Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s happening….
American, Ryan “The Wizard” Hall, the winner of The Ultimate Fighter season 22, returns to the octagon after a two-year hiatus from competition.
He will be facing rising contender Georgian Spanish, llia “El Matador” Topuria, at UFC 264 in Las Vegas Nevada on July 10th.
Ryan Hall had difficulty finding a fight, some opine due to his unorthodox fighting style. He is an intelligent martial artist who studied electrical engineering, so most of his fights are highly tactical and strategic.
Last year when he finally found an opponent in Ricardo Lamas, he had to pull out due to injury. Then back in March, when Hawaiian superstar Dan Ige accepted a bout against Hall, he got injured again.
It’s been a long road for The Wizard.
Hall’s record is 8-1 as a pro, 4-0 in the UFC, and he is currently on an eight-fight win streak with his most notable victory over fellow BJJ and MMA legend BJ Penn via heel hook.
And he has scored additional victories over Artem Lobov, Gray Maynard, and Darren Elkins.
For those who don’t know Ryan Hall, he is a submission master specializing in lower body attacks, aka heel hooks.
The concept behind the heel hook attack is to tear your opponent’s knee ligaments and render them unable to move.
Meanwhile, Ilia Topuria is 2-0 in the UFC, 10-0 as a pro, with his last two fights ending via unanimous decision against Youssef Zalal and knocking out UFC veteran Damon Jackson.
He is a deadly striker who is a former Cage Warrior’s bantamweight champion and MFE featherweight champion.
Not only can he throw hands, but his past fights have proven he has a variety of strangleholds and is proficient in wrestling. He is known for his guillotine and rear naked strangle.
The undefeated fighter told MMA Junkie his goal is to become one of the best fighters in the UFC featherweight division ASAP.
But the only way to do that is to nullify The Wizard’s spells first.
Can Ilia Topuria stop the leg locker?
… Or will Ryan Hall successfully cast another “Expecto Patronum” charm and make his way to 5-0?
Watch UFC 264 and find out!
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