Santos stuns Bosse in first at UFC Fight Night
HOLLYWOOD — Thiago Santos made quick work of Steve Bosse on Saturday night at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. “Marreta” knocked out “The Boss” in 29 seconds of the first round with a front ball kick to the left side of Bosse’s face that sent the Canadian reeling. Bosse never got up and his maiden UFC fight was over.
“I saw something on tape and I took it in with me into the fight,” Santos said from the ring after the fight. “People will be talking about this for some time.”
The two middleweights were exchanging blows at the Octagon’s center when Santos stepped back and raised his left foot and crushed Bosse.
“I worked very hard for this fight and I trained very hard for this fight,” Santos said. “I am very pleased with the result. I had to leave my family for a while to train, which I do not like to do, but I did what I had to do to win the fight and I am pleased with the result.”
The first match of the main card, which began nearly an hour after its scheduled 10 p.m. start, resulted in a split decision as Hacran Dias defeated Levan Makashvili.
The entire UFC Fight Night Hollywood card almost did not come off as planned.
Twelve fighters coming out of Brazil were unable to obtain travel visas last week and had to be pulled from the card. The UFC scurried to find replacements and put together a card that drew a capacity crowd of 5,600 on Saturday at Hard Rock Live.
Following the preliminary card’s opener in which UFC debutante Sirwan Kakai decisioned bantamweight Danny Martinez, Steve “The Creepy Weasel” Montgomery and Tony Sims met for a scheduled three-rounder, both also making their UFC debuts.
Apparently no one told Sims (10-2, 1-0) it was supposed to last that long. The Davenport, Iowa, native made quick work of the American Top Team welterweight with a left cross right to Montgomery’s jaw that earned him a TKO at the 2:43 mark in the first round. As Creepy Steve (8-3, 0-1) lie on the mat, Sims used his right to knock him totally out of commission.
“That was a fighter’s killer instinct right there,” Sims said. “I had to finish him or I would be in a threeround battle with a guy that was 6-foot-4. I had to keep punching until the referee told me to stop.”
Early in the first, Sims, who’s 5-11 and usually dominates fights with his right hand, found himself going to his left because of Montgomery’s size and strength. Sims could not get near Creepy Steve with the right until his opponent was on the ground.
“I have won a lot of my fights with my right hand and I use my right hand all the time, but tonight was different because he was so big,” Sims said. “I just could not reach him. I had no choice but to use my left. If I wanted to hit him, I had to use my left.”
Also prelims winners were welterweights Leandro Silva and Alex Oliveira. Silva earned the decision over Lewis Gonzalez while Oliveira got the nod over Joe Merritt.
Three bouts remain to be contested Saturday night ahead of the headliner, featuring top-ranked middleweights Yoel Romero, of Miami, and former light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machido.
For Fight Night Hollywood’s final results, visit SunSentinel.com/sports/MMA