Marvin
Vettori cut through all the noise, focused on the task at hand
and made sure he was the man who got his hand raised when the dust
settled.
The Kings MMA rep stayed relevant in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division and rode a
high-pressure, high-volume attack to a unanimous decision over
Paulo
Costa in the
UFC Fight Night 196 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas. All three cageside judges scored it 48-46 for Vettori
(18-5-1, 8-3-1 UFC), who accepted the bout at 205 pounds due to the
Brazilian’s inability to meet their originally contracted weight
requirements.
Costa (13-2, 5-2 UFC) fought well despite the extra baggage and
seemed to relish his role as the villain. He rattled Vettori with
multiple head kicks and zeroed in on the body with brutal kicks and
hooks from both hands. Still, Costa had no real answer for the
Italian’s relentless output and also had to deal with being
deducted a point for a second-round eye poke. Vettori controlled
the vast majority of the fight with clean combinations and
occasional bursts of power punches, then withstood a considerable
surge from the former Jungle Fight champion in Round 5.
Dawson, Glenn Battle to Stalemate
Glory MMA’s Grant
Dawson fought to a majority draw with former World Series of
Fighting Champion Ricky Glenn
in the three-round lightweight co-main event. Judge Douglas Crosby
saw it 29-28 for Dawson, while Sal D’Amato and Chris Lee
scored it even at 28-28.
Dawson (17-1-1, 5-0-1 UFC) appeared to be headed to a clear-cut
unanimous decision after he controlled the first 10 minutes with
takedowns and positional control. He even threatened with a
shoulder choke in the middle stanza. Glenn (22-6-2, 4-3-1 UFC) was
undeterred. He denied Dawson’s bids for takedowns in the third
round, settled in top position and tore into the Dana White’s
Contender Series Season 1 graduate with damaging ground-and-pound.
Glenn made a late pass at a finish with a brabo choke in the waning
seconds, only to have time run out on his efforts.
The draw snapped Dawson’s eight-fight winning streak.
Clark Stymies Frustrated Edwards
Repeated takedowns and suffocating top control carried Jessica-Rose
Clark to a unanimous decision over former King of the Cage
champion Joselyne
Edwards in a three-round women’s bantamweight confrontation.
All three judges sided with Clark (11-6, 4-2 UFC): 30-27, 30-27 and
29-28.
Edwards (10-4, 1-2 UFC) scored occasionally in open space but
failed to keep her Australian adversary at a safe distance. Clark
moved into clinch range without much difficulty, struck for
takedowns and went about bleeding time off the clock. She achieved
full mount in the second round, incorporated some mild
ground-and-pound and shifted into cruise control in her first
outing in more than a year.
Clark has posted back-to-back wins since her November 2019 decision
defeat to Pannie
Kianzad.
Caceres Choke Submits Choi
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 12 quarterfinalist Alex
Caceres submitted Seung Woo
Choi with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their
featherweight feature. Caceres (19-12, 14-10 UFC) sealed the deal
3:31 into Round 2, extending his current winning streak to five
bouts.
Choi (10-4, 3-3 UFC) had the Miami native reeling on the end of a
crushing counter right hand in the first round but followed up with
an illegal knee strike. The foul cost him a point but perhaps more
importantly allowed Caceres to regain some of his faculties. Choi
pressured forward early in the middle stanza, wandered into the
clinch and soon found himself in grave danger. Caceres climbed onto
his back, secured his position with a body triangle and snaked his
arms in place for the fight-ending choke. Choi collapsed, struggled
briefly to free himself and waved the white flag.
The setback was Choi’s first since July 27, 2019.
Resurgent Trinaldo Edges Grant
“The Ultimate Fighter Brazil” Season 1 quarterfinalist Francisco
Trinaldo survived a point deduction for a third-round eye poke
and eked out a contentious split decision over Dwight
Grant in their welterweight showcase. All three cageside judges
scored it 29-27: Sal D’Amato for Grant (11-4, 3-3 UFC), Adalaide
Byrd and Ron McCarthy for Trinaldo.
Neither man did much to separate himself, though Trinaldo (27-8,
17-7 UFC) peaked in the aforementioned third round. A short-notice
replacement for Gabriel
Green, the 43-year-old Brazilian responded with aggression
after being penalized, struck for a takedown, moved to half guard
and ultimately transitioned to full mount. Trinaldo applied his
ground-and-pound and fished for a potential arm-triangle choke but
failed to find the finish. Nevertheless, he had built a substantial
enough lead to withstand the deduction on the scorecards.
Trinaldo has won four of his past five bouts.
Negumereanu Buries Villanueva in 78 Seconds
Nicolae
Negumereanu put away former Fury Fighting Championship
titleholder Isaac
Villanueva with punches in the first round of their light
heavyweight attraction. Negumereanu (11-1, 2-1 UFC) drew the
curtain 1:18 into Round 1, as he won for the second time in as many
appearances.
The two men engaged briefly in the clinch, separated and started
firing punches at one another. It became a matter of who connected
first. Negumereanu staggered his counterpart with a right hand,
backed him to the fence and let his hands go. Villanueva (18-13,
1-4 UFC) dropped to all fours and turtled in a defensive shell,
only to be met with a volley of hammerfists that necessitated the
stoppage.
The 37-year-old Villanueva has lost four of his last five fights.