Alessandro
Costa found a weak point and attacked without remorse.

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The former Lux Fight League champion put together a punishing
performance in a technical knockout victory against Jimmy Flick
on the
UFC on ESPN 47 preliminary card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on
Saturday night. Costa (13-3, 1-1 UFC)
ended the bout with a series of brutal elbows from top
position at the 1:03 mark of the second stanza. The
Brazilian Warriors export has finished 10 of his 13 professional
triumphs inside the distance.



Costa laid the foundation for his victory by chopping away at
Flick’s left leg, an approach that gradually immobolized the
Oklahoman. In between, Costa unloaded with rapid-fire punching
volleys to the head and body. Outgunned on the feet, Flick was
unable to initiate any takedowns and by the beginning of the second
stanza, he was clearly hobbled. That led to a desperation shot,
which Costa stuffed with ease before moving into half guard and
unleashing the fight-ending salvo.

Kang Chokes Out Quinonez

South Korean veteran Kyung Ho
Kang took advantage of Crisitian Quinonez’s reckless aggression
in a first-round submission victory at bantamweight. “Mr. Perfect”
ended the bout with a rear-naked choke at the 2:25 mark of Round 1.
Kang (19-9, 8-3, 1 NC) has won five of his last six Octagon
appearances.

Quinonez started well, using his reach to land punches effectively
The Mexican fighter rocked Kang with an overhand right and ensuing
uppercut, but he become overzealous in the pocket from that point
forward. With Quinonez pursuing the finish, Kang dropped his foe
with a a two-punch counter and then assumed full mount on the mat
after briefly threatening with an unorthodox choke. From there, he
was able to
transition to the fight-ending maneuver and elicit the tapout in a
matter of seconds.

Hernandez Takes Technical Decision Over Bondar

Carlos
Hernandez relied on impressive boxing and superior movement to
capture a unanimous technical decision against Denys
Bondar. The Chicago-based fighter received tallies of 30-27,
30-27 and 29-28 from the cageside judges after the contest was
halted at the 4:59 mark of Round 3 due to an accidental clash of
heads.

Hernandez (9-2, 2-1 UFC) attacked Bondar (14-3, 0-2 UFC) with
multi-punch combinations throughout the contest, occasionally
blending knees and kicks into his arsenal. Bondar, meanwhile,
relied on big movements, including spinning kicks and winging
punches, but he couldn’t match the volume of his opponent — nor
could he ground his adversary for any significant period of time.
Hernandez was already well on his way to an impressive unanimous
decision victory before he decided to add one emphatic punctation
mark to the contest. In the waning seconds of Round 3, the Chicago
native slammed his foe to the canvas and pounded away with elbows
for an apparent technical knockout victory. However, it was
ultimately determined that Hernandez and Bondar clashed heads when
they landed on the canvas, so the bout was scored where it
ended.

Bleda Grounds Fernandes

Takedowns, control time and ground-and-pound carried Tereza
Bleda past Gabriella
Fernandes in a flyweight clash of Dana White’s Contender Series
alums. Bleda received a trio of 30-27 tallies from the cageside
judges.

Bleda, who owned a five-inch reach advantage, was able to ground
her opponent in each frame. The former Oktagon MMA champion moved
to mount in both the second and third stanzas, dropping punches and
elbows from above. While Fernandes (8-3, 0-2 UFC) was helpless on
the canvas, an aggressive burst to start Round 3 nearly turned the
tide in her favor, as she had Bleda (7-1, 1-1 UFC) reeling due to a
series of heavy punches on the feet. However, a perfectly-timed
level change by Bleda with more than 3:00 remaining ended that
rally.

Argueta vs. Lawrence Ends in No Contest

Neither Dan Argueta
nor Ronnie
Lawrence got a satisfying outcome from their bantamweight
clash. The bout was ruled a no contest at the 2:20 mark of Round 1
after referee Keith
Peterson prematurely waved off the fight due to what he
perceived to be a tapout from Lawrence (8-2, 2-1, 1 NC UFC).

Argueta (9-1, 1-1, 1 NC UFC) was aggressive from the outset, as he
secured an early takedown and scrambled effectively while
threatening with submissions. The Jackson-Wink MMA representative
jumped for a guillotine choke, then switched to a brabo choke
before going back to the guillotine. From there, Argueta tightened
the maneuver while stepping into mount. Lawrence lifted his right
hand, seemingly poised to tap, which prompted Peterson to take a
close look. The veteran referee then appeared to touch Lawrence’
hand, and the featherweight hit Argueta’s back once while moving
his limb away from Peterson. Upon further review, it was determined
that Lawrence didn’t tap and the initial ruling was overturned.

Bukauskas Edges Pauga

Former Cage Warriors champion Modestas
Bukauskas relied on impactful counter striking to capture a
closely-contested unanimous verdict over “The Ultimate Fighter 30”
finalist Zac Pauga in
a light heavyweight affair. All three judges scored the fight in
favor of the Lithuania native: 30-27, 29-28, 29-28. Bukauskas
(15-5, 3-3 UFC) has won four straight professional outings.

In a fight that was contested primarily on the feet, Pauga often
led the dance. The former Houston Texan lunged forward with
punching combinations, clipping Bukauskas early in Round 1 and
sitting him down briefly with a right in the second stanza. “The
Baltic Gladiator” had his share of moments, as well. He backed
Pauga up with counter left hooks and straight rights, including one
shot that stumbled his adversary late in Round 1. Bukauskas also
had success landing the occasional kick, while Pauga relied almost
exclusively on his hands and landed the fight’s only takedown.

IMAK ADMIN

By IMAK ADMIN

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