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the ESPN app. Derek
Brunson made another would-be contender look like a
pretender. The Sanford MMA standout moved one step closer to his desired goal,
as he submitted Darren Till
with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their
UFC Fight Night 191 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas. Brunson (23-7, 14-5 UFC) drew the curtain 2:13 into
Round 3, then set his sights on reigning
Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight titleholder
Israel
Adesanya.
Till (18-4-1, 6-4-1 UFC) was once again betrayed by his takedown
defense. Brunson put him on his back less than 90 seconds into the
first round and unleashed a hellacious barrage of ground-and-pound
that resulted in significant damage to the Brit’s right eye. He
minimized Till’s gains on the feet with another takedown midway
through Round 2, a clear narrative taking shape. The
Team Kaobon export made his final stand early in the third,
where he had Brunson reeling with a burst of straight left hands.
That brief glimmer of hope vanished in an instant. Brunson secured
the last of his takedowns, moved to full mount and advanced to the
back, where he cinched the choke and forced the tapout.
The 37-year-old Brunson has won five fights in a row and still
poses a clear-and-present danger to all who populate the top of the
185-pound weight class.
Surging Aspinall Smashes Spivak
Team Kaobon’s Tom
Aspinall put away Sergey
Spivak with a short-range elbow strike and follow-up punches in
the first round of their heavyweight co-main event. A late-notice
fill-in for Sergei
Pavlovich, Spivak (13-3, 4-3 UFC) bowed out 2:30 into Round 1,
the setback slamming the door on his three-fight winning
streak.
Aspinall (11-2, 4-0 UFC) kept the former
World Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder off-balance
with feints and stance switches, leaned on his hand speed and
hunted for openings. He connected with a knee to the body while
exiting a clinch and followed it with the elbow. Spivak retreated
to the mat, only to be met with a burst of punches that brought
about the stoppage.
The 28-year-old Aspinall has delivered all 11 of his wins by
knockout, technical knockout or submission, 10 of them inside one
round.
Replacement Morono Outstrikes Zawada
Fortis
MMA’s Alex Morono
made the most of his opportunity as a short-notice replacement for
Sergey
Khandozhko, as he laid claim to a unanimous decision over
David
Zawada in a three-round welterweight feature. Morono (20-7, 9-4
UFC) drew 30-27 marks on all three scorecards.
Zawada (17-7, 1-4 UFC) enjoyed some success when he targeted the
body but otherwise lacked the weaponry necessary to give his
adversary pause. Morono followed crisp jabs with overhand rights,
proved effective on the counter and managed to mix in a few
crowd-pleasing spinning attacks. By the time the 15-minute battle
reached its conclusion, Zawada’s face told a tale of a man who had
absorbed far too much punishment to get his hand raised.
Morono has recorded six wins across his last eight outings.
Rountree Leg Kick Cripples Bukauskas
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 23 finalist Khalil
Rountree took out Modestas
Bukauskas with a crippling kick to the knee in the second round
of their light heavyweight attraction. Bukauskas (11-5, 1-3) met
his end 2:30 into Round 2, his string of consecutive losses now at
three.
Rountree (9-5, 5-5 UFC) raced out to a hyperaggressive start and
repositioned the Gintas Combat rep’s nose with a series of left
hooks in the first round. Midway through the middle stanza, he sent
a stomping side kick crashing into Bukauskas’ planted lead leg. The
result was immediate and devastating, as the Lithuanian collapsed
downward—his knee appeared to explode inward—in audible
and visible distress. He was removed from the cage on a
stretcher.
The victory was Rountree’s first since April 13, 2019.
Debuting Pimblett Buries Vendramini
Former
Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Paddy
Pimblett cut down Luigi
Vendramini with punches in the first round of their lightweight
showcase. Vendramini (9-3, 1-3 UFC) succumbed to blows 4:25 into
Round 1, suffering his third defeat in four outings.
Not all went according to plan for Pimblett (17-3, 1-0 UFC). The
hubris-infused
Next Generation MMA prospect ran into a left hook from the
Brazilian that buckled his knees and led to his being taken down.
To his credit, Pimblett stayed composed, regained his faculties and
returned to his feet. He turned the tide with a blistering right
hook, swarmed with punches and pinned Vendramini to the cage. From
there, Pimblett continued to fire punches until the job
was done.
Pimblett, 26, has rattled off three straight wins.
Continue Reading »
UFC Fight Night 191 Prelims: Erosa Choke Submits Jourdain
