Aaron Pico picked up his first UFC win in Miami. |
Getty/UFC
Aaron
Pico looked every bit like a fighter who was once one of the
sport’s most highly-touted prospects on Saturday night in
Miami.
In a battle of former Bellator standouts, Pico (14-5, 1-1 UFC)
shook off a slow start to pull away for a unanimous decision
triumph against Patricio
Freire (37-9, 1-2 UFC) in the featured UFC 327
preliminary bout. All three cageside judges scored the
featherweight fight in favor of Pico: 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28. Pico
rebounds from a first-round knockout loss to Lerone
Murphy in his promotional debut at UFC 319 this past
August.
The first round was competitive, but there were some nervous
moments for Pico, who was buckled by a jab and stumbled by a
counter right in the frame. The 29-year-old Californian kept his
composure, however, and truly began to assert himself over the
final 10 minutes of the bout.
During that period, Pico showcased his superior handspeed, tagging
“Pitbull” repeatedly with punching combinations to the head and
body. Freire, a former Bellator champ and arguably the now-defunct
organization’s most accomplished talent, was rocked by a variety of
offense that included left hooks, uppercuts, straight rights and
body shots. Pico did well mixing in the threat of the takedown and
the occasional kick to keep his opponent off balance, but it was
the boxing that left the Brazilian’s face a bloody mess by the time
the final horn sounded.
Pico has been victorious in four of his last five pro outings,
while Freire has dropped four of his last six.
Holland Outduels Brown
Kevin
Holland earned a unanimous decision triumph against Randy Brown
in a battle of rangy welterweights. All three judges submitted
tallies in favor of the Texas native: 30-27, 30-27, 30-27. Brown
(20-8, 14-8 UFC) has lost back-to-back fights for the first time in
his professional career.
Holland (29-15, 1 NC, 16-12, 1 NC UFC) authored the majority of the
bout’s most memorable moments. After battering Brown’s lead leg in
the opening stanza, “Trailblazer” trapped his adversary in a tight
brabo choke in Round 2. Brown was somehow able to escape the
predicament, but he elected to engage in the clinch rather than go
on the attack in the final frame. Though “Rude Boy” occasionally
landed hard left hooks — both to the body and head – when he sat
down on his punches and blasted Holland with an upkick late from
his back in the second round, his overall body of work over 15
minutes wasn’t enough to earn the scorecards against a more active
foe.
Gamrot Overwhelms Ribovics
Former KSW champion Mateusz
Gamrot (26-4, 1 NC, 9-4 UFC) rode a smothering performance to a
submission victory against Dana White’s Contender Series alum
Esteban
Ribovics (15-3, 4-3 UFC). Gamrot ended the lightweight contest
with an arm-triangle choke 4:19 into the opening frame. “Gamer”
rebounds from a loss to Charles
Oliveira in his last outing at UFC Rio this past October.
Ribovics struggled to remain upright, as Gamrot was masterful at
exploiting small openings to get the fight to the canvas. After
neutralizing Ribovics with his grappling for much of Round 1,
Gamrot took advantage of an overswing by his adversary in the
second period to land a relatively easy takedown. Utilizing a quick
mat return, heavy top pressure and intelligent advancements, the
Polish standout eventually moved into position for the arm-triangle
choke. Though Ribovics held out for as long as he could, eventually
he had no choice but to ask out of the fight.
Suarez Survives Scare, Chokes Godinez
Tatiana
Suarez weathered a rough start and rallied to submit Lupita
Godinez in a matchup of ranked strawweights. The former title
challenger forced Godinez (14-6, 9-6 UFC) to tap out to a
rear-naked choke 2:29 into Round 2 to secure her second consecutive
victory. Godinez was submitted for the first time in her
professional tenure.
It was an inauspicious beginning for Suarez (12-1, 9-1 UFC), who
was rocked by a Godinez right hand during an early exchange. The
Lobo Gym MMA standout blitzed for the finish with a flurry of
punches on the canvas and also executed a powerful slam, but Suarez
was able to maintain her wits. The American wrestler began to turn
the tide when she landed a takedown and spent much of the rest of
the opening stanza in top position. That theme continued into Round
2, where the Milennia MMA member put Godinez on ground again, took
the back and gradually found an opening for the fight-ending choke.
Suarez’s five finishes are tied for the second most in UFC
strawweight history.
Padilla, Mederos Battle to Majority Draw
Chris
Padilla and MarQuel
Mederos dueled to a majority draw in a preliminary lightweight
pairing. Two judges scored it 28-28, while a third saw it 29-27 for
Padilla (17-6, 5-0-1 UFC). Initially there was an tabulation error
on the scorecards, as Padilla was announced as a majority decision
winner in the Octagon. Later on the UFC 327 broadcast, however, it
was revealed that the official result of the bout was a majority
draw.
Padilla was consistent over the course of the 15-minute affair,
moving forward behind a blend of straight punches, kicks to the
legs and knees and elbows in close quarters. Mederos (11-2, 3-1
UFC) appeared to land the heavier strikes at times — including an
elbow that cut his opponent over the eye in Round 1 — but his
output didn’t match that of his opponent. Padilla was also deducted
a point in the final frame for multiple eye pokes.
Luque Taps Gastelum
One of the UFC’s top finishers at welterweight, Vicente
Luque (24-12-1, 17-8 UFC) proved that those skills also
translate to 185 pounds. The 34-year-old Brazilian snapped a
two-bout skid, as he submitted “The Ultimate Fighter 17” winner
Kelvin
Gastelum (20-11, 1 NC, 14-11, 1 NC UFC) with an anaconda choke
at the 4:08 mark of Round 1. Luque’s 15 career finishes are tied
for fifth most in promotion history.
Gastelum led the dance early, but that quickly changed when Luque
dropped his foe with a counter right uppercut. The Kill Cliff FC
product then dropped some elbows from top position and escaped an
armbar threat before transitioning to the fight-ending maneuver.
Once Luque adjusted the position, Gastelum had no choice but to
quickly tap to the squeeze.
Radtke Controls Prado
Charles
Radtke (12-5, 5-2 UFC) sent Francisco
Prado (12-5, 1-5 UFC) to his fourth consecutive Octagon defeat,
earning a unanimous decision triumph in a welterweight affair. All
three judges scored the contest in favor of the Valle Flow Striking
representative: 30-26, 30-26 and 30-26. Radtke has won three of his
last four outings within the Las Vegas-based promotion.
Prado got off to a good start, as he rattled his adversary with a
pair of left hooks and a kick to the body, but that success was
short lived. For most of the contest, “Chuck Buffalo” imposed his
will through takedowns and positional control, taking his foe’s
back on multiple occasions. When Prado reversed into top position
late in Round 2, Radtke made him pay by slicing his forehead open
with an elbow from his back.
Radtke did encounter some adversity in the final stanza. Early on,
he suffered a deep eye poke that resulted in a pause and a point
deduction for Prado. When Radtke landed a takedown once the bout
resumed, he found himself ensnared in a tight guillotine from his
Argentinian opponent. Radtke was able to free himself and close out
the rest of the frame in control.