UFC: Sasha Palatnikov says Impa Kasanganay ‘didn’t want to strike with me’
- Hong Kong’s first fighter in the UFC suffers second-round submission defeat in Las Vegas
- ‘All credit to Impa for coming with a strong game plan … I’ll be back,’ Palatnikov says
Hong Kong’s Sasha Palatnikov has promised “I’ll be back” after suffering his first loss in the UFC.
“All safe, healthy! I got caught in a scramble under the chin. I was expecting the grappling onslaught,” the 32-year-old wrote in a social media post.
“Was looking forward to opening up in the second round. Like most of my opponents he didn’t want to strike with me.”
The 27-year-old American “Tshilobo” was making his welterweight debut in the promotion, dropping down following his viral knockout by Joaquin Buckley last October.
Kasanganay was able to use his size to his advantage, utilising his wrestling in the first round, before tagging Palatnikov and quickly latching onto his neck for the choke 26 seconds after the restart.
“All the credit to @kingimpa for coming with a strong game plan and getting the finish! I’ll be back!” Palatnikov added.
