After being defeated in his last back-to-back fights via stoppage, against names like Niko Price and Gunnar Nelson, Alan Jouban desperately needed a victory last night (Sat. February 24, 2018) at the UFC Orlando event.
In the opening fight of the FOX Prelims from the Amway Center, Jouban put on a great striking performance against UFC veteran Ben Saunders. Jouban landed a crisp left hand to Saunder's chin that dropped him for the knockout victory.
You can check out Jouban's starching of Saunders in the second round here:
Saunders ate the shot and his legs went out from under him before he laid out on the canvas. Jouban and Saunders are actually pretty good friends outside the Octagon, and here's what he had to say about the fight (quotes via MMA Junkie):
“Ben’s been doing it for a long time,” Jouban said. “He’s been in a lot of wars. He’s been through a lot. So he knows how to recover from a tough fight and everything.
"As much as it was a pain to see a friend of mine go down, it was an honor to go to war with him. It was a fight I’ll always remember for sure.
“I’m making this such a sad speech, but our dog died a month ago, and it was a tough,” Jouban said after the preliminary card bout, which aired on FOX from Amway Center in Orlando, Fla.
“It was a bulldog, and he was a family member. This entire camp, Cage (Jouban’s son) was like, ‘Win this for Buster, win this for Buster.’
“As silly as it might sound, every camp, every fight, every day, I find something to cling to to motivate me.
"And that, I was able to use the entire camp. So I said, ‘You know what, I’m bringing you to the fight, Cage.’”
What are your thoughts on Jouban picking up the impressive knockout win over Saunders last night? Do you think that this win will propel him into a top contenders fight? Who would you like to see him fight next? Let us know your thoughts on the matter in the comments section below!
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