An unexpected last-minute exit from Maycee
Barber left the
Ultimate Fighting Championship stage to Mateusz
Gamrot.
The former two-division KSW titleholder called upon takedowns,
ground-and-pound and suffocating top control, as he cruised to a
unanimous decision over Ludovit
Klein in the makeshift
UFC on ESPN 68 main event on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las
Vegas. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 30-27 for
Gamrot (25-3, 8-3 UFC). An undisclosed medical issue involving
Barber forced the cancellation of her originally scheduled
headliner opposite Erin
Blanchfield mere moments before they were set to walk out.
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The news involving Barber cast a pall over the event and
overshadowed a near-flawless performance from Gamrot. Outside of a
brief surge early in the third round, Klein (23-5-1, 7-3-1 UFC) had
no answers for the American Top Team-trained Pole. Gamrot completed
takedowns in all three rounds, floated from one position to the
next and racked up points with punches, elbows and even a few knee
strikes to the body. He delivered his final takedown with roughly
90 seconds left in the match and chewed up the remaining time
without issue.
The defeat was Klein’s first since Oct. 16, 2021 and closed the
book on his four-fight winning streak.
Further down the main card, Ramiz
Brahimaj put former two-division CES MMA champion Billy Goff
to sleep with a standing guillotine choke in the first round of
their welterweight showcase.
Goff (9-4, 1-2 UFC) slumped into unconsciousness 3:16 into Round 1,
suffering his second defeat in as many outings.
Brahimaj (12-5, 4-3 UFC) struck for a takedown, jumped to the back
and reset himself once the two men returned to their feet. He set
off a scramble in the clinch, bit down on his adversary’s exposed
neck and transitioned from a ninja choke to a high-elbow
guillotine. It soon became clear there was no avenue of escape for
Goff.
The 32-year-old Brahimaj has delivered 11 of his 12 victories by
submission.
Elsewhere, Factory X standout Dustin
Jacoby put away onetime Legacy Fighting Alliance and Jungle
Fight champion Bruno Lopes
with punches in the first round of their light heavyweight
attraction.
Lopes (14-2, 1-1 UFC) succumbed to blows 1:50 into Round 1, losing
for the first time since 2023.
Jacoby (21-9-1, 9-6-1 UFC) buckled the Brazilian with a stiff jab,
gave chase and swarmed with punches along the fence. Lopes did all
he could to tie up the experienced American, to no avail. Jacoby
turned to dirty boxing, created some separation and cut loose with
sweeping punches from both hands. A left hook found the off switch
and folded Lopes where he stood.
It was the 13th first-round finish of Jacoby’s career.
Deeper into the draw, Nova Uniao mainstay Ketlen
Vieira outstruck and outgrappled “The Ultimate Fighter” Season
28 winner Macy
Chiasson to a unanimous decision in their three-round women’s
featherweight feature. Scores were 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 for
Vieira (15-4, 9-4 UFC).
Chiasson (10-4, 8-4 UFC) had nothing with which to keep “Fenomeno”
at bay. Vieira hammered her with power punches in the standup
exchanges, then swooped into top position after failed takedown
attempts from the Fortis MMA rep. Chiasson spent nearly the entire
second round and much of the third pinned to the canvas. She
managed to open a cut above the Brazilian’s right eye with an elbow
strike from the bottom and launched a late rally in the closing
seconds, but by then the die was cast.
The setback snapped Chiasson’s modest two-fight winning streak.
Finally, Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Zachary
Reese rebounded from a Jan. 18 knockout loss to Azamat
Bekoev with a unanimous decision over Dusko
Todorovic in their three-round middleweight appetizer. All
three cageside judges scored it the same: 29-28 for Reese (9-2, 3-2
UFC).
Todorovic (12-6, 3-6 UFC) was effective in the first round, where
he executed a takedown and threatened with a guillotine choke
inside the first minute. He later powered into top position a
second time and applied his ground-and-pound, unleashing punches,
hammerfists, elbows and forearm strikes. Reese eventually
regrouped, managed to stay upright and flexed his superiority at a
distance. He paired body kicks with clubbing blows to the head,
circled out of clinches and forced Todorovic to operate outside of
his comfort zone.
The 31-year-old Todorovic has lost three fights in a row.
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