Vicente
Luque remains a force in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight division.
Repeated takedowns and a grinding clinch game carried the
Kill Cliff Fight Club standout to a unanimous decision over
Rafael dos
Anjos in the
UFC on ESPN 51 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las
Vegas. Scores were 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47—all for Luque (22-9-1,
15-5 UFC), who passed his first test since suffering a
career-threatening brain bleed.
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Dos Anjos (32-15, 21-13) stood his ground for much of the 25-minute
battle but had no real answer for the size and strength deficits
with which he was faced. Luque bullied him at close range, stole
momentum with takedowns and frustrated his fellow Brazilian across
wide swaths of time. Dos Anjos was effective in open space—he even
cut loose with a flying elbow at one point—but struggled to manage
distance consistently.
Swanson Decision Stings Dawodu
World Extreme Cagefighting holdover Cub Swanson
rebounded from his Oct. 15 defeat to Jonathan
Martinez with a contentious split decision over Champion’s
Creed MMA export Hakeem
Dawodu in the three-round featherweight co-main event. All
three cageside judges struck 29-28 scorecards for Swanson (29-13,
14-9 UFC).
Dawodu (13-4-1, 6-4 UFC) seemed to seize the reins with powerful
leg kicks, a potent jab and effective counters. Swanson answered
with the occasional flurry but spent too much time in the clinch,
where he appeared to be at a clear disadvantage. Dawodu tenderized
his body with knees and mixed in a few elbows off the breaks.
Swanson made his move late in the third round, where he delivered a
takedown, pinned the Canadian to the mat while working toward an
arm-triangle and chipped away with punches.
The 32-year-old Dawodu has lost three of his past five bouts.
Resurgent Rountree Buries Daukaus
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 23 finalist Khalil
Rountree brought down Chris
Daukaus with
punches in the first round of their light heavyweight
showcase. Daukaus (12-7, 4-4 UFC) succumbed to blows
2:40 into Round 1, as he suffered his fourth straight setback.
Syndicate MMA’s Rountree (12-5, 8-5 UFC) initially engaged the
Martinez Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu standout in the clinch, then thought
better of the approach. He sliced through Daukaus’ defenses with a
booming straight left that sent the former heavyweight crashing to
the canvas. Rountree followed up with a hammerfist and another
sweeping left, prompting the stoppage from referee Herb Dean.
Rountree, 33, has posted four consecutive victories, three of them
finishes.
Lucindo Arm-Triangle Vanquishes Viana
Fight House prospect Iasmin
Lucindo disposed of former Jungle Fight champion Polyana
Viana with
an arm-triangle choke in the second round of their women’s
strawweight feature. Viana (13-6, 4-5 UFC) raised the
white flag of surrender 3:42 into Round 2, as she was submitted for
just the second time in her 19-fight career.
Lucindo (15-5, 2-1 UFC) upped her aggression after a quiet first
round in which neither woman produced much action of note. She
buckled Viana with a stiff right hand early in the middle stanza,
reset in open space and swooped in for a well-timed takedown.
Lucido operated from half guard, softened her opponent with
shoulder strikes and short punches, framed the choke and cleared
her legs. Viana surrendered moments later.
The 21-year-old Lucindo has rattled off nine wins in 10
appearances.
Dobson Breaks Into UFC Win Column
Strong Style Fight Team product A.J. Dobson
called upon leg and body kicks, occasional punching combinations
and opportunistic takedowns, as he laid claim to a unanimous
decision over Tafon
Nchukwi in a tepid three-round middleweight attraction. Dobson
(7-2, 1-2 UFC) swept the scorecards with matching 29-28 marks from
the three-member judiciary.
Nchukwi (6-4, 2-4 UFC), who missed weight for the bout by 3.5
pounds, failed to string together meaningful offense and relied
instead on single punches and kicks. Dobson twice tripped the
Lloyd
Irvin-trained Cameroonian to the floor and did so to great
effect in the third round. There, he spent extended minutes in top
position, shifted to half guard and racked up points with modest
ground-and-pound.
The victory was Dobson’s first since he punched his ticket to the
UFC with a rear-naked choke submission of Hashem
Arkhagha on Dana White’s Contender Series in September
2021.
Overweight Fremd Outpoints Pickett
Factory X rep Josh Fremd
outdueled Jamie
Pickett to a clinch-heavy unanimous decision across three
rounds in an uneventful middleweight main-card opener. All three
cageside judges scored it 30-27 for Fremd (11-4, 2-2 UFC), who
missed weight for the match by three pounds.
Pickett (13-10, 2-6 UFC) never got in gear. Fremd leaned on his
superiority in the clinch in all three rounds but did his best work
in the middle stanza. There, the Slippery Rock University graduate
twice threatened Pickett with guillotine chokes—the former Next
Level Fight Club champion appeared to briefly lose consciousness at
one point—but failed to procure a finish. Pickett struck for a
takedown in Round 3, only to surrender his advantage on an
ill-advised kimura attempt. Fremd assumed top position for a time,
then settled back into the comfort of the clinch, at which point he
connected with knees to the thighs and bled the remaining time off
the clock.
The 34-year-old Pickett has lost four fights in a row.
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Prelims: Da’Mon Blackshear Lands Rare Twister