WOW! D-Rod wasting no time with a RD 1
KO!#UFCVegas31
pic.twitter.com/5iohb4dFii— UFC (@ufc)
July 18, 2021
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Daniel
Rodriguez didn’t allow Preston
Parsons even a glimmer of hope in his
Ultimate Fighting Championship debut.
Rodriguez won for the fifth time in six promotional outings at
UFC on ESPN 26, as he picked Preston
Parsons apart with precision punches en route to a technical
knockout stoppage 3:47 into the opening round of their bout at the
UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Parsons, a late
replacement for Abubakar
Nurmagomedov, saw a four-bout winning streak snapped.
Rodriguez looked every bit the part of the Octagon veteran as he
blended kicks to the legs and body with straight punches early
against Parsons, who was denied on his attempts to get the fight to
the canvas. Rodriguez (15-2, 5-1 UFC) put Parsons (9-3, 0-1 UFC) on
the defensive when he landed a hard left to the eye, and from
there, the
10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu standout product patiently hunted for the
finish. Eventually, Rodriguez connected with a clean 1-2
combination that forced Parsons to cover up against the fence, and
“D-Rod” continued to hammer away with punches as his foe fell to
his knees and then rolled to his back before the bout was
halted.
Lemos Scores Quick TKO of Ruiz
Amanda
Lemos raised her stock in the strawweight division with a quick
first-round knockout of former
Invicta Fighting Championships talent Montserrat
Ruiz.
The Marajo Brothers Team export brought the show to a close
just 35 seconds into Round 1, making it the second-fastest finish
in the history of the 115-pound division. Lemos has won four
straight Octagon appearances.
Ruiz (10-2, 1-1 UFC) rushed forward from the opening bell, and
Lemos (10-1-1, 4-1 UFC) forced her Mexican opponent to pay for her
heedless aggression. Lemos made the
Kings MMA representative stumble forward with a crisp right hand and dropped her with a follow-up
left hook to the jaw. The Brazilian landed one final hammerfist
on the canvas before referee Chris Tognoni dived in to rescue a
dazed Ruiz.
Morozov Grappling Wears Down Taha
Former M-1 Global
champion Sergey
Morozov used his grappling to carry him to a unanimous decision
triumph over Khalid Taha
in a bantamweight affair. The Kazakhstan native swept the
scorecards by identical 30-27 tallies for his sixth victory in his
last seven professional outings.
While Morozov held his own on the feet behind a solid lead left
hook, it was his combination of takedowns, pressure and positional
control that ultimately won the day. Morozov (17-5, 1-1 UFC)
secured multiple takedowns, shoved Taha (13-4, 1-3, 1 NC UFC) into
the fence and took his opponent’s back during a grinding
performance. Taha was able to separate for one final assault in the
waning moments of Round 3, but Morozov avoided taking any serious
damage.
Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC,
PFL and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer,
phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.
Gordon Edges Figueiredo, Earns First UFC Win
Malcolm
Gordon secured his first promotional triumph with a competitive
three-round verdict over Francisco
Figueiredo in a flyweight encounter. All three cageside judges
submitted tallies in favor of Gordon: 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28. The
Adrenaline Training Center representative had suffered
first-round defeats in his first two UFC appearances.
Gordon (13-5, 1-2 UFC) fought with a sense of urgency throughout
the contest, as he consistently pushed the pace and hunted for
takedowns. While he struggled during exchanges with Figueiredo, the
31-year-old Canadian was able to assume top position in each stanza
while occasionally attacking with ground-and-pound. Gordon’s best
work came in Round 3, when Figueiredo (12-4-1, 1 NC, 1-1 UFC)
slipped on a flying knee at the outset of the stanza, allowing his
opponent to dictate the action from above and in the clinch for the
majority of the final frame.
Nascimento Rallies for TKO Win Over Baudot
It was a tale of two rounds for
Dana White’s Contender Series alum Rodrigo
Nascimento, who rallied for a technical knockout victory
against former Heat
two-division champion Alan Baudot
at heavyweight. The
American Top Team representative ended the contest with a
barrage of punches on his defenseless foe 1:29 into Round 2.
Baudot (8-3, 0-2 UF) set the tone in the opening stanza, landing
jabs, lead left hooks and right hands on his Brazilian adversary
standing while also punishing Nascimento with ground-and-pound
during a brief sequence on the canvas. Nascimento (9-1, 2-1 UFC)
sharpened his striking in Round 2, and he had Baudot reeling in a
short period of time. Nascimento tagged Baudot with punches to the
head and body near the fence until the fatigued Frenchman covered up due to the
punishment, forcing referee Chris Tognoni to step in on his
behalf. 
