Bobby
Green barely broke a sweat.
The former King of the Cage titleholder turned back the clock in
the
Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division, as he cut
down Grant
Dawson with punches less than a minute into the first round of
their
UFC Fight Night 229 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas. Green (31-14-1, 12-9-1 UFC) closed it out 33 seconds
into Round 1.
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Dawson (20-2-1, 8-1-1 UFC) swung and missed at his biggest
opportunity to date.
Green stepped into a booming straight left and sent him crashing to
the mat in a compromised state. Punches and hammerfists followed,
as Dawson turned away from contact, turtled and forced referee
Keith
Peterson to intervene on his behalf.
Pyfer Choke Sleeps Alhassan
Onetime Ring of Combat champion Joseph
Pyfer put Abdul
Razak Alhassan to sleep with an arm-triangle choke in the
second round of their middleweight co-main event. Alhassan (12-6,
6-6 UFC) lost his grip on reality 2:05 into Round 2, losing via
submission for the first time in his 18-fight career. Pyfer (12-2, 3-0 UFC) let his intentions be known right out of the
gate, as he secured multiple takedowns, hammered the body with
punches in kicks, fed the heavy-handed judoka a steady jab and
unleashed fast combinations. Alhassan answered with a series of low
kicks early in the second round, only to concede a high-amplitude
takedown.
Pyfer bit down on the arm-triangle, cleared the legs and cut off
blood flow with a tight, fight-ending squeeze.
The 27-year-old Pyfer now finds himself on a five-fight winning
streak.
Buckley Downs Overmatched Morono
Explosive punching bursts, surprising takedowns and bulletproof
submission defense carried Joaquin
Buckley to a unanimous decision over former Legacy Fighting
Championship titleholder Alex Morono
in a three-round welterweight attraction. Scores were 30-27, 30-27
and 30-26—all for Buckley (17-6, 7-4 UFC).
Morono (23-9, 12-6 UFC) made passes at an armbar, a triangle choke
and a guillotine late in the first round but had no answers for his
opponent’s fast-twitch offense on the feet. Buckley zeroed in on
the midsection with brutal hooks and stepped into a few concussive
left hands to the head, bloodying the Texan’s mouth. Morono faded
noticeably down the stretch. The Fortis MMA mainstay set his sights
on a desperation leg lock attempt in the third round, only to
settle in bottom position underneath a still-fresh Buckley. The St.
Louis native put the finishing touches on his latest win with short
punches and hammerfists.
It was Buckley’s fifth victory in seven appearances.
Focused Dober Shreds Glenn
Elevation Fight Team’s Drew Dober
put away onetime World Series of Fighting titleholder Ricky Glenn
with punches in the first round of their lightweight showcase.
Glenn (22-8-2, 4-5-1 UFC) succumbed to blows 2:36 into Round 1, as
he suffered his second consecutive defeat.
The 34-year-old Dober (27-12, 13-8 UFC) introduced himself to the
Absolute MMA product with stinging leg kicks, then cut loose with
clubbing punches from both hands. A straight left to the side of
the head drove Glenn to his knees, as his opponent closed in and
settled in top position. Dober soon returned to his feet, clipped
the Iowa native with a clean one-two and caught him with another
straight left upstairs.
Glenn crashed to the canvas, where he was met with a hellacious
burst of punches and hammerfists that necessitated the
stoppage.
Dober has won four of his past five bouts.
Rangy Algeo Outduels Hernandez
Former Ring of Combat champion Bill Algeo
exploited his height and reach advantages, maintained a steady pace
and outstruck Alexander
Hernandez to a unanimous decision in a three-round
featherweight appetizer. All three cageside judges scored it the
same: 30-27 for Algeo (18-7, 5-3 UFC), who won for the fourth time
in five outings.
Hernandez (14-7, 6-6 UFC) had issues navigating the physical
disparities between the two combatants. Algeo called upon clever
stance switches, a persistent jab and occasional spinning back
kicks to the body. He sat down an off-balance Hernandez and swarmed
with follow-up punches, but the finish he sought did not
materialize. Algeo kept the Factory X representative at bay across
the final five minutes and countered his increased aggression with
unshakable resolve.
The 31-year-old Hernandez has lost three of his last four fights.