43 and still going strong 💪
[ @AndreiArlovski
|
#UFC271 ] pic.twitter.com/rZEWfZoqsG— UFC (@ufc)
February 13, 2022
Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 271
live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device
via the ESPN app. There seems to be no expiration date on Andrei
Arlovski’s mixed martial arts career.
The former heavyweight king won for the fifth time in six outings
at
UFC 271, taking a split decision over Dana White’s Contender
Series vet Jared
Vanderaa in a preliminary bout at the Toyota Center in Houston
on Saturday night. Judges Jeff
Rexroad and Douglas Crosby scored the fight 29-28 for the
Belarusian, while Robert
Alexander had it 29-28 in favor of Vanderaa (12-7, 1-3
UFC).
The 43-year-old Arlovski (33-20, 22-14 , 1 NC UFC) relied on the
formula that has brought him consistent success at this stage of
his professional tenure. He utilized superior hand speed and
movement to keep the plodding Vanderaa at bay — connecting with
several solid right hands throughout the contest while mixing in
the occasional kick. To his credit, Vanderaa never stopped moving
forward and upped his aggression in Round 3, but he was unable to
put Arlovski in any serious danger.
O’Neill Spoils Modafferi’s Farewell
Casey O’Neill continues to look like a talent to watch in the
female flyweight division, bringing an unceremonious end to Roxane
Modaferri’s MMA career in a split-decision triumph. Judges Ivan
Guzman and Kerry Hatley submitted 29-28 scorecards for O’Neill
(9-0, 4-0 UFC) while Robert
Alexander saw the fight in favor of Modafferi (25-20, 4-8 UFC).
It is expected to be the final appearance for “The Happy Warrior,”
who is viewed as one of the pioneers of women’s MMA.
“I’m OK with that last fight,” said Modafferi, who left her gloves
in the center of the Octagon. “I gave everything that I had. It’s
time for me to pass the torch to the next generation.”
O’Neill consistently battered Modafferi with stinging punching
combinations, setting an
Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight record for significant
strikes landed in the process. In typical fashion, Modafferi was a
game competitor, and her own punches bloodied O’Neill’s nose and
caused swelling under her left eye. However, Modafferi simply
couldn’t match her foe’s superior athleticism, punching power and
volume, while her attempts to grapple came far too late to make a
difference.
Phillips Triangle Armbar Dispatches Rojo
Kyler
Phillips put on an offensive master class en route to a
submission victory over Argentina’s Marcelo
Rojo in a bantamweight pairing. The MMA Lab representative
used a triangle armbar to elicit a tapout from his adversary
1:48 into Round 3, winning for the fifth time in six professional
outings. Rojo, meanwhile, has lost three of four.
Phillips had all facets of his game working. He attacked Rojo
(16-8, 0-2 UFC) with an arsenal of punching combinations to the
head, kicks to all levels and knees in close quarters — all while
mixing in well-time takedowns. “The Matrix” set the stage for the
finish when he took Rojo down early in Round 3 and transitioned to
a mounted triangle. From there, Phillips (10-2, 4-1 UFC) fell back
and extended Rojo’s arm to end the bout and complete a thoroughly
impressive performance.
Ulberg Cruises Past Cherant
Carlos
Ulberg earned his first promotional triumph, taking a
three-round verdict over ex-Legacy Fighting Alliance champion
Fabio
Cherant in a relatively uneventful light heavyweight scrap. All
three cageside judges submitted 30-27 tallies in favor of the City
Kickboxing export.
The majority of the bout was contested at Ulberg’s preferred pace
and range, with Cherant (7-4, 0-3 UFC) largely hesitant to pull the
trigger. Ulberg (4-1, 1-1 UFC) stalked his opponent methodically,
picking his spots with punching combinations and a variety of
kicks, notably opening a cut near his Cherant’s right eye with a
check left hook in Round 2. Cherant’s lone bright spot came late in
the opening stanza when he caught Ulberg holding his right hand low
and dropped him with a left hand. It wasn’t nearly enough, however,
as Ulberg was able to keep Cherant on his heels for the majority of
the bout.
Lawrence Survives Late Scare, Holds Off Martinez
American Top Team’s Ronnie
Lawrence held off a third-round charge to capture a unanimous
verdict against Houston native Leomana
Martinez in a bantamweight showdown. All three judges saw the
fight in favor of Lawrence: 29-27, 29-27 and 29-28. Lawrence (8-1,
2-0 UFC) has won five straight professional outings.
Lawrence was in complete control over the first 10 minutes. He
dropped Martinez (9-3, 1-1 UFC) three times, secured top position
and threatened with a rear-naked choke to silence a pro-Martinez
crowd. Martinez fought with an appropriate sense of urgency in the
final stanza, as he floored Lawrence twice and swarmed for the
finish before rolling for an armbar when his opponent responded
with a desperation takedown. Ultimately, Lawrence was able to
escape and regain top control to ride out the victory from
there.
Malkoun Outworks Debuting Dobson
Jacob
Malkoun’s gas tank was his best friend, as he gradually wore
down Strong Style Fight Team representative A.J. Dobson
in a middleweight affair. The PMA Super Martial Arts member earned
a trio of 29-28 scorecards from the cageside judges to hand Dobson
his first career setback.
In the early going, Dobson’s slick combination punching and
takedown defense made it seem as though a long night was in store
for Malkoun (6-1, 2-1 UFC). However, Malkoun never wavered in his
approach, and he dragged his opponent to the canvas in Rounds 2 and
3 while landing effective ground-and-pound from above. As the fight
progressed and Malkoun racked up more control time, Dobson (6-1,
0-1 UFC) offered no answers on the canvas.
Bloodied Silva de Andrade Rallies, Taps Morozov
Douglas
Silva de Andrade shook off a rough opening round and rallied
for a scintillating submission victory against ex-M-1 Global
titleholder Sergey
Morozov at bantamweight. The 36-year-old Brazilian brought the
show to a close when he rendered Morozov unconscious with a
rear-naked choke at the 3:34 mark of Round 2.
Morozov (17-5, 1-2 UFC) started quickly in the opening frame, when
he dropped Silva de Andrade (28-4, 6-4 UFC) with an uppercut,
busted him open with an elbow from top position and then rocked his
foe with a knee when he attempted to stand. Though he was bleeding
profusely for the rest of the contest, Silva de Andrade was
undeterred. He took control in Round 2 by flooring Morozov twice
with body-head punching combinations before the action shifted to
the canvas, where he
took the back, adjusted the choke and put the Kazakhstan native to
sleep.
Wells Chokes ‘Blood Diamond’ Unconscious
Jeremiah
Wells overwhelmed City Kickboxing prospect Mike Matheha,
winning via submission in a welterweight contest. Wells (10-2, 2-0
UFC) secured his second consecutive first-round finish in the
Octagon when he rendered “Blood Diamond” unconscious with a
rear-naked choke at the 4:38 mark of Round 1. All four of Wells’
professional submission victories have come via rear-naked
choke.
Wells wasted little time forcing a tie-up with his striking-minded
opponent and after a brief struggle, he powered Matheha to the
canvas with a body-lock takedown. From there, he spent the majority
of the round punishing his foe with ground-and-pound and
threatening with chokes. When Matheha (3-1, 0-1 UFC) attempted to
stand, Wells was able to
slide his arm under the chin and eventually put his adversary to
sleep — even without securing his hooks.
Grishin Slips Past Overweight Knight
Straight punches, kicks at range and sturdy defensive wrestling
carried Maxim
Grishin to a unanimous decision over Dana White’s Contender
Series alum William
Knight in a heavyweight bout. All three judges submitted 30-27
scorecards in favor of the former Professional Fighters League
competitor.
Although he missed weight by 12 pounds on Friday, Knight (11-3, 3-2
UFC) still appeared to be significantly smaller than his opponent
in the cage. Grishin (32-9-2, 2-2 UFC) got Knight’s attention in
Round 1 with a head kick to the face and then was largely content
to control the range with a variety of kicks to the legs and
midsection. Knight’s best moment came in the second frame, when he
slammed Grisin to the canvas. However, Grishin was able to scramble
into top position in relatively short order. The majority of
Knight’s attempts to take the action to the canvas were denied, and
Grishin largely dictated the action with strikes at range.
