LAS VEGAS — Alberta bantamweight Chad (The Monster) Anheliger won his UFC debut Saturday, stopping American Jesse (Sui Generis) Strader in the third round on the undercard of a UFC Fight Night card.

Anheliger, running his win streak to 10, felled Strader with two punishing lefts to the head and then kept throwing until referee Herb Dean stepped in at 3:33 of the round to protect the downed fighter.

"Man, I'm so happy with the win," said Anheliger. "I didn't have a great camp. The last couple of weeks did not go to plan at all. It was really tough."

Anheliger (12-5-0) said he was sick the last two weeks of the camp and had to deal with a knee injury.

"It's nothing other guys don't deal with but things snowballed pretty quick. The last two weeks were pretty stressful."

The 35-year-old from Consort, Alta., who now makes his home in Calgary, earned his UFC contract last September with a split-decision win over Tajikstan’s Muin Gafurov on "Dana White’s Contender Series."

Saturday's main event at the UFC’s Apex production facility in Las Vegas featured Brazil’s Johnny Walker (18-6-0), ranked 10th among light-heavyweight contenders, against No. 12 American Jamahal (Sweet Dreams) Hill (9-1-0 with one no contest).

Also on the undercard, Canadian-based strawweight Diana (The Warrior Princess) Belbita lost a unanimous 29-28 decision over Brazil's Gloria (Glorinha) de Paula in a close bout.

All three judges gave Belbita the first round and De Paula the next two.

Born in Romania, Belbita (14-7-0) trains out of Stoney Creek, Ont. The 125-pounder, who started her UFC career at flyweight, was coming off a September decision win over Hannah (24k) Goldy that earned her a new UFC contract.

De Paula (6-4-0)had lost her first two UFC fights after a November 2020 win on Dana White's Contender Series.

Anheliger came out with a Canadian flag draped over his shoulder.

The five-foot-seven Strader had a one-inch height and 5.5-inch reach advantage. And he looked good early.

Strader (5-3-0) was the busier fighter in the first round, scoring with some leg kicks and then taking Anheliger down a minute into the fight. Anheliger fought his way back up.

The 30-year-old Strader scored another takedown midway through the round, only to have to fight off several submission attempts by Anheliger. The Canadian scored with his fists when the fight returned to the feet.

Anheliger had the better of the second round, knocking Strader down early with a counter-right. The American recovered but began to show some fatigue and ate some knees as the fighters clinched.

Strader, whose face was showing damage, looked to grapple in the third, taking Anheliger's back at the fence.

Two of the judges gave Strader the first round and Anheliger the second. The third judge awarded both rounds to Strader.

Anheliger lost his first two pro fights in 2010-11 and five of his first seven. He then took a break from June 2014 to May 2016 and has won nine straight since.

The 135-pounder switched Calgary gyms to Champion’s Creed MMA, saying the move rejuvenated his career under coach Brian Bird.

In addition to training, Anheliger teaches at Champion’s Creed and has a day job. A longtime mechanic, he is the boat service manager at a Bass Pro Shops outlet.

Strader lost his UFC debut last March via a first-round KO at the hands of Montel (Quik) Jackson. He took the Jackson fight on short notice, failing to make weight by 1.5 pounds.

Anheliger has fought from 125 to 145 pounds but says bantamweight (135 pounds) is his best weight class.

Belbita and de Paula kept their fight standing in the first round, exchanging crisp punches and then clinching at the fence. Belbita had success with body shots.

It was more of the same in the second with the fighters trading strikes. A sprawling Belbita fought off an early takedown attempt in the third, which saw both fighters land blows.

The third round was briefly paused after de Paula suffered an inadvertent eye poke. The Brazilian landed a quick takedown when the fight resumed but could not keep Belbita on the ground.

---

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2022