Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 252 live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. The eternal bragging rights belong to Stipe
Miocic. The
Strong Style Fight Team representative retained the undisputed
Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title with a
unanimous decision over Daniel
Cormier in the UFC
252 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All
three judges sided with Miocic (20-3, 14-3 UFC): 49-46, 49-46 and
48-47. He completes his historic trilogy against Cormier with a 2-1
edge in their head-to-head series.
Miocic controlled long stretches of the fight in the clinch along
the fence, where he stalled and frustrated the
American Kickboxing Academy captain. He nearly finished Cormier
at the end of the second round, as he chased down the Lafayette,
Louisiana, native with sweeping right hands, dropped him at the
base of the cage and moved to a crouched full mount, at which point
he unleashed his ground-and-pound. Had a few more seconds been on
the clock, Miocic might have ended it.
Cormier (22-3, 11-3 UFC) had his moments. He staggered Miocic with
clubbing right hands in the first and fourth rounds, snapped back
the champion’s head with stiff jabs and mixed in a few leg kicks.
However, he suffered a horrendous third-round eye poke that left
him with compromised vision for the remainder of the fight. Miocic
steered clear of danger in the fifth round by pinning “DC” to the
fence, scoring with shoulder strikes and running out the remaining
time.
Vera Slows O’Malley Ascent
Team Oyama’s Marlon Vera
disposed of the previously unbeaten
MMA Lab prospect Sean
O’Malley with punches and elbows in the first round of their
bantamweight co-main event. Vera (16-6-1, 10-5 UFC) brought it to a
close 4:40 into Round 1.
O’Malley (12-1, 4-1 UFC) leaned on his length and kept “The
Ultimate Fighter Latin America” semifinalist at bay with powerful
kicks to the body and leg during their initial exchanges. However,
he took an awkward step forward midway through the first round,
rolled his right ankle and retreated in visible distress. He was
never the same. An off-balance O’Malley lost his footing later in
the round, collapsed to his back and absorbed a volley of punches
and elbows that necessitated the stoppage.
Vera has posted six wins across his last seven appearances.
Rozenstruik Rebounds, Blasts Dos Santos
Jairzinho
Rozenstruik bounced back from his 20-second knockout loss to
Francis
Ngannou in May, as he brought down
American Top Team stablemate Junior dos
Santos with punches in the second round of their featured
heavyweight pairing. Rozenstruik (11-1, 5-1 UFC) drew the curtain
3:47 into Round 2.
Dos Santos (21-8, 15-7 UFC) probed for openings throughout a tepid
first round, fired off intermittent overhand rights and kept the
dangerous Surinamese kickboxer on his back foot. The middle stanza
took on a similar tone—until Rozenstruik connected. A two-punch
combination floored dos Santos at the base of the cage and set the
stage for the finish. Rozenstruik flurried with punches and dropped
the Brazilian a second time when he attempted to stand, prompting
referee Dan Miragliotta to act.
The 36-year-old dos Santos has lost three fights in a row, all by
knockout.
Pineda Dominates, Upsets Burns
Former
Legacy Fighting Championship titleholder Daniel
Pineda returned to the UFC for the first time in more than six
years and did so in spectacular fashion, as he put away Herbert
Burns with sustained ground-and-pound in the second round of
their featherweight showcase. Burns (11-3, 2-1 UFC) succumbed to
blows 4:37 into Round 2.
Pineda (27-13, 4-4 UFC) overwhelmed the
Sanford MMA rep in the first round, where he connected with
power punches to head and body, delivered a takedown and applied
damaging ground-and-pound. Still, Burns had his chance. The
Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt opened a cut on Pineda’s left eye
with an overhand right early in Round 2, executed a takedown of his
own and eventually progressed to full mount. However, Pineda
scrambled into top position, trapped the DWCS graduate in a topside
crucifix and cut loose with a merciless stream of elbows until the
job was done.
Surging Dvalishvili Handles Dodson
A suffocating clinch, a few takedowns and surprisingly effective
standup carried former Ring of
Combat champion Merab
Dvalishvili to a unanimous decision over “The Ultimate Fighter
14” winner John Dodson
in a three-round bantamweight feature. Dvalishvili (12-4, 5-2 UFC)
swept the scorecards with 30-27 marks from all three judges.
Dodson (21-12, 10-7 UFC) could not match the
Serra-Longo Fight Team standout’s pace. Dvalishvili moved
forward with relentless purpose, trapped his counterpart along the
fence and hammered his thighs with knee strikes. The 29-year-old
Georgian connected with a spinning backfist and right hook in the
second round, troubled Dodson with takedown attempts and maintained
control of the narrative through the entirety of their 15-minute
encounter.
Dvalishvili will ride a five-fight winning streak into his next
assignment.
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