Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 255 live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. Deiveson
Figueiredo’s otherworldly squeeze was a mountain too high for
Alex
Perez. Figueiredo retained the undisputed
Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title, as he submitted
Alex Perez with a guillotine choke in the first round of the
UFC
255 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Perez
(24-6, 6-2 UFC) conceded defeat 1:57 into Round 1, his bid to claim
the 125-pound throne denied with resounding authority.
After eating a pair of powerful body kicks from the champion, Perez
swooped in for a potential takedown. Figueiredo (20-1, 9-1 UFC)
initiated a scramble with an attempted leg lock, then caught the
guillotine when the Team Oyama rep made his move toward top
position. A replacement for the injured Cody
Garbrandt, Perez struggled vigorously to free himself but could
not break out of the Brazilian’s clutches.
Figueiredo has posted five straight wins, four of them
finishes.
Shevchenko Turns Away Maia
Valentina
Shevchenko kept her stranglehold on the women’s flyweight
championship with a unanimous decision over a game but outclassed
Jennifer
Maia in the five-round co-main event. Shevchenko (20-3, 9-2
UFC) swept the scorecards with 49-46 marks from all three judges,
as she extended her current winning streak to six fights.
Maia (18-7-1, 3-3 UFC) grounded and controlled the heavily favored
champion in the second round but failed to establish any legitimate
momentum. Shevchenko took down the former Invicta Fighting
Championships titleholder and kept her guessing in the first, third
and fourth rounds, hitting the accelerator with her standup when
the situation called for it. She tore into Maia with blistering
combinations, lightning-quick jabs, a few spinning backfists and
jarring elbows in the clinch. By the time it was over, there was
again no doubt in regards to the identity of the world’s premier
flyweight.
Shevchenko, 32, still has never lost a fight at 125 pounds.
Replacement Means Handles Perry
Clean multi-punch combinations, sneaky standing elbows and
exceptional lateral movement spurred former King of the Cage
champion Tim Means to
a unanimous decision over Mike Perry
in a three-round welterweight feature. A short-notice substitution
for Robbie
Lawler, Means (31-12-1, 13-9 UFC) was awarded 30-27, 29-28 and
29-28 scores by the judges.
Perry (14-7, 7-7 UFC) — who missed weight for the match by a
whopping 4.5 pounds — surprised the Fit NHB product with a takedown
inside the first minute, progressed to the back and hunted a
rear-naked choke. Means withstood his efforts, pushed the fight
deeper and let his superior all-around skills do the rest. He spent
the second and third rounds chewing up Perry’s face with sharp
punches from both hands and a variety of other weapons, including a
consistent and ever-present jab. Means even obliged “Platinum Mike”
with a few wild exchanges on the feet, living to tell the tale.
Means has rattled off three victories across his past four
outings.
Chookagian Outstrikes Calvillo to Decision
Onetime Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder Katlyn
Chookagian won for the fourth time in six appearances, as she
laid claim to a unanimous decision over Cynthia
Calvillo in a three-round women’s flyweight showcase. All three
cageside judges scored it 30-27 for Chookagian (15-4, 8-4 UFC).
Calvillo (9-2-1, 6-2-1 UFC) elected to engage in a standup battle
with a superior kickboxer. Chookagian leaned on her length, skill
and experience, as she peppered the California native with punches
to the head and front kicks to the body. Calvillo had her moments,
but her decision to abandon the top-notch grappling skills that
originally brought her to the UFC proved costly.
The setback was Calvillo’s first in almost three years.
Craig Wrecks Shopworn ‘Shogun’
Former British Association of Mixed Martial Arts champion Paul Craig
struck Mauricio
Rua into submission in the second round of their featured light
heavyweight rematch. Rua (27-12-1, 11-10-1 UFC), who fought
“Bearjew” to a split draw at UFC Fight Night 164 a little more than
a year ago, raised the white flag 3:36 into Round 2.
Craig (14-4-1, 6-4-1 UFC) executed a pair of takedowns in the first
round, threatened with an anaconda choke and continued to build
confidence against an all-time great. He delivered another takedown
in the middle stanza, moved to the back, flattened out Rua and
forced the 2005 Pride Fighting Championships Middleweight Grand
Prix winner to tap to unanswered punches.
The 32-year-old Craig has won back-to-back bouts.
Continue Reading »
UFC 255 Prelims: Brandon Royval Dislocates Shoulder in TKO Defeat
to Brandon Moreno 
