UFC is back in the land of pomp and posture in Las Vegas, Nevada, with UFC Vegas 97 this weekend. The UFC Vegas 97 event took place Saturday with 12 scraps on the lineup. Brazilian fighter Gabriel Santos came out a big winner early on in the card, with a unanimous nod over Yi Zha. However, what’s more surprising about the discourse of his win is that it’s reminiscent of one Anderson Silva!
It’s nothing new to model a move after someone iconic. Ask Sean O’Malley, who caught Aljamain Sterling in his lean-in and subjected him to some hammers and ground-and-pound at UFC 292. At the time, it was quite reminiscent of his then-idol Conor McGregor’s iconic UFC 194 KO. Similarly, the kick from Santos looked very much like how Silva delivered it without the spectacular knockout.
Early into round R2, Gabriel Santos put the pressure on Zha with ranged kicks. It was yet another straight-up Sparta kick to the face, and it was all clear why the ‘Anderson Silva’ rhetoric came in. Yi Zha staggered backward and immediately wobbled. He later recovered and tried countering and being more aggressive until the Team Evolucao Thai featherweight caught him again with a fateful right.
Santos (11-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) later moved to half-guard in the round and teed off some good shots. Yi Zha even suffered a good cut, with the doctor having to check in. When they went the distance, Gabriel Santos defeated Yi Zha via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27). As such, his win, and moreover his ‘Spider’ like kick, has become quite viral.
Fight fans react to Gabriel Santos’ ‘Sparta’ kick at UFC Vegas 97
Anderson Silva’s front kick to Vitor Belfort in the UFC 126 main event was one for ages. It brought the earth-shattering implications of a kick to the chin to the forefront much before the likes of Tony Ferguson would face similar ones.
UFC Vegas 97 is off to a good all-around start. Jaqueline Amorim’s devilish armbar on opponent Vanessa Demopoulos remains controversial. Nathan Fletcher impressed everyone with a tactile arm triangle. Now, Gabriel Santos adds to the equations with his athleticism and a similarly-hyped front kick.
Gabriel Santos vs. Yi Zha at UFC Vegas 97 (Source: UFC.go.live) People think of Anderson Silva when they think of the UFC middleweight division. Why is that? Because the former long-time champion has been the ultimate finisher throughout his Hall of Fame career. Suffice it to say that someone dominating with his moveset or record is bound to go viral. Here’s what the MMA community thinks of Gabriel Santos’ kick over Yi Zha.
how did my man have 3 KO highlights in one fight 💥🫶❤️🔥
— AJ Londono (@flowwithaj) September 7, 2024
Can’t wait to see what’s next for this beast. Watch out, UFC—Mosquitinho is here to take over! #UFCVegas97
— VaryXStream (@VaryXStream) September 7, 2024
‘Mosquitinho’ and his dominance are Fight of Night-worthy performances; most fans have said as much. To top it off, the thumping front kick modeled after the likes of Team Nogueira’s Silva or Bellator’s great Michael Chandler is just icing on top.
The nasty impact, his straight shots and taking the back in the final frame, and his athleticism even drew a response from Aljamain Sterling and the Olympian wrestler Henry Cejudo. As such, it’s only one way up from here for Santos.
