In a competitive bout, explosive bursts proved to be the key for
Leomana
Martinez.
The Glory MMA & Fitness representative garnered a split-decision
triumph against Brandon
Davis in the featured
UFC Fight Night 212 prelim at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on
Saturday night. Michael Bell and Tony Weeks scored the bantamweight
bout 29-28 in favor of Martinez (10-3, 2-1 UFC), while Junichiro
Kamijo submitted a 29-28 tally for Davis (14-10, 2-7 UFC).
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Martinez likely swung the fight in his favor in a couple of key
moments. The first came in Round 1, when he clipped Davis with a
left hook in what was otherwise a closely-contest frame. A more
emphatic statement occurred toward the end of the second period, as
the former Fury FC title holder wobbled his foe with a spinning
backfist, dislodged hs mouthguard and dropped Davis with a
subsequent flurry of punches. Davis survived the salvo and made it
to Round 3, where he enjoyed success with rangy right hands, a
takedown and ground-and-pound. It ultimately wasn’t quite enough to
undo the damage that had already been done.
Malkoun Rolls Past Maximov
Jacob
Malkoun took advantage of a compromised Nick
Maximov, cruising to a three-round verdict in a middleweight
tilt. The PMA Super Martial Arts member earned a trio of 30-27
scorecards from the cageside judges for his third victory in his
last four Octagon appearances. Maximov (8-2, 2-2 UFC) buckled his opponent with a left hook early
in the opening frame, but it was all downhill from there for the
Nick
Diaz Academy product. Shortly thereafter, Maximov appeared to
injure his right leg and spent the rest of the bout limping and
grimacing while moving about the cage. Malkoun (7-2, 3-2 UFC) took
advantage, as he walked his man down and teed off with punches to
the head while landing takedowns virtually at will. “Mamba” never
found that extra gear for the finish, however, and Maximov was able
to gut it out until the final horn.
Brito Submits Short-Notice Foe Alexander
Former Fusion Fighting Championship title holder Joanderson
Brito submitted fellow Brazilian Lucas
Alexander in a featherweight clash. The Chute Boxe Bauru
representative brought the show to a close with a rear-naked choke
2:02 into Round 1. Brito has won 12 of his last 13 professional
outings and has scored back-to-back first-round finishes in the
Octagon.
Brito (14-3-1, 2-1 UFC) showcased his strength at the outset,
slamming Alexander (7-3, 0-1 UFC) to the canvas on multiple
occasions. After one of those slams, “Tubarao” hopped on his
opponent’s back when Alexander returned to his feet. From there,
Brito hunted for openings to apply the choke and found it after
landing a hammerfist that caused Alexander, who was a short-notice
replacement for Melsik
Baghdasaryan, to briefly lift his chin.
Once the submission was secured, Alexander fell to the canvas and
tapped out in a matter of seconds.
Rodriguez Edges Hughes
Venezuela native Piera
Rodriguez blended striking and takedowns effectively to capture
a closely-contested unanimous decision triumph over Fortis MMA
export Sam Hughes
in a strawweight encounter. All three cageside judges submitted
29-28 tallies in favor of “La Fiera.”
Hughes (7-5, 2-4 UFC) kept Rodriguez (9-0, 2-0 UFC) on her heels
with consistent pace and pressure, but she was unable to gain a
discernable advantage in exchanges on the feet. Rodriguez,
meanwhile, did solid work with knees and elbows in close quarters
while offsetting her adversary’s forward movement with multiple
takedowns. While Hughes never stayed down for long, Rodriguez’s
commitment to wrestling likely helped her earn the nod on the
scorecards.
Japanese Prospect Taira Armbars Vergara
Japanese prospect Tatsuro
Taira kept his undefeated record intact, as he submitted Dana
White’s Contender Series alum C.J. Vergara
in a flyweight contest. Taira (12-0, 2-0 UFC) forced Vergara to tap
to an armbar 4:19 into Round 2 — the Paraestra Okinawa product’s
sixth career victory by way of submission. Vergara (10-4-1, 1-2
UFC) missed weight by three pounds on Friday.
The 22-year-old Taira was able to control the majority of the bout
through his grappling. He landed two takedowns in the opening
stanza and logged valuable control time before Vergara was able to
scramble out of danger. In Round 2, Taira forced Vergara to the
fence, worked his way to his foe’s back and tripped him to the mat.
From there, the ex-Shooto champion “>threatened with a rear-naked choke for much of
the period before transitioning to the fight-ending maneuver.
Vergara stood in hopes of escaping the submission but had no choice
but to tap once Taira straightened out his arm.
Rodriguez Overwhelms Jackson
Pete
Rodriguez made short work of Mike
Jackson, winning via technical knockout in the evening’s
opening bout at welterweight. A knee to the head and a couple
follow-up punches brought an end to the contest 1:33 into Round 1
to give “Dead Game” his first promotional triumph.
Rodriguez (5-1, 1-1 UFC) was the aggressor from the outset, as he
pressured Jackson (1-2, 1-2, 1 NC UFC) with punches, hurting his
foe with a right to the body during an initial exchange. The iKon
Fighting Federation veteran later backed Jackson into the cage
with a punching combination and then connected with the decisive
knee when the Houston-based combat sports photographer was
caught dipping his head. “The Truth” was already out as Rodriguez
sealed his victory with a couple more shots.