Chad Anheliger’s first trip to the octagon paid off with the biggest win of his career against Jesse Strader at UFC Fight Night 201.
Anheliger (12-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC) overcame a knockdown in the first round and rallied to drop Strader (5-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) in the third round en route to the TKO finish in the featherweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
The Canadian landed a brilliant counter-left hand that dropped Strader in the midst of an exchange. Anheliger pounced and threw a flurry of ground strikes that forced referee Herb Dean to stop it at the 3:33 mark of Round 3.
Check out the replay below (via Twitter):
ANHELIGER GETS IT DONE!! 👊💥
🇨🇦@ChadAnheliger gets the late finish in his debut! #UFCVegas48 pic.twitter.com/l7OWbEYaV2
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) February 19, 2022
After the fight, Anheliger revealed there was nothing easy about getting his hand raised. He said sickness and injuries plagued his camp, but he was able to get through it all.
“I’m so happy with the win,” Anheliger said in his post-fight interview with Paul Felder. “I did not have a great camp. The last few weeks did not go well at all, but we got through it.”
