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. Ignacio
Bahamondes checked another box in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division, as he
submitted Zhu Rong with
a brabo choke in the third round of their featured
UFC Fight Night 202 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las
Vegas. Rong (18-5, 1-2 UFC), who missed weight by four pounds,
conceded defeat 1:40 into Round 3. Bahamondes (13-4, 2-1 UFC) chipped away with crisp jab-cross
combinations, bruising leg kicks and sneaky body shots, slowly but
surely taking the steam out of the former Wu Lin Feng champion.
Rong executed a takedown early in the third round, only to be swept
immediately in a demoralizing sequence. Bahamondes cut off his next
attempt at a desperate double-leg takedown, clamped down on the neck and moved to a dominant
topside position to prompt the tapout.
The successful submission was the first of Bahamondes’ 17-fight
career.
Nunes Handles Newcomer Pascual
Potent left hands, intermittent body kicks and strong defensive
grappling spurred Josiane
Nunes to a unanimous decision over promotional newcomer
Ramona
Pascual in a three-round women’s featherweight battle. Nunes
(9-1, 2-0 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26
marks from the judges.
A short-notice substitution for Jennifer
Gonzalez, Pascual (6-3, 0-1 UFC) landed close-range knees in
the first half of the fight and managed to complete a couple of
takedowns but offered little else in terms of meaningful offense.
Nunes nearly finished it in the second round, where she staggered
the Syndicate MMA export with a jarring left hand, swarmed with
punches for a knockdown and eventually moved to the back. Pascual
survived but emerged with serious damage to her right eye and
failed to make headway from that point forward. Nunes continued to
tear into her with left hands and avoided any potential potholes in
Round 3.
Nunes, 28, has won eight fights in a row.
Promising McKinney Throttles Ziam
Sikjitsu rep Terrance
McKinney submitted Fares Ziam
with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their lightweight
encounter. McKinney (12-3, 2-0 UFC) brought it to an emphatic close
2:11 into Round 1, pushing his run of consecutive victories to
five.
Ziam (12-4, 2-2 UFC) swept “T.Wrecks” off his feet with a leg kick
during one of their early exchanges, only to lose the subsequent
scramble and wind up in bottom position. McKinney progressed to
side control, climbed to full mount and eventually attached himself
to the Frenchman’s back. Soon after,
the choke was in place and Ziam’s fate was sealed.
The setback snapped a two-fight winning streak for Ziam.
Brahimaj Choke Submits Gillmore
Ramiz
Brahimaj submitted “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 29 alum
Micheal
Gillmore with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their
welterweight confrontation. Gillmore (6-5, 0-2 UFC) bowed out 2:02
into Round 1, suffering his second straight setback.
A short-notice replacement for Jonny
Parsons, Brahimaj (10-4, 2-2 UFC) executed an early takedown,
climbed to the back and threatened the neck. Gillmore denied his
initial advances but only prolonged the inevitable. Brahimaj moved
to full mount, applied some ground-and-pound and ultimately
returned to the back. From there, he
connected his arms on the choke, tightened his squeeze and forced
the tap.
Fortis MMA Brahimaj has alternated wins and losses in each of his
last eight outings.
Surging Hernandez Edges Altamirano
Close-range knee strikes, punching bursts to the head and a few
takedowns spurred VFS Academy prospect Carlos
Hernandez to a split decision over former Legacy Fighting
Alliance champion Victor
Altamirano in a three-round flyweight pairing. Judge Dave Hagen
scored it 29-28 for Altamirano, while Sal D’Amato and Michael Bell
struck 30-27 and 29-28 scorecards for Hernandez.
Altamirano (10-2, 0-1 UFC) leaned heavily on his kicks, targeted
the body and handled himself well in the clinch. Hernandez (7-2,
0-1 UFC) often answered in single strikes but connected with the
more impactful blows and benefitted from the takedowns he managed
to complete.
The 28-year-old Hernandez has rattled off eight consecutive
victories. 
