Octagon newcomer Khama Worthy was the biggest betting underdog heading into UFC 241, which must’ve made victory that much sweeter for the 32-year-old MMA journeyman.
Worthy was able to pull off the upset over highly-touted lightweight prospect Devonte Smith in the featured preliminary bout Saturday night at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
Worthy, whose +650 win marked the biggest upset in the UFC so far in 2019, caught Smith with a counter-left hand early in the first round that put out the lights.
KHAMA WORTHY!!! #UFC241 pic.twitter.com/EUgoKMMibz
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) August 18, 2019
Smith (10-2) had a six-fight winning streak snapped, while Worthy (15-6) is now on a six-fight winning streak of his own.
In other preliminary action, Cory Sandhagen vaulted himself into bantamweight title contention thanks to his dismantling of respected veteran Raphael Assuncao.
Sandhagen, a 27-year-old who carries with him no shortage of confidence, improved to 12-0 in mixed martial arts and 5-0 under the UFC banner.
Assuncao was ranked as the No. 3 contender at 135 pounds prior to the bout, while Sandhagen was ranked at No. 9.
Also, lightweights Drakkar Klose and Christos Giagos put on quite the show over three high-paced rounds with Klose walking away with the decision victory.
@DrakkarKlose #UFC241 pic.twitter.com/keetZ78LoC
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) August 18, 2019
Below are the official UFC 241 preliminary card results:
— Khama Worthy def. Devonte Smith by technical knockout
— Cory Sandhagen def. Raphael Assuncao by unanimous decision
— Drakkar Klose def. Christos Giagos by unanimous decision
— Casey Kenney def. Manny Bermudez by unanimous decision
— Hannah Cifers def. Jodie Esquibel by unanimous decision
— Kyung Ho Kang def. Brandon Davis by split decision
— Sabina Mazo def. Shana Dobson by unanimous decision
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