MACAU, CHINA – NOVEMBER 22: (L-R) Zhang Mingyang of China and Ozzy Diaz face off throughout the UFC Combat Evening weigh-in at Andaz Macau on November 22, 2024 in Macau, China. (Picture by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Gentle heavyweight Zhang Mingyang welcomed Ozzy Diaz to the UFC in the principle card opener at UFC Macau on Saturday.
MMA followers would possibly bear in mind Diaz because the opponent of Joe Pyfer on Dana White’s Contender Sequence again in 2022, within the notorious “Be Joe Pyfer” struggle.
Mingyang opened the motion with a kick to the physique, earlier than chopping on the legs of Ozzy Diaz. Diaz stayed on the surface early, circling, as Zhang Mingyang continued to cut away with kicks. Diaz lastly acquired his jab going a minute in, only a single punch, then one other. The leg kicks continued to movement from Mingyang; a minimum of a pair had some head behind them. Mingyang additionally fired off a number of combos, principally blocked in the event that they landed in any respect.
Nonetheless, it solely took one blow to alter the course of the struggle. Simply previous two minutes in, Zhang Mingyang sat Diaz down with an elbow! The Chinese language gentle heavyweight then swarmed as Diaz tried to get to his knees. Floor n’ pound flowed, and the ref waved issues off sooner or later, giving Zhang Mingyang his second win underneath the UFC banner, and 18th profession win total – with 18 finishes throughout them.
“This knockout is for you, for my hometown crowd,” Mingyang stated following the victory, talking through a translator with Michael Bisping.
Official Outcome: Zhang Mingyang def. Ozzy Diaz by TKO (elbow and punches), Spherical 1, 2:25
