Rafael
Fiziev appeared to be on his way to a solid-but-not-spectacular
decision triumph over Rafael dos
Anjos. Then lightning struck.
Fiziev took another significant step toward title contention in the
lightweight division with a fifth-round technical knockout victory
against dos Anjos in the
UFC on ESPN 39 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on
Saturday night. Referee Mark Smith waved off the fight 18 seconds
into the fifth round, giving the Tiger Muay Thai standout his first
main event victory in the Octagon. Fiziev has won six straight
fights at 155 pounds, the fourth-longest active winning streak in
the division.
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Exhibiting stellar defensive wrestling in addition to his
multi-faceted striking arsenal, Fiziev appeared to be build a solid
lead on the scorecards heading into the championship rounds as he
stuffed multiple takedowns while attacking with punching
combinations, kicks to all levels, leaping knees and standing
elbows. Dos Anjos made a final push in Round 4, landing a jumping
knee and a left hand before securing a rare takedown late in the
period.
Fiziev showed he had plenty left in the tank in the first fifth
round of his professional career. After feinting a right knee,
“Ataman” sent his foe tumbling to the canvas with a massive left
hook. From there, one perfectly-placed standing-to-ground punch
ended dos Anjos’ night in shocking fashion.
“Now we know who is the best Rafael in the UFC,” Fiziev said. “Who
says I don’t have cardio? Who says he’s gonna take me down and
submit me?… Now he knows my power.”
Borralho Stymies Petrosyan
Caio
Borralho used takedowns and positional control to garner a
unanimous decision victory against Armen
Petrosyan in a middleweight matchup of ex-Dana
White’s Contender Series competitors. The 29-year-old Brazilian
received tallies of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 from the judges to win
his ninth straight professional outing.
Petrosyan (7-2, 1-1 UFC) was never able to unleash his vaunted
striking. Borralho (12-1, 1 NC, 2-0 UFC) exploded for powerful
takedowns, planting his adversary on the canvas on multiple
occasions with relative ease. Once there, Borralho spent much of
the first two frames attached to Petrosyan’s back, though he was
unable to secure a submission. The final round wasn’t quite as
dominant, but Borralho again neutralized Petrosyan through
takedowns and clinch work for much of the period.
Nurmagomedov Fends Off Silva de Andrade
Former
World Fighting Championship Akhmat title holder Said
Nurmagomedov extended his winning streak to three with a
unanimous decision triumph against Douglas
Silva de Andrade in a competitive bantamweight affair. All
three judges saw the fight in favor of the 30-year-old Dagestani:
30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.
Nurmagomedov attacked with his typical array of flashy kicks and
spinning attacks for much of the contest, but Andrade did well to
block or elude some of the most potentially damaging offerings.
Still, Nurmagomedov (16-2, 5-1 UFC) bloodied his Brazilian foe in
the clinch and kept him off balance with a versatile arsenal. De
Andrade’s (28-5, 1 NC, 6-5 UFC) approach was characterized by
sporadic bursts of aggression, including a spinning backfist late
in Round 2 that appeared to briefly stun Nurmagomedov before the
horn.
Sherman Overwhelms Vanderaa
Chase
Sherman earned a much-needed win, as he scored a technical
knockout victory against Jared
Vanderaa in a matchup of struggling heavyweights. “The Vanilla
Gorilla” brought the fight to a close with a barrage of punches
against the fence at the 3:10 mark of Round 3. Sherman (16-10, 4-9
UFC) snapped a four-bout skid in victory, while Vanderaa (12-9, 1-5
UFC) saw his losing streak extend to four.
Sherman was the superior boxer throughout, exhibiting skilled head
movement and solid body-head combinations against his slower
opponent. Vanderaa kept marching forward, however, and he began to
do damage behind his jab and some thudding low kicks. Momentum
shifted in Round 3, when a clean multi-punch combination from
Sherman had Vanderaa reeling near the fence. Sensing the end was
imminent,
Sherman poured it on, and Vanderaa had no choice but to cover
up and fall to his seat as referee Mark Smith
stepped in on his behalf.
Zahabi Outpoints Turcios
Tristar Gym representative Aiemann
Zahabi captured a unanimous decision against “The Ultimate
Fighter 29” winner Ricky
Turcios in a relatively uneventful bantamweight encounter. All
three judges submitted 29-28 scorecards in favor of Firas Zahabi’s
younger brother.
In a bout where significant offense came at a premium, Zahabi (9-2,
3-2 UFC) remained measured in his approach. The 34-year-old
Canadian countered effectively and landed his fair share of jabs
and low kicks to rack up points on the scorecards. In the meantime,
Turcios offered plenty of demonstrative language and big karate
movements, but he failed to find the range on the majority of his
attacks. According to UFCStats.com, Turcios (11-3, 1-1 UFC)
connected on just 27 of 235 significant strike attempts — an 11
percent success rate.
Mullarkey Wins Firefight Against Johnson
Jamie
Mullarkey survived a slugfest against “The
Ultimate Fighter 12” finalist Michael
Johnson, winning an entertaining split decision in a
lightweight duel. Judges Anthony Maness and Derek Cleary submitted
29-28 tallies for Mullarkey (15-5, 3-3 UFC), while Michael Bell had
it 29-28 in favor of “The Menace.”
Johnson’s renowned handspeed took centerstage in Round 1, when he
floored Mullarkey with a left hook during a furious exchange in the
early going. The Aussie regained his bearings and rallied to
stagger Johnson with a right hand-left hook combination late in the
period — setting the stage for an all-action affair. Mullarkey’s
momentum carried over into the second frame, when he kept Johnson
on his heels with a multi-faceted attack that included punching
combinations to the head, kicks and knees and elbows in close
quarters.
Johnson (20-18, 12-14 UFC) seemed to regain his footing in the
final stanza, as he tagged Mullarkey with several hard counters and
appeared to have an edge in volume down the stretch. Despite his
best efforts, Johnson fell to 1-5 in his last six UFC appearances
dating back to March 2019.
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