WHAT A FIGHT TO END THE PRELIMS AT
#UFC287 👏 pic.twitter.com/mJEdGcKA5k— ESPN MMA (@espnmma)
April 9, 2023
Kelvin
Gastelum needed a win in the worst way possible, and Chris
Curtis made him go through heavy fire to earn it.
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“The Ultimate Fighter 17” winner went toe-to-toe with Curtis for
three entertaining rounds, earning a unanimous decision triumph in
the featured UFC 287
prelim at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on Saturday night.
Gastelum, who had lost five of his previous six promotional
appearances, received scorecards of 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 from the
cageside judges.
Both middleweights traded willingly for the duration of the
contest. Gastelum (18-8, 12-8 UFC) enjoyed success landing quick
punching combinations to the head — opening a cut over Curtis’ eye
in the process — and low kicks. Curtis (30-10, 4-2 UFC), meanwhile,
stood in the pocket and fired back, doing some of his best work
digging to the body of his opponent. Curtis also had to weather an
accidental clash of heads in Round 2, which led to Gastelum
swarming with ground-and-pound in hopes of a finish. Curtis kept
his head and did his best work of the fight in Round 3, as he upped
his volume with punching combinations while adding the occasional
elbow and knee to the body in close quarters. It wasn’t enough to
overcome the lead Gastelum had already built on the scorecards,
however.
Pinheiro Edges Waterson-Gomez
Nova Unia export Luana
Pinheiro secured her most significant triumph to date with a
split-decision victory over former Invicta FC atomweight title
holder Michelle
Waterson-Gomez in a strawweight showdown. Chris Lee and
Eliseo Rodriguez scored the contest 29-28 for the Brazilian, while
Eric
Colon had it 29-28 in favor of “The Karate Hottie.”
Waterson-Gomez (18-11, 6-7 UFC) has lost five of her last six UFC
appearances.
Pinheiro (11-1, 3-0 UFC) attacked with a steady diet of low kicks
and powerful right hands, rocking Waterson-Gomez with one right
during an exchange in the second stanza. Waterson-Gomez kept things
interesting throughout with a varied striking attack, including a
spinning back elbow to the chin and a front kick that sat Pinheiro
down during an impressive opening stanza. Still, Pinheiro’s ability
to land with superior power during exchanges likely made the
difference on the scorecards.
Pyfer Rocks Meerschaert
It’s still good to be Joseph
Pyfer.
The Dana White’s Contender Series alum secured his fourth straight
KO/TKO triumph, as he finished Kill Cliff FC product Gerald
Meerschaert with punches in a middleweight pairing. Pyfer
dropped his foe with a left hook-right hand combination and
sealed the victory with a barrage of standing-to-ground
punches at the 3:15 mark of Round 1.
Pyfer took his time wanting for an opening to strike. After a
measured beginning, the Pennsylvanian snapped Meerschaert’s head
back with a crisp straight right. Shortly thereafter, Pyfer (11-2,
2-0 UFC) sent his opponent to his knees with the aforementioned
combination. Meerschaert (35-16, 10-8 UFC) could do little more
than cover up on the canvas from there, but referee Marc Goddard
gave “GM3” a fairly long leash to turn things around before finally
intervening on his behalf.
Godinez Hands Calvillo Fifth Straight Defeat
Ex-Legacy Fighting Alliance strawweight champion Lupita
Godinez took a hard-fought split-decision triumph against
Cynthia
Calvillo in a 115-pound matchup. Eliseo Rodriguez scored it
29-28 and David Tirelli had 30-27 — both for Godinez — while
Eric
Colon submitted a 29-28 scorecard in favor of Calvillo, who has
lost her last five promotional appearances.
Buoyed by consistent forward movement, Godinez (9-3, 4-3 UFC)
landed heavier straight punches while blending in the occasional
front kick to the body. While Calvillo connected with her left jab
repeatedly — bloodying Godinez’s nose in the process — her offense
generally lacked the impact of her Mexican opponent. Calvillo’s
only takedown of the fight occurred late in Round 1, but she was
unable to do anything significant with the position.
Bahamondes Confounds Ogden
A technical striking attack propelled Dana White’s Contender Series
alum Ignacio
Bahamondes to a clear-cut unanimous decision triumph over
Trey
Ogden in a 160-pound catchweight bout. All three judges
submitted tallies in favor for the Valle Flow Striking
representative: 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28. Bahamondes has won three
straight since dropping his Octagon debut.
Bahamondes (14-4, 3-1 UFC) kept his opponent guessing with straight
punches, kicks to all levels and consistent stance switches. While
the Chilean fighter controlled the range, Ogden (16-6, 1-2 UFC)
struggled to put together more than one strike at a time. That led
to Bahamondes racking up an insurmountable lead on the
scorecards.
Garcia Folds Shayilan
Jackson-Wink MMA product Steve
Garcia rallied from the brink of defeat to put away Nuerdanbieke
Shayilan with a wicked uppercut to the body and follow-up
hammerfists in their featherweight encounter. “Mean Machine” ended
the contest 36 seconds into Round 2 for his third win in his last
four outings. Shayilan (39-11, 3-2 UFC) sees a three-bout winning
streak snapped in defeat.
Shayilan set the tone early when he floored Garcia (14-5, 3-2 UFC)
with a massive counter right hand. The China Top Team member was
unable to seal the deal with standing-to-ground punches, and Garcia
eventually regained his senses while holding his opponent close in
guard. The tide began to shift late in Round 1, when Garcia
returned to his feet and rocked Shayilan with a left hand before
the horn.
The Garcia onslaught continued in the second frame, as he put his
adversary on the defensive with a pair of heavy hooks to the chin.
With Shayilan reeling against the cage, Garcia folded the Chinese
featherweight with a kick and
uppercut to the liver before unloading with hammerfists on the
canvas to force the stoppage.
Hughes Rallies Past Fading Amorim
Fortis MMA export Sam Hughes
survived a few precarious moments in Round 1 before rallying for a
unanimous decision triumph against former Legacy Fighting Alliance
strawweight queen Jaqueline
Amorim in a 115-pound tilt. All three judges saw the contest
29-28 in favor of Hughes, who snapped a two-bout losing streak.
Amorim faded badly after a strong opening stanza in which she
nearly had rear-naked chokes secured on two separate occasions.
When the finish didn’t materialize, the American Top Team
representative spent the rest of the fight on her heels. Hughes
(8-5, 3-4 UFC) capitalized by walking her foe down, repeatedly
denying takedowns and landing solid ground-and-pound from top
position. “Sampage” punctuated her victory by landing a flurry of
punches near the fence before the final horn sounded. Amorim (6-1,
0-1 UFC) went past the first round for the first time in her
professional tenure.