
- Juliana Lima vs. Tatiana Suarez
- Zubaira Tukhugov vs. Tiago Trator
- Andrew Sanchez vs. Trevor Smith
- Frankie Perez vs. Marc Diakiese
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