Heavy hitters brought the intensity!!
[
#UFCVegas32 | LIVE on @ESPN & @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/7duGkU57B3— UFC (@ufc)
July 24, 2021
Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 264
live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device
via the ESPN app. Brendan
Allen danced with danger and survived to tell the tale.
The former
Legacy Fighting Alliance champion on Saturday leaned on a
sustained body attack and laid claim to a unanimous decision over
the previously unbeaten Punahele
Soriano in the featured
UFC on ESPN 27 prelim at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Allen
(17-4, 5-1 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28
marks from the judges.
Soriano (8-1, 2-1 UFC) swung for the fences but came up empty far
too often. Allen chewed up the heavy-handed Hawaiian with brutal
body kicks and sneaky punches to the midsection, turning him into a
mostly stationary target midway through the match. Despite the
visible effects of fatigue, Soriano sent spit flying with a clean
left hook in the third round but failed to string together offense
in more than one-punch bursts. Allen continued to zero on the body
with kicks while mixing in multi-punch combinations and occasional
knees to the head.
Underdog Imavov Buries Heinisch
MMA Factory product Nassourdine
Imavov brought down former
Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Ian
Heinisch with punches in the second round of their middleweight
tilt. Imavov (10-3, 2-1 UFC) closed the deal 3:09 into Round 2,
winning for the seventh time in eight assignments.
Heinisch (14-5, 3-4 UFC) enjoyed some success with kicks to the
inside and outside of the Frenchman’s leg, but his gains were
minimal. Imavov pressed forward with punches—a punishing jab was
perhaps his most effective weapon—and methodically broke down the
Sanford MMA rep. He countered Heinisch with a stinging left
hand during their final exchange, pinned him to the fence and sent
a knee crashing into his face. Imavov then flurried on the crouched American with punches
until the job was done.
The 32-year-old Henisch has lost four of his last five fights.
Gall Choke Submits Williams
Onetime “CM Punk”
tormentor Mickey Gall
submitted
Dana White’s Contender Series alum Jordan
Williams with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their
welterweight clash. Williams (9-5, 0-2 UFC) raised the white flag
2:57 into Round 1, as he lost for the third time in four
fights.
Gall (7-3, 6-3 UFC) cracked the Colorado-based Californian with a
right hand at close range and seized control from there. He bit
down on a guillotine choke during a later exchange, transitioned to
full mount and ultimately moved to the back. Once his position was
secured, Gall snaked his arms in place for the fight-ending
choke and left Williams no choice but to tap.
The submission was Gall’s first in nearly three years.
Surging Arce Stops Ewell
Team Tiger Schulmann’s Julio Arce
took care of onetime
CES MMA champion Andre Ewell
with punches in the second round of their bantamweight encounter.
Ewell (17-8, 4-4 UFC) bowed out 3:45 into Round 2, the Apex
MMA export losing for the second time in as many outings.
Outside of suffering a cut near his right eye, Arce (17-4, 4-2 UFC)
experienced little in the way of difficulty. The former Ring of
Combat titleholder tore into Ewell with leg kicks, countered
effectively and otherwise handled his business. Arce wobbled his
counterpart with a left cross in the second round, swarmed with punches and forced referee Chris
Tognoni to call for the standing stoppage.
The 31-year-old Arce has won nine of his last 11 bouts.
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.
Eubanks Squashes Newcomer Reed
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 26 graduate Sijara
Eubanks put away former
Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder Elise Reed
with punches in the first round of their women’s flyweight clash.
The previously unbeaten Reed (4-1, 0-1 UFC) succumbed to blows 3:49
into Round 1.
Eubanks (7-6, 5-4 UFC) executed a takedown inside the first 10
seconds, hammered away with ground-and-pound and transitioned from
the knee-on-belly position to full mount. Reed did what she could
to cover up but could not prevent her situation from becoming
utterly hopeless. Eubanks moved to mount for a second time, buried
elbows into the promotional newcomer’s face—they resulted in
significant damage to Reed’s right eye—and drew the curtain with unanswered punches.
The win snapped a two-fight losing streak for Eubanks.
Belbita Outstrikes Returning Goldy
House of Champions MMA rep Diana
Belbita outstruck Hannah
Goldy to a unanimous decision in a three-round women’s
strawweight pairing. All three cageside judges scored it the same:
30-27 for Belbita (14-6, 1-2 UFC), who threw the brakes on a
two-fight losing streak.
Goldy (5-2, 0-2 UFC) fell behind at the start and never recovered.
Belbita sat her down with a right hand in the first round and
staggered her with another in the third, flurrying for a potential
finish on both occasions. While her efforts failed to net the
stoppage, they allowed the Canada-based Romanian to keep her nose
in front for the duration. Goldy struck for a takedown in the final
minute of the match, climbed to full mount and applied some
elbow-laced ground-and-pound. Alas, time was not on her side.
The appearance was Goldy’s first since Aug. 3, 2019. 
