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. Calvin
Kattar reasserted himself in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division and could
not have done so with any more authority. The New England Cartel cornerstone carved up Giga
Chikadze across five rounds and walked away with a clean-sweep
unanimous decision in the
UFC on ESPN 32 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las
Vegas. Scores were 50-45, 50-45 and 50-44—all for Kattar (23-5, 7-3
UFC), who rebounded from his one-sided drubbing against Max
Holloway a year ago.
Chikadze (14-2, 7-1 UFC) conceded a takedown and spent much of the
first round pinned to the canvas. His situation only deteriorated
from there. Kattar applied maximum pressure, forced the Georgian
onto his back foot and called upon every weapon in his vast
arsenal, from a surgical jab and front kicks to the body to
occasional knees and sweeping elbow strikes at close range.
Chikadze responded in spurts and looked like a viable threat from
beginning to end, but he could match neither Kattar’s output nor
his determination. The Massachusetts native emptied himself in the
fifth round, where he slashed away at a battered and bloodied
Chikadze with elbows from both sides. The Kings MMA ultimately
collapsed under the final barrage and might have been the victim of
a finish had the bell not sounded.
The setback was Chikadze’s first since June 19, 2018 and halted the
Rafael
Cordeiro disciple’s career-best nine-fight winning streak.
THAT’s HOW YOU MAKE A STATEMENT
[ @CalvinKattar
|
#UFCVegas46 ] pic.twitter.com/yJciqlt9Dy— UFC (@ufc)
January 16, 2022
Collier Choke Submits Sherman
Former Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion Jake
Collier submitted Chase
Sherman with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their
heavyweight co-main event. Sherman (15-9, 3-8 UFC) raised the white
flag 2:26 into Round 1, suffering his third defeat in as many
outings.
Collier (13-6, 5-5 UFC) fired hooks from both hands, absorbed a
right uppercut in return and tripped the Alan
Belcher protégé to the floor. The St. Louis native moved to
full mount without much resistance and consolidated those efforts
with a series of elbow strikes, one of which took a chunk out of
Sherman’s forehead. Soon after, Collier advanced to the back,
snuck his arms in place for the choke and forced the
tapout.
It was the seventh first-round finish of Collier’s 19-fight
career.
Royval Sneaks Past Bontorin
Factory X standout Brandon
Royval closed the book on a two-fight losing streak with a
contentious split decision over Rogerio
Bontorin in a three-round flyweight showcase. All three judges
scored it 29-28: Douglas Crosby for Bontorin, Eric Colon
and Chris Lee for Royval.
Royval (13-6, 3-2 UFC) picked his spots on the feet throughout the
15-minute encounter and nearly submitted the Gile Ribeiro-trained
Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with an armbar in the third round.
Bontorin (17-4, 3-3 UFC), meanwhile, relied heavily on takedowns,
top control and positional advances. Royval made his move late in
Round 3, where the onetime Legacy Fighting Alliance champion
scrambled into top position, clamped down on the Brazilian and
hammered him with elbow-laced ground-and-pound. It was enough to
curry favor on two of the three scorecards.
Bontorin has lost three of his past four bouts.
Chookagian Outduels Rival Maia
Former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder Katlyn
Chookagian moved to 2-0 in her head-to-head series with
Jennifer
Maia, as she laid claim to a unanimous decision in their
women’s flyweight rematch. All three cageside judges scored it the
same: 30-27 for Chookagian (17-4, 10-4 UFC), who also outpointed
the Brazilian at UFC 244 in November 2019.
Maia (19-8-1, 4-4 UFC) failed to overcome the four-inch reach and
five-inch height deficits with which she was presented. Chookagian
leaned on a precision jab and front kicks to the body, all while
unleashing occasional two- and three-punch combinations. She had
Maia in serious peril at the end of Round 2, where she advanced to
the back and cinched a rear-naked choke just before the horn
sounded. Chookagian flexed her superiority in the standup in the
closing stages, once again calling upon jabs and multi-punch
volleys.
Chookagian, 33, has won three fights in a row since her knockout
loss to Jessica
Andrade a little more than a year ago.
Debuting Borshchev Burns Bush
Team Alpha Male prospect Viacheslav
Borshchev cut down Dakota Bush
with a sizzling left hook to the body and follow-up hammerfists in
the first round of their lightweight feature. Borshchev (6-1, 1-0
UFC) brought it to an emphatic close 3:47 into Round 1, making the
most of the platform his promotional debut provided.
Bush (8-4, 0-2 UFC) had his moments, including a knee strike that
wobbled the Dana White’s Contender Series graduate and a scramble
that resulted in his attaching himself to the Russian’s back.
Borshchev weathered his advances, returned to his feet and
disengaged from a takedown attempt. Once upright, he trapped Bush
along the fence and
slammed his fist into the right side of the Glory MMA rep’s
ribcage. Hammerfists from Borshchev fell next, prompting
referee Herb Dean to
intervene.
Borshchev has rattled off four consecutive victories, all of them
finishes.
Algeo Spoils Brito Debut
Effective counters, timely takedowns and a superior gas tank
spurred former Ring of Combat champion Bill Algeo to
a unanimous decision over Joanderson
Brito in a three-round featherweight showcase. Algeo (15-6, 2-2
UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 marks from
the judges, as he won for the seventh time in 10 appearances.
Brito (12-3-1, 0-1 UFC) was the aggressor for much of the match,
sometimes to his detriment. He routinely failed on ill-advised
takedown attempts that left him in disadvantageous positions and
put a strain on his cardio. Algeo staggered the Brazilian with a
right hand in the second round but saved his best work for the
third, where he utilized knees and elbows from the clinch, executed
a late takedown and progressed to the back before time ran out.
The loss snapped a 10-fight winning streak for Brito.
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