Weekend Roundup: Khalidov obliterates Barnatt, Lee defends ONE title, UFC vets compete

Lots of action — perhaps more than usual — took place outside of the UFC’s Octagon this weekend, with several notable fighters competing in lesser organizations. Some picked up devastating wins, while others didn’t look so hot. If you happened to miss any of the non-UFC competition from this weekend, you’ve come to the right place. We have you covered.

In the main event of ACB 54, which took place from Manchester Arena in Manchester, England on Saturday, Mamed Khalidov, the KSW middleweight champion, made his debut in the organization against UFC veteran Luke Barnatt. Khalidov, widely regarded as one of the best 185-pound fighters outside the UFC, obliterated Barnatt in less than a minute. Just following the opening bell, Khalidov landed a thunderous right hand that forced Barnatt, visibly hurt, on the retreat. The Polish fighter immediately closed the distance and followed up with vicious combinations on the feet to crumple Barnatt and force a referee stoppage. Khalidov is now riding a 13-fight winning streak, while Barnatt is in the losing column for the first time since his 2015 UFC release (now 4-1 since being released).

Also at ACB 54, top English fighter Brendan Loughnane defeated former UFC featherweight Mike Wilkinson with strikes in the first round. Loughnane landed a heavy left head kick, wobbling his opponent, and landed a barrage of ground-and-pound, almost forcing the referee to intervene. Wilkinson somehow got back to his feet for literally half a second, but Loughnane landed a devastating left knee flush to his head, scoring another knockdown and halting the action. Loughnane has won nine of his last 10 bouts (with his only recent loss a somewhat controversial split decision to top prospect Tom Duquesnoy, who recently signed with the UFC). Wilkinson is now 0-2 since his UFC release in early 2016.

Earlier on at the same event, unofficial underdog Aurel Pirtea defeated Saul Rogers early in the second round. Rogers landed a fairly well-timed takedown but gave up his neck in process. Pirtea grabbed hold of his opponent’s neck and put Rogers to sleep with a guillotine choke. Pirtea extended his winning streak to three in a row. Rogers, who competed on The Ultimate Fighter 22 in 2015 and make it to the finals but was unable to compete due to visa issues, fell for the first time since 2012. This loss snapped an official six-fight winning streak (not counting TUF bouts).

Also at ACB 54, ex-UFC featherweight Robert Whiteford continued his winning ways with a stunning first-round submission over fellow veteran Nam Phan. Whiteford didn’t allow Phan to get going whatsoever, as only seconds into the bout, Whiteford locked in a standing guillotine and put his opponent to sleep. This was Whiteford’s second victory since his UFC release last year, while Phan has now lost three straight. Phan also announced his retirement after this fight.

Other notable results from ACB 54:

• Ali Bagov def. former Bellator MMA contender Bubba Jenkins via submission in round two

• Ibragim Chuzhigaev def. former UFC fighter David Mitchell via TKO in round three
• Andy DeVent def. former UFC fighter Danny Mitchell via TKO in round one
• Mukhomad Vakhaev def. top Canadian prospect Tanner Boser via split decision

In the main event of ONE Championship: Warrior Kingdom, which took place from Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday morning, women’s atomweight (115 pounds) champion Angela Lee dominated challenger Jenny Huang in her first title defense. The 20-year-old showed off her improved striking in the first two rounds and looked particularly excellent in the clinch, but returned to her grappling roots in the third round. She got an easy takedown, marking the beginning of the end for her opponent. After moving into a dominant position, Lee started teeing off on Huang with ground-and-pound, and Huang actually tapped out. Lee is now 7-0 as a professional, and this was Huang’s first professional loss.

At EFN 61, which took place from Bryansk Ice Palace in Bryansk, Russia on Saturday afternoon, former Bellator MMA light heavyweight champion Emanuel Newton dropped a decision loss to Artur Astakhov in the co-main event. Neither fighter did too much throughout three rounds, but Astakhov did just enough on the feet to outpoint the veteran and get the judges’ nod. Astakhov has now won two in a row, while this is Newton’s second straight defeat. Since his last Bellator MMA fight, Newton is 1-2.

Other results:

• Final Fight Championship 28: Former GLORY Kickboxing champion Robin van Roosmalen def. Risto Dimitrov via TKO in round one in second MMA fight. Van Roosmalen is now 2-0 in MMA.
• Final Fight Championship 28: Former UFC fighter Filip Pejic draws with Alexis Savvidis. Pejic is now 2-0-1 since his UFC release last year.
• Fight Exclusive Night 16: Former UFC fighter Pawel Pawlak def. Ireneusz Szydlowski (method unknown). Pawlak is now 1-1 since his UFC release in late 2015.
• Pancrase 285: Yuya Wakamatsu def. former UFC fighter Tateki Matsuda via decision. Matsuda is now 3-1 since his 2015 UFC release.
• LFA 6: Mackenzie Dern def. Katherine Roy via unanimous decision. Read more on that here.