Brendan
Allen looks like more and more of a problem for the rest of the
Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division.
The Kill Cliff Fight Club representative continued his ascent at
185 pounds, as he dismissed Paul Craig
with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their
UFC Fight Night 232 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas. Craig (17-7-1, 9-7-1 UFC) conceded defeat 38 seconds
into Round 3, losing via submission for just the second time in his
25-fight career.
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Allen (23-5, 11-2 UFC) averted potential disaster in the first
round when he escaped a calf slicer from the former British
Association of Mixed Martial Arts champion. From there, it was all
one-way traffic. Allen dictated the terms in their grappling
exchanges, hacked open an ugly cut on the Scotsman’s left eyebrow
with an elbow strike and methodically established himself as the
better fighter.
He ripped into Craig with a two-punch combination at the start of
the third round, forced his way into top position, moved to the
back and bit down on the choke.
The 27-year-old Allen will ride a six-fight winning streak into his
next assignment.
Unbeaten Morales Outpoints Matthews
Stinging leg kicks and a sharp jab carried Entram Gym’s Michael
Morales to a unanimous decision over Jake
Matthews in the three-round welterweight co-main event. Morales
(16-0, 4-0 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28
marks from the cageside judiciary.
Matthews (19-7, 12-7 UFC) fought well in spurts but could not
address all the physical disadvantages with which he was faced.
Morales chipped away at “The Ultimate Fighter Nations” graduate
from the outside, using his superior length and evasive movement to
avoid return fire. Flying knees, collar-tie uppercuts and Superman
punches off the cage rounded out the promising Ecuadorian’s
attack.
The 29-year-old Matthews has lost three of three of his past five
bouts.
Hooper Choke Vanquishes Leavitt
Former Dominate Fighting Championship titleholder Chase
Hooper turned away Jordan
Leavitt with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their
lightweight showcase. Hooper (13-3-1, 5-3 UFC) elicited the tapout
2:58 into Round 1, winning for the seventh time in 10
appearances.
Leavitt (11-3, 4-3 UFC) set off a series of scrambles with a body
lock, freed himself from a tight armbar and ultimately called upon
an omoplata sweep to move into top position. Once there, the
Syndicate MMA product connected with a thudding standing-to-ground
right but elected to engage Hooper in the grappling department. The
Washington native threatened with a leg lock,
transitioned to the back and snaked his arms in place before
Leavitt could respond. Hooper’s squeeze did the
rest.
Hooper now has six first-round finishes to his credit.
Talbott Throttles Fatigued Aguirre
Reno Academy of Combat prospect Payton
Talbott stayed undefeated in a successful promotional debut, as
he subdued Nick
Aguirre with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their
bantamweight attraction.
Talbott (7-0, 1-0 UFC) finished it 58 seconds into Round
3.
Aguirre (7-2, 0-2 UFC) secured a takedown inside the first 30
seconds of the first round and enjoyed an extended period of time
in top control. However, his efforts resulted in a depleted gas
tank. Talbott got his punching combinations in gear in the middle
stanza, mixed in kicks to the body and moved to advantageous
positions after being taken down. An elbow strike near the end of
the round opened a cut behind Aguirre’s ear and sent him into a
tailspin. He offered little resistance at the start of Round 3,
where Talbott sprawled on an attempted takedown, powered into full
mount and cut loose with hammerfists before advancing to the back
and cinching the choke.
It was the first submission victory of Talbott’s career.
Relentless Ribas Torpedoes Pinheiro
Former Jungle Fight champion Amanda
Ribas rallied from an inauspicious start to stop Luana
Pinheiro with punches in the third round of their women’s
strawweight feature. Pinheiro (11-2, 3-1 UFC) succumbed to blows
3:53 into Round 1, suffering her first setback since March 19,
2017.
Ribas (12-4, 7-3 UFC) walked through heavy fire in the first round,
where her Brazilian counterpart caused significant facial damage
with sweeping power punches. She switched to southpaw in the middle
stanza, caught Pinheiro off-guard with a steady stream of leg kicks
and slowly but surely turned the tide in her favor. Ribas hit the
accelerator in the third round, pushed a merciless pace and
eventually broke down the Nova Uniao rep.
She connected with a spinning hook kick that forced Pinheiro
backward into the fence, felled her with a clean right hand and
then sealed the deal with unanswered hammerfists.
The loss snapped Pinheiro’s nine-fight winning streak.
Orolbai Neck Crank Downs Medic
Team Alpha Male prospect Myktybek
Orolbai put away Uros Medic
with a neck crank in the second round of their welterweight
appetizer. A short-notice fill-in for Jonny
Parsons, Orolbai (12-1-1, 1-0 UFC) brought it to a decisive
close 4:12 into Round 2.
Medic (9-2, 3-2 UFC) connected with some heavy artillery—two knees
found their intended mark—in the early stages of the first round
but otherwise proved ineffective. Orolbai struck for repeated
takedowns and slowly wore down the Kings MMA rep. He put Medic on
the mat at the start of the middle stanza, climbed briefly to full
mount and later progressed to the back.
Orolbai then snuck his arms into place, secured the crank and
waited for its effects to take hold.
Orolbai, 25, has put together seven straight wins, six of them
finishes. Afterward, he revealed his intention to downshift to 155
pounds.
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