LAS VEGAS, NV – APRIL 27: (LR) Victor Henry defeats Brazil’s Lani Yahya in a bantamweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on April 27, 2024 in Las Vegas, NV. hit. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
UFC Vegas 91’s featured prelim, a bantamweight bout between BJJ black belt Lani Yahya and spark plug Victor Henry, was the best performance on the prelim card.
Victor Henry won, showing off his skills to take down the dangerous and underrated Raoni Barcelos. Similar to his fight with Barcelos, Henry dominated his older opponent in his UFC debut with his pace, cardio and smooth striking. But Raoni was not as old as Rani Yahya, who turned 39 in January. The longtime UFC veteran and former ADCC silver medalist had built a career on his jiu-jitsu skills, posting his 13-5 record in the promotion before meeting Victor Henry. Maybe his age has caught up with him, maybe Victor Henry is just that good, or maybe both.
Henry started with few shots thrown, circling Yahya from the outside and appearing to get reads. The first punch he threw was a left hook that briefly staggered Lani, but the veteran’s resilience saved him and he didn’t follow up. Yahya consistently kicks at the start and then mimics a kick to the level change to get to his legs and win Victor back when his back is turned. He tried to jump on his back, but Henry quickly turned him around and rolled his shoulders, forcing a clinch and breaking away.
The same thing happened again and Yahya was even more successful, but this time when Henry scrambled he pressed Rani against the fence for some time and did not stop attacking. He used his knees to maneuver his body, then let go of his hands and followed Yahya around his cage. In the last 20 seconds of the round, he was finally able to corner Vet and do some solid damage to Vet in a flurry before the horn.
After some technical advice between rounds from Henry’s coach, former UFC heavyweight contender Josh Barnett, Henry became more consistently aggressive in the second round. The Brazilian had good defense, but his twitchy, loud style started to overwhelm Yahya a bit on his feet. His first takedown was stuffed easily, but the second one was only slightly more difficult. After the second bout, Henry landed a combination that knocked Yahya out of his mouthpiece, but the black belt remained as durable as ever. The much older fighter really started to wear down as Henry targeted the body with kicks. He looked great and was clearly feeling the throw by the end of the round, dominating and doing a lot of damage.
In the final moments, Henry overpowered Yahya and scored a knockdown with Lani kneeling against the cage. The fight seemed to be stopping, but when Henry tried to punch Yahya for about 40 seconds straight at the end of the round, Yahya made enough moves to continue the fight.
The final round started with Lani clearly not finished yet. He tried everything, including rolling for a leglock. However, Henry’s wrestling and grappling experience was non-trivial, so he was able to free his leg and land a ground attack. He decides to let Rani go. Henry got up and quickly defeated his enemy. He again tried to end the fight with ground and pound, coming closer than ever.
Still, Yahya did his best to survive. However, he was completely gassed and went on a long rampage against the fence, including a head kick, causing Jason Herzog to stop the fight. Rani Yahya didn’t fall down then, showing the toughness that helped him become a legend, but he was no longer able to build up enough defense to put up a fight worth fighting.
His post-fight interview showed him to be a smart and conscious fighter, once again on track for the top 15 and ready to fight anyone. But he says he needs to “do some Korean barbecue” first.
Official result: Victor Henry def. Lani Yahya, TKO (head kick and punch), round 3, 2:36
