Joanderson
Brito carved out a path to victory through most unlikely
means.
The fast-rising Chute Boxe featherweight moved one step closer to
contention in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division with a
second-round technical knockout of Jack Shore
in the featured UFC
301 prelim on Saturday at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro.
Shore (17-2, 6-2 UFC) suffered a gruesome shin laceration after
absorbing a leg kick from the Brazilian, resulting in a doctor
stoppage 3:35 into Round 2.
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Brito (17-3-1, 5-1 UFC) controlled a majority of the action until
the anticlimactic conclusion. He pursued clinches and unleashed
multiple low kicks on Shore in both rounds, his efforts eventually
opening a sizeable wound. Blood streamed down the Welshman’s leg
onto his foot and canvas. Referee Joao Claudio Soares paused the
bout to allow the cageside physician to examine the damage, at
which point the decision was made to wave it off.
Meanwhile, Fight House standout Iasmin
Lucindo accelerated her climb on the 115-pound ladder with a
clear-cut unanimous decision over former KSW champion Karolina
Kowalkiewicz in a three-round women’s strawweight encounter.
The 22-year-old Lucindo (16-5, 3-1 UFC) was awarded 30-27 marks on
all three scorecards. Kowalkiewicz (16-8, 9-8 UFC) had no answer for the physical tools
her opponent brought to bear. Lucindo let fly with three-, four-
and five-punch volleys, putting her fast-twitch athleticism to
optimal use. Fast hands and quick feet were the differentiators.
The Brazilian diversified her offense with multiple trip takedowns,
keeping Kowalkiewicz off-balance and methodically tightening her
grip on the decision.
The loss was Kowalkiewicz’s first since August 2021.
Further down the undercard, Team Alpha Male’s Myktybek
Orolbai flexed his superiority in all phases and overcame a
point deduction for a fence grab to earn a unanimous decision
against Elves
Brener in a three-round lightweight battle. All three cageside
judges scored it 29-27 for Orolbai (13-1-1, 2-0 UFC).
Brener (16-4, 3-1 UFC) was a non-factor through two rounds. Orolbai
dazed him more than once with power punches on the feet, then
paired those efforts with takedowns and consolidated them with
positional control and ground-and-pound. However, the resilient
Brener reversed a takedown into full mount late in the middle
stanza and carried the momentum into Round 3. Orolbai was penalized
for the fence grab early in the final period but managed to recover
and decked the Brazilian with a right hand in the closing seconds,
perhaps salting away the verdict.
Orolbai, 26, now finds himself on a run of seven straight
victories.
Elsewhere, MMA Lab representative Drakkar
Klose called upon forward pressure, a grinding clinch and late
resolve in claiming a unanimous decision over Joaquim
Silva in a three-round lightweight scrap. All three members of
the cageside judiciary scored it the same: 29-28 for Klose (15-2-1,
9-2 UFC).
American Top Team’s Silva (13-5, 6-5 UFC) sputtered out of the
gate. Klose pushed him onto the back foot, hunted right hands and
pursued a clinch—he mixed in short punches, foot stomps and knees
to the body—that allowed him to build a lead and bleed time off the
clock through two rounds. Silva answered in the third. There, the
Brazilian worked in concert with fatigue and nearly erased Klose’s
prior handiwork. Silva floored the former Rage in the Cage champion
with a left hook, threatened with multiple guillotines and allowed
himself to throw hands in combination. Nevertheless, a visibly
exhausted Klose managed to hang on under duress.
The 36-year-old Klose will ride a four-fight winning streak into
his next outing.
Not to be outshined, Fighting Nerds prospect Mauricio
Ruffy dazzled in his first Octagon assignment, as he buried
Jamie
Mullarkey with punches in the first round of their lightweight
confrontation.
Ruffy (10-1, 1-0 UFC) drew the curtain 4:42 into Round 1,
establishing himself as a talent worth monitoring in the days,
months and years ahead.
Mullarkey (17-8, 5-6 UFC) was out of his depth. Ruffy hammered him
with leg kicks, cut angles on crisp right hands and unleashed a
punishing jab. A right hook to the temple set Mullarkey on skates,
had him ducking for cover and left him vulnerable to the
Brazilian’s subsequent attacks. Ruffy connected with a flying knee,
drove the Australian to the mat and closed it out with unanswered
punches. A battered and beaten Mullarkey crouched on all fours,
blood pouring from his nose.
Ruffy has rattled off five consecutive victories, all of them
finishes.
Finally, Lobo Gym export Alessandro
Costa cut down former Inka Fighting Championship titleholder
Kevin
Borjas with leg kicks and follow-up punches in the second round
of their flyweight pairing.
Borjas (9-3, 0-2 UFC) succumbed to blows 1:35 into Round
2.
Costa (14-4, 2-2 UFC) established his superiority with a steady
jab, multi-punch bursts and kicks to his counterpart’s lower lead
leg. He hobbled Borjas early in the second round, where he doubled
up on low kicks and gave chase with punches. Costa ultimately
forced the Peruvian to retreat to his back, powered into full mount
and transitioned to the back. Unabated punches followed, prompting
the stoppage.
The 28-year-old Costa has won nine of his past 11 bouts.
In other action, Kings MMA’s Dione
Barbosa (7-2, 1-0 UFC) made a successful promotional debut, as
she took a unanimous verdict from the previously unbeaten Ernesta
Kareckaite (5-1-1, 0-1 UFC) in their three-round women’s
flyweight affair, sweeping the scorecards with 29-28 marks across
the board; and Ismael
Bonfim (20-4, 2-1 UFC) outstruck “The Ultimate Fighter” Season
15 semifinalist Vinc Pichel
(14-4, 7-4 UFC) to a unanimous decision in their three-round
lightweight clash, drawing 30-27 scores from all three judges.