Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 258 live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. Kamaru
Usman remains the master of his domain and now owns the longest
winning streak in the history of the
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s welterweight division. Usman retained his undisputed welterweight crown with a stirring
third-round technical knockout of former
Sanford MMA stablemate Gilbert
Burns in the UFC
258 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Burns
(19-4, 12-4 UFC) bowed out 34 seconds into Round 3, his run of six
consecutive victories at an end.
It was far from a typical title defense for the champion. Burns had
“The Nigerian Nightmare” reeling with an overhand right in the
first round and appeared to have him out of sorts. Usman (18-1,
13-0 UFC), however, slowly regained his faculties and started to
seize command. He relied more and more on a devastating jab from
both hands and floored Burns with the punch during a dominant
second round. Usman dropped the four-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world
champion again at the start of Round 3, sent a standing-to-ground
right crashing into his face and let fly with punches until referee
Herb
Dean had seen enough.
Usman’s 13th straight victory as a welterweight—he has rattled off
17 wins in a row overall—breaks the all-time divisional record,
held previously by Georges St.
Pierre.
Grasso Subdues Returning Barber
Lobo Gym standout Alexa
Grasso pocketed the most significant win of her 16-fight career
in the co-main event, where she took a unanimous decision from
Maycee
Barber in a three-round battle at 125 pounds. All three
cageside judges scored it 29-28 for Grasso (13-3, 5-3 UFC), who
appears to have turned a corner toward contention.
It marked Barber’s first appearance since she tore her ACL in a
loss to Roxanne
Modafferi a little more than a year ago. Grasso kept her
off-stride with crisp punching combinations while also proving to
be surprisingly effective in the clinch and on the ground. She
surprised Barber in the second round, where she conceded a
takedown, then swept into top position under threat of an armbar.
Grasso attacked with shoulder strikes from half guard, hunted an
arm-triangle and ultimately maneuvered onto the Dana White
Contender Series graduate’s back. Barber (8-2, 3-2 UFC) made an
admirable push in Round 3, where she hit the accelerator, connected
with sweeping hooks with both hands and remained the aggressor.
Still, the effort was not enough to dig her out of a
two-rounds-to-none hole.
Grasso, 27, has won three of her last four fights.
Gastelum Halts Slide, Decisions Heinisch
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 17 winner Kelvin
Gastelum leaned on basic two-punch combinations, flexed his
might in close quarters and piled up points with multiple
takedowns, as he put an end to a three-fight losing streak with a
unanimous decision over former
Legacy Fighting Alliance titleholder Ian
Heinisch in a three-round middleweight attraction. Gastelum
(16-6, 11-6 UFC) carried all three scorecards: 30-27, 29-28 and
29-28.
Heinisch (14-4, 3-3 UFC) spent much of his time on defense.
Gastelum executed three takedowns in the first round, climbed to
full mount and freed himself from two attempted kimuras. His
surgical left hand became more of a factor in the second and third
rounds, where he continued to put distance between himself and his
counterpart. Heinisch saw a brief window of opportunity open and
shut in Round 3, where he scrambled onto the
Kings MMA rep’s back and hunted a potential choke. However,
Gastelum was wise to his advances, sprang a reversal and steered
clear of further danger.
The win was Gastelum’s first since May 12, 2018.
Ascending Simon Dominates Kelleher
Repeated takedowns and damaging ground-and-pound carried
Team Oyama’s Ricky Simon
to a unanimous decision over former Ring of
Combat champion Brian
Kelleher in a three-round featherweight feature. All three
cageside judges struck 30-27 scorecards for Simon (18-3, 6-2 UFC),
who has pieced together a three-fight winning streak since
suffering back-to-back losses to Urijah Faber
and Rob
Font in 2019.
Kelleher (22-12, 6-5 UFC) fell behind early and never established a
rhythm. Simon secured a takedown in the first round and opened a
gnarly vertical cut between the
Long Island MMA representative’s nose and right eye with a
slashing elbow strike from the top. It set the table for what was
to come, as outside of two front kicks to the face and another to
the body, Kelleher was ineffective. Simon delivered takedowns in
the second and third rounds, handled Kelleher in the clinch and
drained the remaining time off the clock.
The 34-year-old Kelleher has lost twice in his past three
outings.
Marquez Choke Sinks Pitolo
Glory MMA rep Julian
Marquez submitted former
Victory Fighting Championship titleholder Maki Pitolo
with an anaconda choke in the third round of their middleweight
showcase. In his first appearance since July 6, 2018, Marquez (8-2,
2-1 UFC) drew the curtain 4:17 into Round 3.
Pitolo (13-8, 1-4 UFC) controlled a majority of the action through
the first two rounds with takedowns, positional control and
effective ground-and-pound. Marquez refused to wilt. Pitolo struck
for another takedown in the third round, advanced toward the back
and threatened with a rear-naked choke. However, Marquez escaped,
returned to his feet and made the most of his opportunities. He
swamped Pitolo with power punches, blasted him with a knee to the
face at close range and bit down on a guillotine before
transitioning beautifully to the anaconda choke.
Marquez has rattled off six wins across his last seven outings.
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