logo
UFC 318 video: Ateba Gautier stalks and rocks Robert Valentin for TKO

UFC 318 video: Ateba Gautier stalks and rocks Robert Valentin for TKO

USA Today21 hours ago
Cet homme est un vrai danger 😨Ateba Gautier s'impose par TKO au premier round📺 Regardez les prelims de l'#UFC318 EN DIRECT sur UFC Fight Pass et sur 🇫🇷 RMC Sport 1 pic.twitter.com/v8GSLbuU91
Ateba Gautier has looked nothing short of terrifying thus far in his UFC career.
A new chapter of horror was written Saturday at UFC 318, as Gautier (8-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) stalked and rocked Robert Valentin en route to a TKO stoppage at 1:10 of Round 1. The middleweight bout took place on the prelims at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
Gautier's power was evident from the open exchanges. He rocked Valentin (10-6 MMA, 0-3 UFC) quickly, who was thereafter on the retreat for as long as the fight lasted. A left hook, right uppercut, overhand right combination were the final blows that put Valentin down before ground-and-pound put a stamp on an impressive outing.
Cameroon's Gautier is only 23. He's won both of his UFC fights by first-round TKO, having debuted successfully vs. Jose Medina in March.
Switzerland's Valentin falls to 0-3 in his UFC career after a stint on "The Ultimate Fighter 32."
Up-to-the-minute UFC 318 results:
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

UFC 318: Daniel Rodriguez thrilled to flip script into a three-fight winning streak
UFC 318: Daniel Rodriguez thrilled to flip script into a three-fight winning streak

USA Today

time7 minutes ago

  • USA Today

UFC 318: Daniel Rodriguez thrilled to flip script into a three-fight winning streak

NEW ORLEANS – Daniel Rodriguez got everything he expected, and some parts he didn't remember, when he finally got the chance to face Kevin Holland. Rodriguez (20-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and Holland (29-14 MMA, 15-11 UFC) have been on a collision course since 2020, when their first of many fight bookings fell through. At UFC 318, both made it to the cage at Smoothie King Center, and a Fight of the Night-worthy battle unfolded. "That fight went exactly how I imagined it would have played out, given it's Kevin Holland, you know?" Rodriguez told reporters at a post-fight news conference. "Crazy ass dude. I was excited to get this matchup, and I only had three and a half weeks to prepare for it." Rodriguez caught everyone's attention when he rocked and nearly finished Holland with punches in the second round. He swarmed for the finish, but was aware that Holland is tough to put away, so he didn't want to completely empty the tank for a moment that may not have come. Despite nearly finishing the fight, Rodriguez found himself on the receiving end of damaging strikes as Holland nearly found a finish of his own. "I don't even remember that happening," Rodriguez said with a laugh. "I don't know. I was like, 'What? I got rocked?'" The big takeaway for "D-Rod" is that he's now on a three-fight winning streak, having entered after wins over Alex Morono and Santiago Ponzinibbio, and is now knocking on the door of the welterweight rankings. It's a big turnaround from a three-fight skid from 2022-24. "It's all momentum," Rodriguez said. "The first one was the start of it. The second one, knockout. This one is even bigger, probably one of the biggest wins of my career. It's all momentum from here. It means everything to me. It's my blood, sweat and tears every single day. So, the fact that I'm in the position I'm in right now, it's like a career revival to me. I'm all-in. I've always been all-in, but I'm here to stay."

Dana White Won't Risk Jon Jones Headlining UFC White House Event
Dana White Won't Risk Jon Jones Headlining UFC White House Event

Forbes

time8 minutes ago

  • Forbes

Dana White Won't Risk Jon Jones Headlining UFC White House Event

MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 12: U.S. President Donald Trump attends the UFC 314 event alongside UFC ... More President and CEO Dana White at Kaseya Center on April 12, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Jon Jones's brief retirement from the UFC ended when he learned that the UFC might hold a fight card on the grounds of the White House. Jones's hopes of competing on that card were dashed on Saturday at the UFC 318 post-fight press conference when UFC Dana White told Jones, thanks, but no thanks. "I can't risk putting him in big positions in a big spot and have something go wrong," White said after Saturday's UFC 318. "Especially the White House card." Not long after hearing White's comments, Jones expressed disappointment on social media, but said he was going to continue to train for a UFC fight. "I heard the comments made at last night's press conference. While I was a little disappointed, I'm still in the UFC's drug testing pool, staying sharp, and continuing to train like a professional. I'll be ready for whatever comes next. "In a recent interview, I shared that the opportunity to fight at the White House gave me something deeper to fight for, a 'why' that goes beyond paychecks or belts. Fighting for my country gives me a greater purpose! "The silver lining in all this is knowing the fans see my heart. They see, I am ready and willing to take on anyone, to represent my country on a historic stage. For me, it's never been just about the opponent. I'm chasing legacy, something timeless, something bigger than the moment. 'So for now, I'll keep grinding, stay patient, and stay faithful. I'm ready to fight on July 4th. #IndependenceDay' Jones announced his retirement in June. "Jon Jones called us last night and retired. Jon Jones is officially retired. Tom Aspinall is the heavyweight champion of the UFC," White said during the post-fight press conference following the June 21 2025 UFC Baku fight card. "I obviously feel bad for Tom that he lost all that time and money, but we'll make it up to him," White added. "Tom Aspinall is a good guy. He's been incredible through this whole process that we've gone through. He's been willing to do anything – fight him anywhere at any time and do this. Now he's like, 'I'll fight anybody. Tell me who and I'll fight him.' Aspinall has been great. He's going to be a great heavyweight champion for us and I'm excited to work with him." On that same night, news broke that Jones had been charged in Albuquerque on a misdemeanor charge of leaving the scene of an accident in February. In July, authorities added the charge of 'Use of Telephone to Terrify, Intimidate, Threaten, Harass, Annoy or Offend,' related to that incident. This is not the first time White has expressed reluctance in using Jones in a UFC main event. 'I don't (trust him), no. I don't. In my opinion, I would never take the risk of headlining a show with Jon Jones again," White said in 2016. "I'd put him on the card, but I wouldn't headline with him until he consistently gets back on track. Millions of dollars are spent on this. For a card to fall apart, and how many cards have fallen apart because Jon Jones gets in trouble for something? So no, I'm not at that place with him.' The UFC booked Jones in seven main events after White made those claims.

UFC 318 takeaways: Max Holloway's chances vs. Ilia Topuria, Dustin Poirier's fitting exit
UFC 318 takeaways: Max Holloway's chances vs. Ilia Topuria, Dustin Poirier's fitting exit

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

UFC 318 takeaways: Max Holloway's chances vs. Ilia Topuria, Dustin Poirier's fitting exit

What mattered most at UFC 318 on Saturday from Smoothie King Center in New Orleans? Here are a few post-fight musings … 4) A sensational set of prelims The finishes came hot and heavy early in UFC's return to New Orleans after more than 10 years, with the first six bouts on the card ending in a knockout or submission. It was a welcome sign after some dreadful prelim lineups in recent months, and it was all favorites who held serve. Jimmy Crute getting his first victory in nearly five years was one of the top moments, as was the vicious first-round knockout of debuting welterweight prospect Islam Dulatov. The middleweight bout between Brendan Allen and Marvin Vettori was perhaps the most meaningful matchup on the preliminary-card lineup, with Allen getting the victory by unanimous decision in a very important moment in his career after consecutive losses. Credit to both men, however, because they delivered a fight worthy of their grudge, and the UFC brass agreed with each getting $50,000 for Fight of the Night. 3) Daniel Rodriguez and Kevin Holland deliver After three years of waiting to share the cage, Daniel Rodriguez and Kevin Holland made up for all that lost time with a welterweight classic that saw "D-Rod" emerge victorious by unanimous decision. It was an awesome fight, and one that extended Rodriguez's momentum into a three-fight winning streak, while Holland fell to 2-2 on the year, and was knocked down for the first time in his 28-fight UFC career. Both guys should get credit for what they produced in the cage, and probably should've been the rightful winners of Fight of the Night. It didn't happen, but the 15-minute war was an example of why both Rodriguez and Holland should be appointment viewing any time they enter the octagon. 2) Dustin Poirier a winner despite his defeat Dustin Poirier, of course, would've liked for his retirement fight to end in a winning manner with his hand being raised in front of a passionate crowd of fans, but fairy tale endings rarely exist in MMA. He nearly had that moment when he badly hurt and knocked down Holloway in the second round, but could not seal the deal, then fell short on the scorecards. Realistically, though, Poirier not winning the fight will be just a footnote in his retirement story. The real thing he should attach himself to is the treatment he received from the UFC, the fans and his fellow fighters both before and after the fight, which is a reflection of the widespread admiration he's earned for himself. It might be cliche at this point, but Poirier is the definition of a true fighter. His incentives for getting into this sport were not to get social media clout or be viewed as a cool, tough guy. His passion for fist fighting was his path out of a troubled youth, and he turned it into a sustainable career, and now, ultimately one that has given him financial freedom for life and generational wealth on top of it. That's the real win for Poirier after UFC 318, and he rightfully left the cage, his post-fight interviews and the arena with his head held high, knowing that he committed every part of his being to maximizing his time. He will still be around the sport as a voice, but from every explanation he gave about why he was doing this now, there will be no luring him back, and everyone should be happy he left on his terms. 1) What is lightweight Max Holloway capable of? Max Holloway played his role as the opposing force to Poirier's retirement fight pretty much perfectly from beginning to end. He handled the entire situation with class and dignity, and although the crowd obliged his call to be booed on multiple instances, not one of those boos was genuine. How could they be, really? Holloway is a class act and knows what he was going up against. He never tried to take away from Poirier's moment, even when the spotlight was all on himself after getting his hand raised to successfully defend the BMF title. The question for Holloway now, however, is what this win truly tells us about him at this stage of his career. On the positive end, the former featherweight champion has looked excellent overall in his past two appearances at lightweight against Poirier and Justin Gaethje. His speed is there, and as we've seen in him dropping both men, the power is present, too. That will only become a bigger threat as time goes on and he finds increased comfort at this weight class, but on the flip side, there's going to be persistent questions about whether his record amount of significant strikes absorbed in UFC competition will eventually catch up. There's already signs, because after going on the longest streak in company history without being knocked down, Holloway has found himself dropped and touching the mat at some point in his past three contests. The knockdown he never got back up from came against Ilia Topuria in October, as "El Matador" became the first to knock out Holloway. It's obvious that doesn't sit well with him, and Holloway is eager to get his chance at a rematch. Is there a ton of reason to think it would go any differently? Both men would be bigger and stronger than the previous encounter, and before he was stopped, a strong argument can be made that Holloway was finding more success against Topuria than anyone else on his recent run. Topuria has been a force of nature inside that octagon during his undefeated rise to winning titles in two divisions. He is not someone you pick against at this point in time, and still has many challengers ahead. Holloway might not get that rematch now or next, but it's not out of the realm of possibility. Would he be favored to defeat Topuria in a rematch? Certainly not. But Holloway is one of the greatest to ever do it, and anyone pretending someone of his skill, experience and motivation isn't capable of winning if he shows up in form on the right night? This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 318 takeaways: Can Max Holloway beat Ilia Topuria in rematch?

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store