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UFC Sells Out First Event in Santiago, Chile

The Ultimate Fighting Championship this week made its first trip to Chile with UFC Fight Night 129 in Santiago.

The fight card was headlined by a welterweight showdown between contenders Demian Maia and Kamaru Usman, which drew a sellout crowd, according to UFC executive David Shaw.

Kamaru Usman and Demian Maia UFC Chile weigh-in face-off
Kamaru Usman and Demian Maia UFC Chile weigh-in face-off

"Attendance was 11,082, for a sellout here at Movistar (Arena)," said Shaw before confirming that the promotion has plans to continue returning to Chile. "The arena was full right off the bat, the very first fight. It was as loud as I've ever experienced."

Though the UFC Fight Night 129 main event was originally supposed to pit Nigerian fighter Kamaru Usman against Argentinian Santiago Ponzinibbio, an injury forced Ponzinibbio out of the fight. Former UFC welterweight and middleweight title challenger Demian Maia stepped in on short notice, giving Usman a golden opportunity to climb up the rankings.

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Usman wasn't as impressive as he would have liked, but he dominated the veteran, who tried at every turn to take the Nigerian to the canvas. Usman, however, stuffed takedown after takedown and rocked Maia with strikes on several occasions, leading to a unanimous-decision victory.