1️⃣6️⃣-0️⃣@KongRomanov
[
came in to handle BUSINESS.
#UFCVegas53 | Prelims LIVE on ESPN 2 ] pic.twitter.com/wlUttQucl3— UFC (@ufc)
April 30, 2022
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Alexander
Romanov was by far the biggest betting favorite on the UFC
on ESPN 35 card, and he performed as such.
The Moldovan known as “King Kong” encountered little resistance
from short-notice foe Chase
Sherman en route to a quick submission victory in a preliminary
heavyweight bout on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Romanov
put Sherman away with a keylock at the 2:11 mark of the opening
round to keep his undefeated record intact.
Romanov (16-0, 5-0 UFC) wasted little time getting Sherman (15-10,
3-9 UFC) to the canvas, as he landed an initial takedown and then
suplexed his foe on his head within the bout’s first 30 seconds.
Sherman had one more attempt at standing before he was planted on
his back again. From there, Romanov passed to full mount, walked
his foe to the fence and unloaded with some of his patented
ground-and-pound. When that punishment become too much, Sherman
attempted to turn away, exposing himself to the fight-ending
submission. That allowed Romanov to isolate the limb and crank to
force the tap in short order.
Romanov has finished four of his five UFC triumphs inside the
distance.
Figueiredo Kneebars Lacerda
Francisco
Figueiredo showcased a dangerous guard, transitioning to a
kneebar in the blink of an eye to submit fellow Brazilian Daniel
Lacerda in a flyweight matchup. The younger brother of UFC
champion Deiveson
Figueiredo elicited a tapout from his opponent 78 seconds into
the contest. Figueiredo has lost just once in his last six
professional outings.
Lacerda responded to a body kick from Figueiredo (13-4-1, 1 NC, 2-1
UFC) by executing a takedown, where he set up inside his foe’s
guard. “Sniper” was immediately active from his back, and he
capitalized when Lacerda (11-3, 0-2 UFC) attempted to clear his
legs and advance position. Instead, Lacerda found himself trapped
in a kneebar during a scramble, and Figueiredo only had to crank for a second before
his opponent asked out of the fight.
Green Rallies, Overwhelms Lainesse
Gabriel
Green weathered some adversity before pouring it on and
rallying for a technical knockout victory against former
Dana White’s Contender Series competitor Yohan
Lainesse in a welterweight affair. A barrage of
standing-to-ground punches from Green brought a halt to the contest
4:02 into the second round. The man known as “Gifted” has won eight
of his last nine professional outings.
Lainesse (8-1, 0-1) started off well enough, working behind a
variety of kicks and power punches, including one massive right
hand that floored Green instantly. Green regained his bearings in
short order and once he did, the Bellator
MMA veteran was relentless. With Lainesse taking deep breaths,
Green pressured his foe into the cage with punching
combinations, sending his man to the floor with a series of
devastating hooks to the body. From there, Lainesse could do
little more than cover up as Green (11-3, 2-1 UFC) unloaded with
the finishing salvo.
Levy Outduels Breeden in Slugfest
DWCS alum Natan Levy
absorbed some heavy fire down the stretch but held on to take a
unanimous decision triumph against
Glory MMA & Fitness product Mike
Breeden in a lightweight clash. All three judges submitted
scorecards in favor of the Israeli: 29-28, 29-28, 30-27.
In a bout filled with momentum swings, Levy (7-1, 1-1 UFC) made
Breeden work with repeated takedowns and control from the rear
bodylock position early on. In Round 2, Levy put his foe on the
retreat with a well-placed kick to the liver, but Breeden was able
to survive until the horn.
Breeden (10-5, 0-2 UFC) never stopped moving forward. He did his
best work in the final stanza, pressuring Levy against the fence
with punching combinations to the head and body along with a solid
standing elbow that wobbled his adversary. Levy fired back late in
the period, most notably connecting with a counter left hook that
caused Breeden to stumble.
Young Pounds Out Mazany, Earns First UFC Win
Shanna
Young rebounded from a slow start to rally for a technical
knockout victory against “The Ultimate Fighter 18” competitor
Gina
Mazany in a flyweight encounter. A barrage of punches and
elbows from back mount at the 3:11 mark of Round 2 propelled Young
(8-4, 1-2 UFC) to her first Octagon triumph.
Mazany (7-6, 2-6 UFC) was the aggressor in the opening frame, as
she pressed the action, sucked Young into the clinch and briefly
buckled her foe with a knee in close quarters. Young began to
settle in over the latter portion of Round 1 and continued that
momentum into the second period, when she scrambled into top
position after an attempted throw by Mazany. From there, the
Syndicate MMA representative transitioned to Mazany’s back, flattened her out
and hammered away with strikes. After a couple warnings to
Mazany to defend herself, referee Jason Herzog decided he’d seen
enough.