Renato „Moicano“ Carneiro showed no mercy on his American Top Team
training partner.
The Brazilian veteran authored a near flawless performance in the
UFC Vegas 115 main event, as he submitted Chris
Duncan with a face crank 3:14 into the second round of their
lightweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
“Moicano” returns to the win column after suffering back-to-back
losses against Beneil
Dariush and Islam
Makhachev in his previous two Octagon appearances.
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Carneiro (21-7-1, 13-7 UFC) began methodically, tagging his
Scottish foe with jabs while occasionally closing the distance for
clinches and takedown attempts. “Moicano” picked up the pace in
Round 2, sitting Duncan (15-3, 6-2 UFC) down with a left hook
before quickly taking his adversary’s back. It was a miserable time
for Duncan from there, as Carneiro peppered him with punches in
hopes of creating an opening for a choke. A bloodied Duncan
defended for as long as he could, but an ill-advised backward elbow
gave Carneiro all the opportunity he needed. In a split-second the
Brazilian had the submission secured, and Duncan surrendered in
short order.
Jandiroba Holds Off Ricci
Virna
Jandiroba relied on her bread and butter to outgrapple Tabatha
Ricci en route to a unanimous decision triumph in the UFC Vegas
115 co-main event. All three judges scored the bout in favor of the
former Invicta FC title holder: 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28. With the
win, “Carcara” rebounds from a championship loss to Mackenzie
Dern at UFC 321 last October.
There was no secret to Jandiroba’s game plan. The 37-year-old
Brazilian grounded Ricci (12-4, 7-4 UFC) in each frame, finishing
with a total of six takedowns. On the feet, Jandiroba held her own,
perhaps aided by the impending threat of her wrestling and
grappling. Ricci turned up the heat in the final stanza, showcasing
more aggressive striking and better defensive wrestling, but her
push was halted by one final Jandiroba takedown late in the period.
From there, Jandiroba took her opponent’s back and hunted for a
choke before Ricci reversed into top position just before the end
of the round.
Yakhyaev Remains Undefeated
Abdul-Rakhman
Yakhyaev continues to roll downhill, as he dispatched Brendson
Ribeiro with a rear-naked choke in their light heavyweight
bout. The 25-year-old Turkish prospect forced Ribeiro (17-10, 1 NC,
2-5 UFC) to ask out of the fight 2:52 into the opening stanza.
Yakhyaev (9-0, 2-0 UFC) has finished his last five fights inside of
a round.
Ribeiro tagged his opponent with a few solid strikes early, but his
momentum came crashing to a halt when Yakhyaev absorbed a head kick
and took the Brazilian to the canvas. From there, “Hunter” worked
his way to the back, landing ground-and-pound until he found the
ideal opening to lock in the choke. Once the squeeze was applied,
Ribeiro tapped in a matter of seconds.
Ewing Cruises Past Estevam
On the heels of a eye-opening upset win over Malcolm
Wellmaker at UFC 322, Ethyn Ewing
proved he is no fluke in his sophomore promotional outing. “The
Professor Finessor” put on a clinic, removing Rafael
Estevam (14-1, 3-1 UFC) from the ranks of the unbeaten with a
technical knockout victory in their featured bantamweight
encounter. A slick shot to the liver and a follow-up hammerfist
ended the contest 1:44 into the third round.
Ewing (10-2, 2-0 UFC) got better as the fight progressed. Utilizing
superior movement and crafty combinations, the 28-year-old CSW
Training Center product had Estevam on the defensive for the
majority of the bout. After nearly securing a finish at the end of
Round 1, Ewing turned up the heat, tagging his foe with right hands
almost at will while mixing in elbows and knees when the
opportunity arose. Ewing dominated the second stanza, then kept the
momentum going in the final frame, right up until he landed the
pivotal body punch that essentially ended the fight. It was a
delayed reaction from Estevam, who shuffled backward a couple steps
before collapsing to the canvas. Ewing has won his last 10
professional fights.
McMillen Swarms Zecchini
Sean O’Malley training partner Tommy
McMillen made a strong first impression in the Octagon,
finishing Manolo
Zecchini inside of a round in a featherweight showdown. The
28-year-old Dana White’s Contender Series alum brought the show to
a close 3:57 into Round 1, keeping his undefeated record intact.
Zecchini (11-4, 0-2) has been finished in both of his UFC
appearances.
Both featherweights set a frentic pace from the beginning of the
fight. While Zecchini fought with heart and aggression, the rangy
McMillen (10-0, 1-0 UFC) was able to gradually impose his will in
exchanges behind long punching combinations and knees in close
quarters. Late in opening period, McMillen secured a front
headlock, pushed the Italian against the fence and unloaded with a
barrage of offense. Two knees to the body sent Zecchini to a
turtled position, and a few more follow-up punches sealed the
victory for the Montana native.
Delano Outduels Ruchala
Former Legacy Fighting Alliance standout Jose
Mauro Delano (17-3, 1-0 UFC) was victorious in his promotional
debut, taking a unanimous verdict over KSW vet Robert
Ruchala (11-3, 0-2 UFC) in a featherweight scrap. All three
judges submitted scorecards in favor of the Brazilian Top Team
representative: 30-26, 29-27, 29-27.
Delano took a round to find his bearings, but once he did, he was
able to tag Ruchala with punching combinations to the head as well
as variety of kicks — bloodying his foe’s mug in the process.
Ruchala, who had success stringing together combinations behind a
creative toolbox of kicks, made a critical mistake in Round 3, when
he defended a takedown attempt by grabbing the fence with both
hands. That led to an immediate point deduction, essentially ending
the Pole’s chances at victory.
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