The Takedown | UFC: ‘special’ Maheshate gives Dana White something to cheer with China Academy stalling
- The 21-year-old earns a UFC contract to spare Shanghai Performance Institute’s blushes after five other Chinese hopes fall short on Contender Series
- State-of-the-art, US$13 million facility has yet to become the production line of UFC-ready talent it was clearly set up to be
The 21-year-old lightweight prospect earned a unanimous decision victory against previously-undefeated Canadian 29-year-old Achilles Estremadura (7-1), and White went to work at the post-event press conference in Las Vegas.
“This kid’s young, and he’s obviously very green,” White said. “I already think he’s incredibly tough – he weathered the storm in that first round, kept himself composed when he was in bad situations, then came out in the second round, went to work, started to do what he needed to do, what his corner was telling him, and eventually broke Achilles.
“I’m no doctor, but I’ve seen a few of these and I’m pretty sure he has a broken orbital. If it comes back he’s got a broken orbital he’s 1,000 times tougher than I already thought he was. That kid’s definitely special.”