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Bantamweight Danaa Batgerel scored a stunning knockout against Kevin Natividad in the early prelims of the UFC 261 pay-per-view. The Mongolian, who has fought three times in the UFC so far, has now picked up his second straight win inside Octagon.

In the fight, Natividad rushed too much and walked into the left hand from Batgerel in the opening 60-seconds. ‘Storm’ eventually earned a T/KO finish by ground and pound after dropping his opponent. With this win, he secured his seventh career finish and fifth T/KO.

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Batgerel made his UFC debut in 2019, but lost a decision against Heili Alateng. Subsequently, he finished Guido Cannetti and Natividad inside the opening five minutes. Hence, the 31-year-old will look to get a higher-ranked opponent next time.

As for Natividad, he has now dropped both his fights inside the Octagon, having been finished in his last fight too. Miles Johns knocked the former LFA fighter out in his UFC debut in 2020.

The bout was an important one for both fighters in terms of their career in the promotion. Batgerel has certainly put himself in a suitable spot with the win. However, Natividad will be under scrutiny, having lost both his fights under the bright lights of the UFC.

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Has Danaa Batgerel set up the right tone for UFC 261?

There are so many big fights coming up as the event progresses. Jorge Masvidal and Kamaru Usman will headline the blockbuster pay-per-view. There are two other title fights with the women’s strawweight and flyweight belts also up for grabs. Also, the event in Jacksonville, Florida has fans in attendance as well.

via Imago

It will be interesting to see how the other fights play out. With three title fights happening, one can expect a few new champions to be crowned. However, all three champions are very dominant in their respective divisions. Hence, even if there are no title changes, if the fights play out like Batgerel’s one, fans won’t have much to complain about.

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What did you make of Danaa Batgerel’s insane first-round KO? Let us know.