Matt
Schnell willed his way to the winner’s circle and reasserted
himself in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight division.
Sound submission defense, unshakable resolve and damaging
ground-and-pound carried the Fortis MMA rep to a unanimous decision
over former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Jimmy Flick
in the featured
UFC on ESPN 66 prelim on Saturday at the T-Mobile Center in
Kansas City, Missouri. All three judges scored it the same: 29-28
for Schnell (17-9, 7-7 UFC), who closed the book on a three-fight
losing streak.
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Flick (17-9, 2-4 UFC) completed multiple takedowns and moved to
advantageous positions on more than one occasion but always seemed
to leave his opponent an escape route. Schnell slowly but surely
seized the reins—he opened a cut on Flick’s hairline with an elbow
strike in the second round—and forced his counterpart to play
defense as they drifted into deeper water. He threatened with a
guillotine late in the third, rolled into top position and
eventually advanced to the back. From there, Schnell made a pass at
a rear-naked choke, bled the remaining time off the clock and
slammed the door.
Meanwhile Flaglier’s MMA prospect Malcolm
Wellmaker announced his arrival with a spectacular Octagon
debut, as the undefeated Augusta, Georgia, native punched out
Cameron
Saaiman in the first round of their bantamweight scrap.
Wellmaker (9-0, 1-0 UFC) pulled the plug 1:59 into Round
1.
Saaiman (9-3, 3-3 UFC) walked into a well-sprung trap. Wellmaker
countered a right hook with one of his own. It landed with far more
authority and sent Saaiman crashing to the canvas in a
semi-conscious state. Referee Zach Teiberis was on the scene
immediately to wave it off and shield the South African from
further damage.
Wellkmaker, 30, has stopped seven of his nine opponents, five of
them in the first round.
Further down the undercard, ex-Legacy Fighting Alliance champion
Jaqueline
Amorim dismissed Polyana
Viana with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their
women’s strawweight clash. Viana (13-8, 4-7 UFC) conceded defeat
1:49 into Round 2 and now finds herself on a three-fight losing
streak.
The 29-year-old Amorim (10-1, 4-1 UFC) set the tone with a dominant
first round, as she secured a takedown and proceeded to teach a
master class on the ground. The scene repeated itself in Round 2.
There, Amorim completed another takedown, progressed to the back
and secured position with a body triangle. The choke was in place
soon after, and Viana had no choice but to tap.
Amorim has rattled off four straight victories, all of them
finishes.
Elsewhere, Xtreme Couture export Timothy
Cuamba disposed of Roberto
Romero with a flying knee and follow-up punches in the second
round of their featherweight encounter.
Romero (8-5-1, 0-2 UFC) bowed out 3:55 into Round 2, suffering his
third loss in four appearances.
Cuamba (9-3, 1-2 UFC) kept the Team Oyama rep at bay with clean
one-twos, occasional counters and a steady jab. Romero answered
with an effective clinch but failed to corral his counterpart in
close quarters. Cuamba zapped him with a sharp one-two in the
middle stanza, backed it up with a head kick and reset in open
space. He then stepped forward and launched himself into a flying
knee that floored Romero at the base of the cage. More punches
followed, prompting the stoppage.
The 26-year-old Cuamba has won six of his past eight bouts.
Finally, former King of the Cage champion Joselyne
Edwards put away Chelsea
Chandler with punches in the first round of their women’s
bantamweight tilt.
Chandler (6-4, 2-3 UFC) succumbed to blows 2:31 into Round 1,
losing for the second time in as many outings.
Edwards (15-6, 6-4 UFC) softened the Cesar
Gracie protégé with stout kicks to the body and legs, executed
a trip takedown and pressed forward behind punches once the two
women returned to their feet. Chandler was never a threat in the
standup. Edwards pinned the Californian to the fence with punches,
decked her with a left hook and flurried for the finish.
It was Edwards’ first knockout win in almost five years.
In other action, Evan Elder
(10-2, 3-2 UFC) took a unanimous decision from Gauge Young
(9-3, 0-1 UFC) in a three-round lightweight battle, drawing 30-27
scores from all three members of the assigned judiciary; Chris
Gutierrez (22-6-2, 10-3-1 UFC) eked out a split decision—28-29,
29-28, 29-28—over John
Castaneda (21-8, 4-4 UFC) in a three-round featherweight
encounter; and Da’Mon
Blackshear (17-7-1, 5-3-1 UFC) outstruck Heili
Alateng (17-10-2, 5-3-1 UFC) to a unanimous decision in their
three-round bantamweight confrontation, earning 30-27, 30-27 and
29-28 marks from the cageside judges.