Still undefeated!@IanGarryMMA
earns the UD victory to make it 9️⃣-0️⃣ in his sophomore showing!
#UFC273 pic.twitter.com/UgUCyqbhDV— UFC (@ufc)
April 10, 2022
It wasn’t the showcase performance Ian Garry
might have hoped for, but the Irish prospect was nonetheless
victorious in his sophomore Octagon appearance at
UFC 273.
The former Cage Warriors king relied on technical striking,
intelligent movement and sound takedown defense to capture a
unanimous triumph against Darian
Weeks in a featured welterweight prelim at Vystar Veteran’s
Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday night. All three
cageside judges saw the fight in favor of the Sanford MMA product:
29-28, 30-27 and 30-27.
In going the distance for the third time in his professional
tenure, Garry (9-0, 2-0 UFC) was largely content to attack on the
outside with long punches and a toolbox of kicks. Weeks’ striking
defense held up for the most part, and he made the fight ugly by
forcing Garry to fight with his back to the fence on multiple
occasions. Garry authored his most definitive moment in Round 3,
when he upped his striking output and eventually clipped Weeks with
a right hand. Weeks (5-2, 0-2 UFC) recovered and made it to the
final horn, but he wasn’t able to threaten his opponent enough to
sway the scorecards in his favor.
Relentless Hernandez Outgrapples Fremd
A relentless grappling game carried ex-Legacy
Fighting Alliance titleholder Anthony
Hernandez to a unanimous decision over short-notice opponent
Josh
Fremd in a back-and-forth middleweight clash. Hernandez earned
scorecards of 30-27 (twice) and 29-28 for his second consecutive
triumph in the Octagon. Fremd (9-3, 0-1 UFC) was a replacement for
Dricus Du
Plessis, who was pulled from the Hernandez matchup to face
Kelvin
Gastelum before that fight was ultimately canceled.
Hernandez threatened to make it a short night at the office in
Round 1, as he landed takedowns, advanced to dominant positions and
threatened with multiple submissions. Fremd survived and authored a
comeback in the second frame when he reversed a crucifix and
maintained top position before tagging Hernandez (9-2, 3-2 UFC)
with a right hand late in the period.
Hernandez’s gas tank did not wane, however, and he put together a
dominant third round behind an early takedown. From there, “Fluffy”
gave his adversary no room to breathe, as he controlled positioning
and again kept Fremd on the defensive with multiple submission
attempts — including a reverse triangle in the waning moments.
Pennington Holds Off Ladd
Raquel
Pennington secured a hard-fought unanimous decision triumph
against Aspen Ladd
in a matchup of
Invicta Fighting Championships veterans at bantamweight. The
former bantamweight title challenger received a trio of 29-28
scorecards to earn her fourth consecutive victory within the Las
Vegas-based promotion.
Pennington (14-8, 11-5 UFC), who replaced Irene
Aldana on short notice, worked behind a solid right hand while
landing combinations to the head and body in volume. “Rocky” kept a
gun-shy Ladd off-balance by mixing in clinch work and knees in the
first two rounds, as well. Ladd (9-3, 4-3 UFC) did her best work in
Round 3, when she scored a takedown and controlled the action in
close quarters, but by then it was too late to make a
difference.
Malott Left Hook Folds Gall
Team Alpha Male export Mike Malott
had an
Ultimate Fighting Championship debut to remember, scoring a
technical knockout of Mickey Gall
in a welterweight clash. A massive left hook sent Gall face-first
to the canvas, and Malott (8-1-1, 1-0) sealed his victory with
follow-up ground-and-pound for the stoppage at the 3:41 mark of
Round 1. Gall (7-5, 6-5) has lost three of his last four
promotional appearances.
The combatants traded willingly from the outset of the fight, but
it was Malott who clipped Gall with right hands on a couple of
occasions. Gall landed his share of offense too, bloodying his
opponent’s nose with some of his connections. Malott struck the
decisive blow, following an
overhand right with a left hook directly to Gall’s chin. From
there, the Dana White’s Contender Series alum landed approximately
five to seven blows on the canvas before referee Larry Folsom
stepped in on Gall’s behalf.
Oleynik Secures Another Submission Win, Taps Vanderaa
Even at 44 years old, Alexey
Oleynik continues to rack up submission victories. The Russian
known as “The Boa Constrictor” survived a few dangerous moments
before rallying to submit Dana White’s Contender Series alum
Jared
Vanderaa with the rarely-seen scarf hold at the 3:39 mark of
Round 1 in their heavyweight encounter. Oleynik (60-16-1, 9-7 UFC)
snaps a three-bout skid in victory, earning his 47th career
submission in the process.
Oleynik’s decision to jump guard earlier in the opening stanza
initially appeared to be a mistake, as Vanderaa (12-8, 1-4 UFC)
landed ground-and-pound and took his opponent’s back. Oleynik
maintained his cool and eventually reversed position, executing a
back take of his own before moving to top control. From there,
Oleynik transitioned to the fight-ending maneuver,
tightened his grip and forced Vanderaa to ask out of the
contest.
Oleynik’s seven submission triumphs in UFC competition rank second
in promotion history behind only Frank Mir
(eight).
Rodriguez Outworks Hansen, Wins Debut
Ex-Legacy
Fighting Alliance champion Piera
Rodriguez turned the tables on Kay Hansen
after a slow start, winning a unanimous decision in a strawweight
affair. All three judges submitted 29-28 tallies in favor of the
Venezuelan fighter.
Hansen (7-6, 1-3), who missed weight by 2.5 pounds, grounded
Rodriguez (8-0, 1-0 UFC) multiple times in the opening stanza, but
the Invicta FC veteran couldn’t maintain that momentum as the fight
progressed. Rodriguez seized control with a takedown and a
transition to back control in Round 2 before relying on more
takedowns and clinch work in the final stanza to sway the
scorecards in her favor.
Arce Outduels Octagon Newcomer Santos
Team Tiger Schulmann representative Julio Arce
relied on superior footwork and effective countering to win a
unanimous decision over Charles
Oliveira training partner Daniel
Gustavo Santos in a bantamweight tilt. All three cageside
judges submitted scorecards in favor of Arce (18-5, 5-3): 30-27,
30-27, 29-28. The former Ring of Combat competitor missed weight by
0.5 pounds on Friday.
Santos’ (8-2, 0-1 UFC) remained aggressive throughout, as he
stalked his opponent and took chances by throwing numerous spinning
attacks. However, the Brazilian muay Thai stylist often missed the
mark, and he ate plenty of straight shots from Arce for his
efforts. Arce also blended in the occasional head kick — including
one that wobbled Santos late Round 1 — and effective body work in
winning for the 10th time in 13 professional outngs.