Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC,
PFL, Dana White’s Contender Series and “The Ultimate Fighter” live
on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via
the ESPN app. Perhaps someday this will be viewed as the moment
Ketlen
Vieira turned a corner. The Nova Uniao rep moved ever closer to contention in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight division,
as she took a unanimous decision over Miesha Tate
in the
UFC Fight Night 198 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas. Scores were 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46—all for Vieira (12-2,
6-2 UFC), who bounced back from a disappointing decision defeat to
Yana
Kunitskaya in February.
Tate (19-8, 6-5 UFC) was the aggressor from the outset, pressing
forward with punches and no doubt hunting for takedown
opportunities. Vieira was tentative at times, sensational at
others. Ultimately, the power in her hands made the difference. She
lashed out Tate with two-and three-punch combinations, and even
though she absorbed her share of shots in return, the weaponry the
Brazilian brought to bear proved to be far more damaging. By the
time the fifth round was in play, Tate was bleeding heavily from
the nose and struggling to see out of her left eye, the Vieira
right hand having exacted its intended toll.
Undefeated Brady Tops Chiesa
Former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder Sean Brady
put his most significant victory to date in the books with a
unanimous decision over “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 15 winner
Michael
Chiesa in the three-round welterweight co-main event. All three
cageside judges scored it 29-28 for the unbeaten Brady (15-0, 5-0
UFC).
Chiesa (18-6, 11-6 UFC) was a step behind for a majority of the
first two rounds. Brady executed multiple takedowns, methodically
moved to advantageous positions and slowly tightened his grip on
the match. Chiesa answered with a strong Round 3, where he unloaded
with flying knees, right uppercuts and left crosses in a clear bid
to change his fate. Brady withstood his push, battled through
visible fatigue and took care of business.
The 33-year-old Chiesa has lost back-to-back bouts for just the
second time in his career.
Santos Choke Submits Wood
Astra Fight Team export Taila
Santos submitted Joanne Wood
with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their women’s
flyweight feature. Wood (15-7, 7-7 UFC) raised the white flag of
surrender 4:49 into Round 1, as she suffered her second defeat in
as many appearances.
A short-notice replacement for Alex Grasso, Santos (19-1, 4-1 UFC)
successfully navigated the Scotswoman’s labyrinth of jabs and front
kicks, closed the distance and let her fast, powerful hands do the
rest. She decked Wood with a thudding overhand right, climbed to a
seated mount and hunted avenues for the finish. After returning to
her feet, Santos floored the Syndicate MMA rep a second time with
hooks from both hands, moved to the back, cut loose with
hammerfists and ultimately forced her fading adversary to go belly
down. From there, the Brazilian continued to apply her
ground-and-pound,
slid her arms into place for the choke and prompted the tapout from
Wood.
The 28-year-old Santos has won four fights in a row.
Focused Yahya Outmaneuvers Kang
Rani
Yahya once again called upon his world-class grappling skills,
as he laid claim to a unanimous decision over former Road Fighting
Championship titleholder Kyung Ho
Kang in a three-round bantamweight showcase. All three cageside
judges scored it 29-28 for Yahya (28-10-1, 13-4-1 UFC).
Kang (17-9, 6-3 UFC) had the 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission
Wrestling World Championships gold medalist reeling with power
punches in the first round and utilized an effective sprawl to keep
himself out of harm’s way. He was not as successful across the
final 10 minutes. Yahya waded through considerable difficulty and
danger, lured the South Korean striker into prolong ground
exchanges and flexed his superiority on the floor through deft
positional advances, ground-and-pound, unwavering control and the
constant threat of the submission.
The setback was Kang’s first since Aug. 4, 2018.
Streaking Yanez Denies Grant
Metro Fight Club star Adrian
Yanez maintained his upward trajectory at 135 pounds, as he
eked out a split decision over “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 18
finalist Davey Grant
in a three-round bantamweight attraction. Judges Junichiro Kamijo
and Eric
Colon scored it 29-28 for Yanez, while judge Tony Weeks raised
eyebrows with a 30-27 nod to Grant.
Yanez (15-3, 4-0 UFC) took some time to get going. Grant (13-6, 4-5
UFC) zeroed in on him with an active kicking game and did
everything he could to lure him into an ugly firefight. Yanez
refused to bite and instead leaned on clean jab-cross combinations
and occasional kicks of his own. The evidence of his work was
painted on Grant’s face, blood streaming from a cut on the bridge
of his nose.
The 27-year-old Yanez will ride an eight-fight winning streak into
his next assignment.
Continue Reading »
UFC Fight Night 198 Prelims: Sabatini Cools Off Replacement Lutz in
Las Vegas 
