Joanderson
Brito can exploit the slightest opening.
The Chute Boxe rep took another step forward in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division, as he
disposed of Jonathan
Pearce with a ninja choke in the second round of their featured
UFC Fight Night 232 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las
Vegas.
Brito (16-3-1, 4-1 UFC) drew the curtain 3:54 into Round
2.
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After a competitive first round, Pearce (14-5, 5-2 UFC) appeared to
seize the reins with a takedown, ground-and-pound and top control
in the middle stanza. Brito eventually built a base, returned to
his feet and caught the choke as he moved to escape. His squeeze
was powerful and true, and Pearce had no choice but to tap.
Meanwhile, Twin Wolves MMA product Jose
Johnson subdued fellow Dana White’s Contender Series alum
Chad
Anheliger with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their
bantamweight battle. In his first appearance in more than a year,
Anheliger (12-7, 1-2 UFC) raised the white flag of surrender 4:49
into Round 3.
Johnson (16-8, 1-1 UFC) leaned on six-inch height and seven-inch
reach advantages in all phases, flexed his superiority in the
scrambles and shrugged off a few brushes with adversity. Anheliger
executed a takedown inside the first minute of the third round,
only to be met by a stream of elbows and short punches from a
resourceful adversary with a hyperactive bottom game. Johnson
eventually swept into top position after shedding an ill-advised
guillotine choke, progressed to the back and cinched the
fight-ending choke.
The 28-year-old Johnson has rattled off four victories in five
outings.
Further down the undercard, Range Martial Arts Academy standout
Christian
Leroy Duncan cut down Denis
Tiuliulin with
elbows and follow-up punches in the second round of their
middleweight altercation. A short-notice substitution
for Cesar
Almeida, Tiuliulin (10-9, 1-4 UFC) checked out 4:24 into Round
2.
Duncan (9-1, 2-1 UFC) wore down the Russian in the clinch in the
first round, then unleashed his full complement of offensive
weaponry in the second. He tore into Tiuliulin with a series of
dirty boxing uppercuts late in the period, backed him to the fence
and decked him with a pair of standing elbows from both sides. From
there, Duncan let fly with punches until the job was done.
Tiuliulin has lost three fights in a row.
Elsewhere, ex-Olympus Fighting Championships titleholder Michael
Parkin kept his perfect professional record intact with a
plodding unanimous decision over Caio
Machado in a three-round heavyweight scrap. All three cageside
judges scored it the same: 29-28 for Parkin (8-0, 2-0 UFC).
Machado (8-2-1, 0-1 UFC) conceded multiple takedowns in the first
two rounds, ostensibly digging a hole from which he could not
escape. Parkin did his best work in the middle stanza, where he
advanced to a mounted crucifix and piled up points with
ground-and-pound. Machado, 29, answered in Round 3, as he connected
with thudding body shots, a partially blocked head kick and a few
jumping knees. None of it was enough to produce the finish he
needed.
The loss snapped a seven-fight winning streak for Machado.
Finally, “Road to UFC” finalist Jeka
Saragih put away Lucas
Alexander with punches in the first round of their
featherweight confrontation. Overweight for the match by two
pounds,
the favored Alexander (8-4, 1-2 UFC) succumbed to blows 91 seconds
into Round 1.
Saragih (14-3, 1-1 UFC) ate a few leg kicks and sharp one-twos from
the Brazilian but managed to trip him to the floor. As Alexander
rose to his feet, his Indonesian counterpart slammed home a brutal
right hook that sat him down at the base of the fence. More punches
followed on the dazed and defenseless Alexander, prompting referee
Herb Dean to intervene on his behalf.
The 28-year-old Saragih has won six of his past seven bouts.
In other action, Ailin Perez
(9-2, 2-1 UFC) called upon takedowns, positional advances and
steady ground-and-pound in capturing a unanimous decision from
Lucie
Pudilova (14-9, 3-7 UFC) in a three-round women’s bantamweight
tilt, earning 29-27, 29-28 and 29-28 scores from the cageside
judiciary;
a botched stoppage from referee Mike Beltran resulted in a no
contest between Trey Ogden
(17-6, 2-2 UFC) and Nikolas
Motta (13-6, 1-3 UFC)—the latter was down on the scorecards and
trapped in an arm-triangle choke—3:11 into the third round of their
lightweight affair; and former Shoot Brazil champion Rafael
Estevam (12-0, 1-0 UFC) missed weight by two pounds but
outgrappled Charles
Johnson (13-6, 2-4 UFC) to a unanimous decision in a
three-round flyweight pairing, drawing 29-28 marks from all three
judges.