Yi Zha

Kaan Ofli vs. Zha Yi
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Yi (-218), Ofli (+180)

Round 1
The promotion itself handled the first three matches tonight differently, even going so far as to declare they were the Road to UFC 4 finals while the rest are UFC 325—for Fight Finder purposes, we consider them all as UFC fights, and do not separate the two cards for record keeping. Those out of the way, we move on to the reason most fans are here as Jon Anik takes over on the mic. Giving locals someone to root for early, Ofli (12-4-1, 1-2 UFC) reps his home country against China’s Yi (26-5, 1-2 UFC). The third man in the Octagon will be referee Jim Perdios, and the featherweights touch ‘em up before proceeding.
Yi gets right to the center of the cage, aiming his jab to the head and body and landing once to the latter. Yi swipes out a right to the body, and Ofli replies with four speedy hooks. Ofli punches his way into a takedown, and Yi slips out of the way and forces Ofli to abandon it. Ofli keeps after Yi, belting him with a right hand and using a body lock to drag the fight down. Yi flips him around, and the ensuing scramble between the energized athletes leads to Ofli winding up on top. Yi tries to utilize butterfly hooks to keep Ofli off of him, and he even flirts with an armbar off his back, but it is all for naught when Ofli smashes him in the face with a vicious right hand. Just like that, Yi turns to the side as he does not want to eat another one of those shots, and he leans on the fencing so that Ofli cannot take his back. Yi postures in hopes of standing, and Ofli controls him and knees him flush to the body. Yi is wrangled back to the canvas, with Ofli tripping the Chinese fighter up to keep him grounded.
Ofli clasps his hands around the waist, letting them go so he can wind up and smack Yi in the face with several left hands. Yi ignores them and fights back to his feet, taking a couple knees to the stomach and an elbow that irritates him. Yi breaks off, and Ofli chases after him with a push kick and a punch. They loose hooks at the same time, with Ofli taking Yi off-balance with a ferocious hook. Yi stumbles and gathers his thoughts, getting right back up but notably retreating. Yi looks for a counter while Ofli is advancing, and Ofli falls over when landing a kick and takes a right hand on the way up. Yi clips the Aussie with a left and waves him on, and Ofli backs off and absorbs a few kicks to the body and legs. Ofli suddenly surges into action, but he is met by a stone wall in Yi who does not take many steps back. Ofli digs a kick to the body and is wobbled by a left hand, and Yi shrugs at him like a Diaz brother and headhunts him to the bell.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Ofli
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Ofli
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Ofli

Round 2
Before the round begins, Perdios issues Yi a stern warning to close his fists, as he has had his fingers outstretched towards his opponent—as a reminder, this is a foul under the Unified Rules, with pokes/gouges a second foul. Yi acknowledges this and is fired up, and he proceeds to go right after Ofli when the round begins. As Yi swarms the Aussie, he knocks Ofli clean off his feet with a left hand. Ofli rolls to the side, protects himself from further damage, and gets back upright. Yi does not let him get a moment to breathe, splitting his guard with a piston-like left hand that forces Ofli to check on his nose to make sure it is not broken. Yi runs at his opponent and tees off on him, and when Ofli hits the deck trying to escape, Yi sprints and knees him in the side while grounded. Ofli is tough and stands up once more, but he is firmly in the Danger Zone and has not offered much offense back since getting clubbed. When Ofli tries to give off something, Yi counters him with a left to shut him down again.
Ofli grits his teeth and bats Yi upside the head with a right hand, ignoring the opposing right at his dome so he can keep swinging. It is Yi who lands the cleaner of the two, and his left hand continues to find its mark and make Ofli backpedal. Yi goes to the head, opens up the body and blasts the liver with a left hand to double over his opponent. Ofli gathers any remaining steam and shoots for a takedown, one the Chinese fighter tosses out of the way like a father wrestling with his kid. Yi has Ofli on the proverbial ropes, knocking him down or seemingly hurting him every time he connects. Ofli hits the deck and bounces off the floor as if he had springs in his torso, and Yi knows Ofli may not have much left and keeps after him. Ofli offers a sign of life with a pair of punches and a low kick, but he is far down on the scorecards in this one. Yi probes his guard with jabs rather than selling out as the bell rings.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-8 Yi
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-8 Yi
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-8 Yi

Round 3
Yi offers a hug, and Ofli gladly accepts it as it gives him a few more seconds to get his wits about him. Ofli starts off hot, chasing Yi down and swinging hard but not catching him with much. Ofli does land a body kick with a resounding slap, and Yi taunts him as if to say “is that all you got?” Ofli lets loose with a calf kick, and Yi’s response is far less jovial. Instead, he appears compromised, so Ofli goes after it again and draws a slight limp. Yi changes stances, and Ofli kicks him in the other knee. Ofli keeps pressing the action, swinging hard in hopes of catching Yi concerned about the kicks, and he mixes in a takedown effort. When that fails, he punches his way into another attempt, where he jams Yi against the wall but goes no further as Yi breaks free. Yi splits the guard with a left to further irritate the damaged beak of the Aussie, and he ducks a telegraphed hook but walks square into a body kick.
Yi slings a left hand down the pipe, and Ofli meets him in the middle and slugs him in the jaw. Ofli ducks a hook and shoots for a double, and Yi scampers away. On the reset, Yi marches after the fading Ofli, and he knocks him back a way with a solid left. Yi’s own energy reserves are not particularly high after 13-plus minutes of fist fighting, and he takes a calf kick that makes him frown. Yi stonewalls another takedown that comes at him, turning the tables immediately to shoot for a double-leg takedown that Ofli can only defend with a guillotine setup. Yi easily pulls his neck free, and the two scramble for position until Ofli stands up and Yi follows him. Ofli uses the close range to crack Yi with an elbow, and he drives a right hand through after it. Yi replies with a tackling takedown, putting Ofli on his face for a moment until Ofli jumps back up. Yi dodges a spinning back elbow, and both men spin with back kicks and laugh when their legs collide. The horn sounds to end the close fight, one where a draw could be in play depending on how judges assessed the action.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Yi (29-27 Yi)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Yi (29-27 Yi)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Yi (29-27 Yi)

The Official Result
Kaan Ofli def. Zha Yi via Majority Decision (29-28, 28-28, 29-28)