They’re opening up in the final minutes!
#UFC259 pic.twitter.com/aFm08wLFvR— UFC (@ufc)
March 7, 2021
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Dominick
Cruz still has something left to offer.
The former
Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight titleholder eked
out a split decision over Casey
Kenney in the featured
UFC 259 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Judges
Derek Cleary and Sal D’Amato scored it 29-28 and 30-27 for Cruz,
while Michael Bell saw it 29-28 for Kenney.
Neither man was willing to budge. Cruz (23-3, 6-2 UFC) darted in
and out with his patented unorthodox movements, piled up points
with lunging punches to the head and occasionally zeroed in on the
body. Kenney counteracted those efforts with repeated kicks to the
legs and timely power punches upstairs. Both men were stricken by
fatigue in the latter stages, but two Cruz takedowns in the third
round seemed to provide the difference.
The victory was Cruz’s first since June 4, 2016.
Phillip Upends Hyped Song
MMA Lab prospect Kyler
Phillips took a massive step forward in his development, as he
laid claim to a unanimous decision over Yadong Song
in an entertaining three-round bantamweight battle. All three
cageside judges scored it the same: 29-28 for Phillips (9-1, 3-0
UFC), who extended his winning streak to four fights.
Song (16-5-1, 5-1-1 UFC) struggled to answer his opponent’s
variety. Phillips cracked him with a head kick and a spinning back
kick to the body in the first round, executed multiple takedowns
and kept the
Team Alpha Male rep off-balance for much of their 15-minute
duel. Song made his move in Round 3, where he drew the John Crouch
disciple into power punching exchanges. However, the finish he
needed to dig out of a two-rounds-to-none hole was nowhere in
sight.
The loss was Song’s first since Oct. 24, 2016.
Askarov Dominates Shopworn Benavidez
Former
Absolute Championship Berkut titleholder Askar
Askarov remained undefeated with a unanimous decision over
Joseph
Benavidez in a three-round tilt at 125 pounds. Askarov (14-0-1,
3-0-1 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26 marks
from the judges, perhaps cementing himself as the No. 1 contender
for the flyweight crown.
Benavidez (28-8, 15-6 UFC) was a step too slow and seemed unsure of
himself throughout the match. Askarov battered his midsection pink
with lead-leg front kicks, answered his wild swings with tighter
punches on the counter and secured multiple takedowns. By the time
it was over, Benavidez had suffered significant damage to his left
eye and looked very much like a directionless fighter in a division
he once seemed destined to rule.
Askarov has pieced together a three-fight winning streak since his
split draw with Brandon
Moreno in September 2019.
France Weathers Bontorin, Nets Finish
City Kickboxing standout Kai Kara
France brought down Rogerio
Bontorin with punches in the first round of their flyweight
confrontation. France (22-9, 5-2 UFC) finished it 4:55 into Round
1, as he won for the 10th time in 12 appearances and maintained his
Top 10 ranking at 125 pounds.
Bontorin (16-3, 2-2 UFC) struck for a takedown inside 90 seconds,
advanced immediately to the back and secured his position with a
body triangle. The Gile Ribeiro protégé made one pass after another
at rear-naked chokes. All of them failed. France managed to escape
to his feet late in the round and uncorked three right
hands—an overhand, an uppercut and another
overhand—that put away the stunned Brazilian.
The 28-year-old Bontorin has lost two fights in a row.
Elliott Swamps Overmatched Espinosa
Repeated takedowns, crushing top control and effective
ground-and-pound carried former
Titan Fighting Championships titleholder Tim Elliott
to a unanimous decision over Jordan
Espinosa in a three-round flyweight scrap. All three cageside
judges scored it for Elliott (17-11-1, 6-9 UFC): 30-27, 30-27 and
30-25.
Espinosa (15-9, 2-4 UFC) was essentially a non-factor. Elliott
grounded him with ease, nullified his guard and made for a
miserable experience across 15 one-sided minutes. Espinosa sliced
open “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 24 winner with an elbow strike
from the bottom in the third round in what seemed like a brief
window of success. Elliott responded by using tactical head
movement to drip blood into his eyes.
Elliott will head into his next assignment on the strength of two
straight wins.
Nzechukwu Rally Stops Ulberg
Fortis
MMA representative Kennedy
Nzechukwu overcame a slow start to dispatch the previously
unbeaten Carlos
Ulberg with punches in the second round of their light
heavyweight tilt. Nzechukwu (8-1, 2-1 UFC) drew the curtain 3:19
into Round 2.
Ulberg (3-1, 0-1 UFC) staggered the Nigerian with a head kick and
chipped away with punches, kicks and knees, directing his efforts
to the legs, body and head. However, the frenetic pace he pushed
failed to break Nzechukwu and slowly bled his own gas tank dry.
Ulberg seemed to catch a second wind at the start of the second
round, only to be drawn into an exchange of haymakers along the
fence. Nzechukwu dropped him with a clean right hook and
mopped up what was left with standing-to-ground punches.
Nzechukwu, 28, has posted back-to-back wins since he submitted to a
Paul
Craig triangle choke on March 30, 2019.
Brady Choke Submits Matthews
Unbeaten former
Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder Sean Brady
submitted “The Ultimate Fighter Nations” alum Jake
Matthews with an arm-triangle choke in the third round of their
welterweight encounter. Matthews (17-5, 10-5 UFC) conceded defeat
3:28 into Round 3.
Brady (14-0, 4-0 UFC) navigated a brief brush with adversity in the
first round, where his Australian counterpart caught one of his
kicks, bloodied his nose with a right hand and drove him to the
mat. From there, however, the rout was on. Brady assumed top
position and applied suffocating control, establishing his clear
dominance on the ground. Matthews surrendered takedowns in the
second and third rounds, wound up pinned to the mat and retreated
to a defensive shell. Brady softened him with punches in the third,
framed the arm-triangle from half guard, cleared
the legs and elicited the tapout.
The defeat closed the book on a three-fight winning streak for
Matthews.
Intimidating Lemos Wrecks Souza
Once-beaten former Lion Fight champion
Amanda
Lemos blew away Livinha
Souza with punches in the first round of their women’s
strawweight clash. Souza (14-3, 3-1 UFC), who had never before been
finished, bowed out 3:39 into Round 1.
Lemos (9-1-1, 3-1 UFC) set the tone at the start, as she seized
command of the center of the cage, planted her feet and went about
dismantling the onetime
Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder with precise
punches. Souza hit the deck on the end of a stiff right cross,
turtled and managed a pass at a heel hook before the two women
re-engaged on the feet. Soon after, Lemos dropped her with a jab, pounced with
punches and forced referee Jason Herzog to intervene.
An emerging threat at 115 pounds, Lemos has rattled off three
straight victories.
Unbeaten Medic Smashes Cruz
Undefeated
Kings MMA prospect Uros Medic
dazzled in his promotional debut, as he cut down Aalon Cruz
with punches in the first round of their lightweight affair. Cruz
(8-4, 0-2 UFC) succumbed to blows 1:40 into Round 1, referee
Mark
Smith having given him every conceivable opportunity to
recover.
Medic (7-0, 1-0 UFC) wobbled his fellow Dana White’s Contender
Series alum with a right hook, invited him into the clinch and then
broke free with a left hook at close range. Cruz stumbled backward,
absorbed the impact from a blocked flying knee and folded under a barrage of punches. Medic
continued to unleash his hands through several attempted scrambles
before ultimately prompting the stoppage.
The 27-year-old Medic has finished all seven of his opponents, six
of them inside one round.
Jones Stings Favored Bautista
Former Pacific
Xtreme Combat champion Trevin
Jones put away Mario
Bautista with punches in the second round of their bantamweight
pairing. Jones (13-6, 1-0 UFC) brought it to a close 40 seconds
into Round 2, springing the upset as a 2-to-1 underdog.
Bautista (8-2, 2-2 UFC) kept his adversary guessing for much of the
first round, as the
MMA Lab export countered effectively and fired off body kicks,
knees and left hands with ill intent. However, Jones floored him with a right uppercut early in
the second round, followed him to the canvas and sealed the
deal with a series of rapid-fire hammerfists.
The loss snapped Bautista’s two-fight winning streak. 
