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The Dana White's Contender Series alum withstood a grueling approach from Thiago Santos before rallying for a fourth-round technical knockout victory in their headlining bout at UFC on ESPN 40 on Saturday night. “Sweet Dreams” has won three straight and four of his last five at 205 pounds, with his four KO/TKO victories since 2020 tying him for the most in the division during that time. By vanquishing a former light heavyweight title challenger, Hill climbs to No. 14 in the divisional rankings. Santos, who is 1-5 in his last six outings, falls from the poll completely.
Meanwhile, Geoff Neal handed Vicente Luque the first knockout defeat of his professional career, as he stopped “The Silent Assassin” with a volley of power punches 2:01 into Round 3 of their welterweight co-main event. After dropping back-to-back fights to Stephen Thompson and Neil Magny, Neal has bounced back with triumphs against Luque and Santiago Ponzinibbio. With a 7-2 UFC record that also features a notable triumph over Belal Muhammad, Neal returns to the welterweight rankings at No. 11, while the previously ninth-ranked Luque falls to 12th.
Note: Previous rankings listed in brackets.
Note: Previous rankings listed in brackets.
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