THE EARTHQUAKE!
@BradQuakeRiddel
erupts in the last two rounds for the UD![
#UFC253 |
#InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi
] pic.twitter.com/8fLF134oOg
— UFC (@ufc)
September 27, 2020
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Brad
Riddell may not be a household name in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s lightweight division, but he
appears to be moving in that direction.
The City Kickboxing standout weathered some early adversity, hit
the accelerator and climbed another rung on the 155-pound ladder,
as he took a unanimous decision from Alex
da Silva Coelho in the featured UFC
253 prelim on Saturday at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, United
Arab Emirates. All three judges scored it 29-28 for Riddell (9-1,
3-0 UFC), who now finds himself in possession of a six-fight
winning streak.
Coelho (21-3, 1-2 UFC) secured two takedowns and threatened the
Kiwi with a tight guillotine choke in the first round. However, he
became less and less effective as time went on. Riddell flummoxed
the Brazilian with pace across the final 10 minutes and left him
with serious damage to his right eye with a crushing left hook in
the third round.
Resurgent Matthews Shreds Sanchez
Quick hands and damaging ground-and-pound lifted Jake
Matthews to a unanimous decision over “The Ultimate Fighter”
Season 1 winner Diego
Sanchez in a three-round welterweight encounter. All three
judges scored it the same: 30-26 for Matthews (17-4, 10-4 UFC), who
has won three fights in a row.
A shell of his former self, Sanchez (30-13, 19-13) never got out of
neutral. He pursued Matthews in straight lines and ate straight
punches to the face for his efforts. The outcome all but a forgone
conclusion, the Aussie turned up the heat in the third round.
There, Matthews knocked down the former King of
the Cage champion, blasted him with punches and tore open a
diagonal cut above his right eye. Blood gushed from the wound,
leaving red puddles all over the cage. Matthews dodged a few
submission attempts down the stretch and settled for the
decision.
Sanchez, 38, has lost twice in his past three appearances.
Newcomer Klein Blitzes Young
Cage Warriors Fighting Championship and
Absolute Championship Berkut alum Ludovit
Klein put away Shane Young
with a well-hidden head kick and follow-up punches in the first
round of their catchweight confrontation at 150 pounds. A
short-notice replacement for Nate
Landwehr, Klein (17-2, 1-0 UFC) brought it to an emphatic close
76 seconds into Round 1.
Young (13-5, 2-2 UFC) pawed at the Slovakian newcomer with his jab
and circled on the perimeter while he probed for weakness. Klein
flurried with punches, distracted the
City Kickboxing export with a backfist and buzzed the tower
with a head kick. Young stumbled backward, at which point he was
bombarded with accurate punches—an uppercut put him down—and
wound up staring at the lights wondering what happened.
Klein has posted eight straight wins, seven of them finishes.
Knight Overpowers Unbeaten Camur
Dana White’s Contender Series graduate William
Knight overpowered and overwhelmed
Strong Style Fight Team export Aleksa
Camur to a unanimous decision in a three-round undercard scrap
at 205 pounds. Knight (9-1, 1-0 UFC) swept the scorecards with
29-28, 30-27 and 30-27 marks from the judges.
The previously unbeaten Camur (6-1, 1-1 UFC) held his own while
upright. On the ground, it was another story. Knight secured
takedowns in the second and third rounds, advanced to dominant
positions and threatened with either ground-and-pound or
submissions. The 32-year-old
CES MMA vet nearly finished it at the end of Round 2, where he
pretzeled Camur’s arm in a keylock. Only the bell saved him.
Camur’s situation did not improve in the latter stages of the
match, as frustration continued to build and resignation set
in.
Knight will carry a three-fight winning streak into his next
assignment.
Espino Scarf Hold Submits Hughes
American Top Team’s Juan Espino
submitted former
Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Jeff Hughes
with a scarf hold in the first round of their heavyweight tilt.
Hughes (10-4, 0-3 UFC) raised the white flag 3:48 into Round 1 and
remains winless in three starts inside the Octagon.
Dieppa (10-1, 2-0 UFC) had a plan and stuck with it. He routinely
closed the distance, swooped in for takedowns and worked his magic
on the ground. Late in the opening frame, he climbed to full mount
and made a smooth transition to the scarf hold,
burying Hughes with a devastating squeeze.
A late bloomer who turns 40 in less than a month, Dieppa has
rattled off eight consecutive victories.
Debuting Marques Tops Ibragimov
Former
Gladiator Combat champion Danilo
Marques made a successful albeit forgettable promotional debut,
as he laid claim to a unanimous decision over Khadis
Ibragimov in a tepid undercard pairing at 205 pounds. All three
cageside judges scored it for Marques (10-2, 1-0 UFC): 29-28, 29-28
and 30-27.
Neither man mustered much offense. Marques was the aggressor,
executed multiple takedowns and fished for chokes against the
onetime M-1 Global
titleholder. Ibragimov (8-4, 0-4 UFC) was woefully ineffective,
resorted to repeated fence grabs to prevent takedowns—referee Jason
Herzog issued several warnings but did not deduct a point—and
fought at a glacial pace for the better part of 15 minutes.
The 25-year-old Ibragimov now finds himself on a four-fight losing
streak. 
