Getty Images/UFC
Joshua
Van keeps claiming he wants to take a patient approach to his
career, but he fights like a character in an action movie who was
just told he has a year to live.
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In the top preliminary bout of
UFC 316 on Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey,
the 23-year-old flyweight phenom picked up his fourth win in 11
months, burying Bruno
“Bulldog” Silva under an avalanche of punches in the final
round. To begin things, Van belied his reputation as a slow
starter, forcing engagement on the feet from the very start and
dropping Silva with punches midway through the round. “Bulldog”
recovered his wits and his feet but was clearly in survival mode.
He survived, then got some of the momentum back with a low kick
that took Van off of his feet. Silva came out for Round 2 with more
hard leg kicks but was forced to think better of it after catching
some hard counter punches. A tense second frame broke wide open
just after the midpoint when Van dropped Silva with a gorgeous pull
counter right. Silva popped back to his feet and scored a takedown,
which did not lead to much offense but blunted Van’s boxing assault
momentarily. Once they returned to their feet, Van caught the
onrushing Brazilian yet again, this time with a well-timed knee up
the middle, and swarmed with punches as Silva covered up. With
referee “Shaolin” Ribeiro looking on closely, Silva recovered, and
Van let him up before the horn.
Round 3 was another mini-war: Silva showed no inclination to give
an inch, let alone quit, and continued to get in his share of shots
even while he struggled with Van’s speed and power.
Finally, the accumulation of damage caught up with Silva, as a
right hand near the fence sent him staggering back, where he sank
to the canvas in pain. Van stepped in and delivered a
few standing-to-ground punches, but with Silva making no move but
to cover up, Ribeiro moved in for the stoppage at 4:01 of Round 3.
With the resounding win, “Fearless” elevated his record to 14-2
overall, 7-1 in the UFC, and is has more than regained the momentum
lost in his knockout loss to Charles
Johnson less than a year ago. Silva, who had a four-fight
streak of his own snapped on Saturday, fell to 14-7-2 with one no
contest, 4-4 with one no contest in the UFC.
Murzakanov Steamrolls Ribeiro
Long one of the most unsung, under-the-radar undefeated fighters in
the UFC, Azamat
Murzakanov may not be able to sneak up on his division for much
longer after blasting Brendson
Ribeiro in the first round of their light heavyweight undercard
attraction. Murzakanov (15-0, 5-0 UFC) gave Ribeiro, who stepped up
in place of the ailing Johnny
Walker, no room to breathe, let alone work. After parrying a
kick or two at range from the taller, rangier Brazilian, “The
Professional” stepped into the pocket and
dropped him with a pair of left hands. He jumped into side control
and delivered a stream of deliberate, accurate follow-up strikes
and Ribeiro tried to cover up. Referee Mike Beltran
gave Ribeiro every chance to recover and defend himself, but he
instead tapped out to halt the punishment. Beltran moved in for the
rescue at 3:25 of Round 1, another resounding win for the
36-year-old Russian by way of New Jersey. In the wake of the
one-sided win, Murzakanov called for a ranked opponent and/or a
five-round fight, and he may get both in his next outing.
Cortes-Acosta Gets Nod over Spivac
It may not have been pretty, and
the verdict among media and fan observers was far from a
consensus, but Waldo
Cortes-Acosta did enough to earn the nod over Serghei
Spivac in their heavyweight tilt. The fight played out much as
expected between massive but surprisingly nimble boxer “Salsa Boy”
and the more compact “Polar Bear,” who brought his customary
relentless wrestling assault. Spivac marched forward, looking for
opportunities to shoot takedowns in space or corral his foe against
the cage, while Cortes-Acosta gave ground, used lateral movement
and tried to keep the Moldovan on the end of his long, sharp jab.
All three rounds were competitive, with Round 3 being the hardest
to score, but all three judges saw the fight in favor of the
Dominican, including one mystifying 30-27 tally. The win brought
Cortes-Acosta’s record to 15-1, 7-1 in the UFC, and with his fifth
straight victory, the Dana White’s Contender Series product is
quietly rising to contender status. Meanwhile, Spivac has suffered
back-to-back defeats for the first time in his career, and fell to
17-7, 8-6 in the Octagon.
Gustafsson Mauls Williams
It took nearly a year, but Andreas
Gustafsson’s long-delayed UFC debut did not disappoint, as he
put an absolute mauling on Kalinn
Williams in their welterweight clash. Gustafsson, who had had
four matchups fall through across three different dates—including a
scrapped 180-pound tilt last week—showed up and made weight without
incident, then proceeded to stifle the potent offense of “Khaos”
for 15 full minutes while delivering increasing amounts of
punishment as the fight wore on. Williams, who is generally one of
most dangerous snipers in the division, found next to no
opportunity to aim and fire, as “Bane” slugged his way into the
pocket, ran him to the cage, and either punished him in the clinch
or hurled him to the ground over and over. Despite Gustafsson’s
obvious musculature and the short turnaround, he did not flag in
the later stages of the fight; in fact, he poured it on in the
final round to such an extent that a finish seemed to be coming. It
did not come, but Gustafsson was pummeling Williams with punches
from back control as the final horn sounded and picked up the well
deserved victory by scores of 30-26, 30-26 and 30-27. Gustafsson
(12-2, 1-0 UFC) figures to be appointment watching going forward,
while Williams (15-5, 6-4 UFC) will draw on the considerable
reservoir of goodwill he has accumulated as one of the UFC’s most
reliable action fighters and knockout artists over the last five
years.
Wang Dominates Lipski da Silva
Cong
Wang entered the Octagon already a winner in some regards, as
she was guaranteed a hearty slice of her foe’s purse after Ariane
Lipski da Silva missed the flyweight limit badly on Friday,
forcing a 132-pound catchweight contest. The extra ballast did the
“Queen” no favors, as Wang outstruck da Silva in all three rounds,
seeming to be quicker, sharper and more accurate throughout. Da
Silva had her moments, landing clean punches in Round 1, a high
kick in Round 2 and a body kick in Round 3 that backed Wang up, but
they were isolated bright spots in what was otherwise a
straightforward 30-27 washing by the former wushu sanda world
champ. The cageside judges saw it that way as well, and the verdict
was blessedly free of controversy. With the decision win, Wang
elevated her professional record to 9-1, including a 3-1 mark in
the UFC; da Silva went to 17-11, with her tally a disappointing 7-7
since joining the UFC to considerable expectations as the outgoing
KSW flyweight champion.
Yoo One-Shots Saragih
UFC 316 may go down as the moment a star was born, as Joo Sang
Yoo (9-0, 1-0 UFC) needed just 24 seconds and one left hook to
obliterate Jeka
Saragih in their featherweight undercard scrap. Yoo, a protégé
of former Octagon superstar Chan Sung
Jung, “The Korean Zombie” tried a spinning wheel kick in the
opening seconds. That came up short, but
Yoo sussed out the Indonesian slugger’s headlong charge and timed
him for the fight-ending blow. Saragih went facedown
instantly, motionless on the canvas as referee Keith Peterson dove
in to stave off any unnecessary follow-up strikes. Yoo basked in
the glow of the quick finish, delivering a joyous and ambitious
post-fight interview, while Saragih fell to 14-5 overall, 1-3 since
joining the promotion as part of the Road to UFC television
series.
Salkilld Ragdolls Ashmouz
After entering the cage as one of the biggest betting favorites on
a night full of them, Quillan
Salkilld (9-1) largely justified the line in his lightweight
prelim against Yanal
Ashmouz (8-2). Perhaps most surprising was the ease with which
the lanky Salkilld outwrestled the burly Israeli judoka. Salkilld
secured multiple takedowns in Rounds 1 and 2, including several in
which he elevated his opponent for emphatic slams and easy mat
returns. Ashmouz seemed largely overwhelmed for the first 10
minutes of the fight, but came on strong in Round 3, hurting the
Aussie with a punch early in the round, grounding him and chipping
away with strikes while trying to take more dominant positions.
With Salkilld looking suddenly fatigued, a finish seemed plausible,
but he held on to the final horn, after which he was rewarded with
the win via scores of 29-28, 29-28 and a somewhat mystifying 30-27.
Salkilld’s second straight win since joining the UFC out of the
Contender Series reaffirmed his status as a man to watch at 155
pounds, while Ashmouz’s stock likely did not fall far in the
valiant defeat, though he fell to 2-2 in the Octagon.
Mederos Hobbles Choinski
In the opening bout of the night, lightweight up-and-comer MarQuel
Mederos proved to be more than up to the task against
short-notice opponent Mark
Choinski. Mederos (11-1) made his mark quickly with a steady
stream of kicks to Choinski’s left calf, which had the newcomer
visibly limping by late in the first round, hobbling by the second,
and falling to the ground any time the limb was kicked by Round 3.
The vicious calf kick assault made Mederos’ matador routine easier
and easier as the fight wore on, as he gave ground, slid out of the
way of the headlong charges of “The Shark” and generally controlled
the range and tempo of the fight. That is not to say that Choinski
did not have his bright moments, as he completed enough of those
headlong charges to take Mederos’ back in each of the first two
rounds, and even landed in full mount late in the final frame.
While he worked to do damage or pursue a submission each time, it
was not enough to sway the judges, and Mederos prevailed by
unanimous 30-27 scores. With the win, the MMA Lab product moved to
3-0 in the UFC, while Choinski fell to 8-1 overall, 0-1 in the
Octagon.