Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. Part surgical tactician, part bloodthirsty warrior,
Rafael dos
Anjos in his natural habitat was a sight to behold. Dos Anjos closed the book on his eight-fight odyssey at 170 pounds
and returned to the
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s lightweight division for the
first time in more than four years, as he banked a split decision
over Paul Felder
in the
UFC Fight Night 182 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas. Judges Derek Cleary and Sal D’Amato scored it 50-45 for
dos Anjos, while Chris Lee saw it differently at 48-47 for
Felder.
A short-notice substitution for the injured Islam
Makhachev, Felder (17-6, 9-6 UFC) enjoyed success in open space
whenever he managed to hold the center of the cage. There, he cut
loose with multi-punch volleys, sneaky elbows and intermittent leg
kicks. Dos Anjos (30-13, 19-11 UFC) responded with brutal kicks to
the body and piercing left hands, one of which slice open a
diagonal cut on his opponent’s forehead late in the fight. However,
the former undisputed lightweight champion made his most
substantial moves in the clinch, where he neutralized Felder along
the fence, executed multiple takedowns and brought his superior
grappling skills into play time and time again.
‘Khaos’ Williams Freezes Alhassan
Murcielago MMA rep Kalinn
Williams lamped fellow knockout artist Abdul
Razak Alhassan inside the first minute of their welterweight
co-main event. Alhassan (10-3, 4-3 UFC) met his end—and it was
gruesome—30 seconds into Round 1.
Williams (11-1, 2-0 UFC) set the tone with a few powerful leg
kicks, then uncoiled. The fast-rising 26-year-old countered a leg
kick from the Fortis MMA standout
with a lightning-quick right hand down the middle. Alhassan
froze instantly upon impact and collapsed backward, his head
bouncing violently off the canvas. Williams managed to deliver one
more diving right hand on the already-unconscious judoka before
referee Mark Smith could arrive on the scene.
On an eight-fight tear, Williams has stopped his first two UFC
opponents in just 57 seconds combined.
Yoder Upends Favored Granger
Team Quest export Ashley
Yoder rebounded from back-to-back losses, as she recorded a
unanimous decision over former
Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder Miranda
Granger in a three-round women’s strawweight feature. Yoder
(8-6, 3-5 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-26, 29-27 and 27-26
nods from the judges.
Two relatively uneventful rounds marked by stalemates on the ground
gave way to a dominant third for “The Spider Monkey.” Granger (7-2,
1-2 UFC) conceded a takedown inside the first minute and wandered
from one perilous position to another. Yoder ultimately progressed
to mount, assaulted the taekwondo black belt with heavy
ground-and-pound and cinched a rear-naked choke with less than 10
seconds left on the clock. Only the bell saved Granger from being
finished.
After starting her career with seven consecutive victories, Granger
now finds herself on a two-fight skid.
Ascendant Strickland Vanquishes Allen
Former King of
the Cage champion Sean
Strickland cut down Brendan
Allen with punches in the second round of their featured
catchweight clash at 195 pounds. Allen (15-4, 3-1 UFC) succumbed to
blows 92 seconds into Round 2, suffering his first defeat in nearly
three years.
Strickland (22-3, 9-3 UFC) lit up the Roufusport product with a
sharp jab and crisp two-punch combinations, all while mixing in a
takedown in the first round and a few front kicks to the face.
Allen zeroed in on the lower leg with kicks early in Round 2 — he
appeared to have the Californian in some distress — but paid the
price for porous striking defense. Strickland
staggered him with a chopping right hand, dropped him to his knees
with a left hook and followed with unabated rights to the head
that forced referee Herb Dean to
act.
The 29-year-old Strickland will enter his next assignment on the
strength of three straight wins.
Newcomer McKenna Edges Hansen
Team Alpha Male standout Cory
McKenna in her first post-Dana
White Contender Series appearance extended her run of
consecutive victories to four with a unanimous decision over
Kay
Hansen in a three-round women’s strawweight showcase. All three
cageside judges scored it the same: 29-28 for the once-beaten
McKenna (6-1, 1-0 UFC).
Hansen (7-4, 1-1 UFC) started strong but failed to corral the
iron-willed Brit. McKenna seized the reins midway through the
second round, where she escaped an attempted armbar, moved into top
position and threatened with an arm-triangle choke. Hansen
squandered an advantage again the third. She nearly cinched an
arm-triangle of her own and briefly achieved full mount, only to be
swept by her shifty counterpart. McKenna spent the closing moments
piling up points with ground-and-pound and bleeding valuable time
off the clock.
The setback snapped Hansen’s three-fight winning streak.
Prelims: Debuting Murata Controls Markos
Kanako
Murata (12-1, 1-0 UFC) made a successful promotional debut, as
she pocketed a unanimous verdict—30-27, 30-27, 30-27—over Randa
Markos (10-10-1, 6-9-1 UFC) in the featured women’s strawweight
prelim; Tony
Gravely (20-6, 1-1 UFC) was awarded a unanimous decision
against Geraldo
de Freitas Jr. (12-6, 1-2 UFC) in a three-round bantamweight
scrap, as he carried 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 scores from the
cageside judges; Alex Morono
(18-6, 7-3 UFC) laid claim to a unanimous verdict over Rhys McKee
(10-4-1, 0-2 UFC) in a three-round welterweight tilt, earning 30-27
nods on all three scorecards; and Don’Tale
Mayes (8-4, 1-2 UFC) took a unanimous decision from Roque
Martinez (15-7-2, 0-2 UFC) in a three-round heavyweight affair,
drawing 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 marks from the judges.