Our latest Wattbiker, UFC lightweight Brad ‘Quake’ Riddell, took center stage in the UFC Octagon this past weekend on home soil in Auckland, New Zealand. The Quake, as he is affectionately known, kept his winning streak going by defeating Russian fighter Magomed Mustafaev by split decision. UFC Fight Night 168 saw lots of captivating fight action happen for the first time in over two years in New Zealand, and proved to be a great success with over 10,000 fans supporting at Spark Arena, plus a TV audience numbering in the millions.
However, there is no rest for the wicked - Brad, who is now two for two in the UFC, was back at his training base City Kickboxing at 5am on Monday morning to train fighters for a great cause. The emerging lightweight star was back training corporate fighters for a charity event just hours after performing in front of a passionate home crowd.
The 28-year old was blown away by the noise and support of the Auckland crowd on Sunday. Speaking to NewsHub, Brad commented: “The noise was unreal. It’s just deafening. You can’t hear anything, it just comes through the back of you and out with your punches. It’s crazy.”
The Christchurch native backed up his ‘Performance of the Night’-winning effort in his debut UFC fight in Melbourne with a powerful three-round performance to make it three for three for the City Kickboxing crew at Fight Night 168. This after his teammate Dan Hooker defeated Paul Felder in the main event, and Kai-Kara France took a unanimous verdict against Tyson Nam.
During the fight, Quake blasted Mustafaev with an overhand right to drop him to the canvas. However, Mustafaev fought back and initiated an iron clinch which forced Riddell to defend for the majority of the round. For the second round, Brad settled into a great rhythm that saw him drop Mustafaev with a heavy low kick. But the third round was all about the Quake. He ramped up his aggression, unleashing hits and dominating the grappling exchanges.
Brad comments: “I feel like he underestimated me, and it didn’t work out for him.”
We’d like to congratulate Brad on his win and great efforts in the Octagon, and we can’t wait to see what comes next for the Quake! Stay tuned for MMA-focused workout tips and a Wattbike session to come from Brad in the next couple of weeks.
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