STEAMROLLA DID THAT đź‘Š
#UFC288 pic.twitter.com/isFkRr6lqe— ESPN MMA (@espnmma)
May 7, 2023
Matt
Frevola went toe-to-toe with Drew Dober
and got the best of the encounter.
Advertisement
The Dana White’s Contender Series alum added to his highlight reel
with an explosive technical knockout victory against Dober in the
UFC
288 featured prelim at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.,
on Saturday night. Frevola (11-3-1, 5-3-1 UFC)
dropped his adversary with a counter right hand to the chin and
then sealed the victory by swarming with ground-and-pound 4:08 into
Round 1. Frevola has finished three straight fights in
UFC competition.
Frevola enjoyed success early behind a steady diet of straight
right hands and kicks to the body. Dober took a little longer to
find his range, but he was beginning to land more impactful offense
before the fight-ending exchange occurred. When Dober attacked the
body with a left, Frevola capitalized with a devastating counter.
From there, Frevola unloaded with nearly 20 unanswered punches and
hammerfists before Herb Dean waved
off the fight. Though Dober protested the stoppage, his bloodied
visage told a different story.
Nzechukwu Rallies, Submits Clark
Kennedy
Nzechukwu earned his third consecutive finish in UFC
competition, as he submitted Devin Clark
in a wild light heavyweight clash. “The African Assassin” choked
his opponent unconscious with a standing guillotine 2:28 into the
second frame. Five of Nzechukwu’s six promotional triumphs have
occurred inside the distance.
Clark (14-8, 8-8 UFC) struck the fight’s first significant blow
when he wobbled Nzechukwu with a right hand in Round 1. “Brown
Bear” flurried with punches and elbows on his reeling opponent
against the fence, but Nzechukwu (12-3, 6-3 UFC) covered up well
and survived the assault. Clark fatigued when the finish didn’t
arrive, and Nzechukwu nearly put his foe away with a flurry of
elbows against the fence before the end of the round.
Nzechukwu remained on the offensive in the second round, and he
locked in the fight-ending maneuver when Clark attempted to change
levels for a takedown.
Williams Edges Newcomer Bedoya
Kalinn
Williams got all he could handle from Octagon debutante
Rolando
Bedoya, winning a split decision in a welterweight scrap.
Judges Dominic Carolei and Michael Bell scored the bout 29-28 —
both for Williams — while Derek Cleary saw it 30-27 in favor of
Bedoya, who suffered defeat for the first time since July 15, 2015.
Williams has won three of his last four UFC outings dating back to
June 2021.
“Khaos” made a strong impression with periodic bursts of forward
movement, which he would follow with a barrage of power punches.
Meanwhile, Bedoya (14-2, 0-1 UFC) kept his cool when Williams
(14-3, 5-2 UFC) blitzed forward, and he demonstrated intelligent
movement and countering ability during exchanges. As time
progressed, the Peru native also racked up points with his jab and
hindered his foe’s movement with a battery of leg kicks. Still, it
was Williams’ who connected with more impact during exchanges, and
that was ultimately what made the difference on the scorecards.
Jandiroba Grounds Rodriguez
Ex-Invicta Fighting Championships title holder Virna
Jandiroba relied on her grappling to carry her to a unanimous
decision triumph against Marina
Rodriguez in a matchup of strawweight contenders. Jandiroba
(19-3, 5-3 UFC) received scorecards of 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 to
win for the third time in her last four outings. Rodriguez (16-3-2,
6-3-2 UFC), meanwhile, has lost back-to-back fights after compiling
a four-bout winning streak in the promotion from January 2021 to
March 2022.
Jandiroba landed takedowns, advanced to dominant positions and
threatened with submissions as she racked up valuable control time
against her striking-minded foe. Jandiroba also sliced her opponent
open with elbows from above in Round 2. Rodriguez did some of her
best work in the final period, as she landed punching combinations,
leaping knees and upkicks from her back. However, the muay thai
stylist was unable to keep the fight at her preferred range long
enough to make a serious dent in her opponent’s lead.
Porter Pounds Out Smith
Parker
Porter overwhelmed promotional newcomer Braxton
Smith, winning via first-round technical knockout in a
heavyweight showdown. Porter, who took the bout on short notice,
ended the fight with a hailstorm of punches and hammerfists from
mount at the 2:10 mark of the period. It was the first
finish in seven UFC appearances for Porter (13-8, 4-3 UFC).
Smith (5-2, 0-1 UFC) came out swinging heavy leather, but that
approach quickly took its toll on his gas tank. After Porter landed
a knee to the midsection, a fast-fading Smith attempted a
half-hearted takedown. Porter stuffed the shot with ease, moved to
a dominant position and unloaded until referee Gary Copeland
stepped in to save Smith.
Aliskerov Sleeps Hawes
Brave Combat Federation veteran Ikram
Aliskerov had an Octagon debut to remember, as he knocked out
Phil
Hawes in a middleweight clash. The Dagestani ended the contest
“>with a beautiful right
hand 2:10 into Round 1. Aliskerov (14-1, 1-0 UFC) has won his
last six professional outings.
Hawes started well, connecting with kicks to the body and lead
right hooks. His willingness to exchange came back to haunt him
when he ducked into a head kick from his opponent. Though Hawes
maintained his footing, his reactions were much slower from that
point on. That eventually allowed Aliskerov to connect with the
fight-ending blow, and Hawes went out immediately once it
connected, his right leg briefly folding under him as he crumpled
to the canvas. Hawes has lost three of his last four UFC
appearances — all via knockout.
Ribeiro Garners First UFC Win
Former Future FC title holder Claudio
Ribeiro secured his first promotional triumph with a technical
knockout victory against Joseph
Holmes in a middleweight encounter.
A barrage of standing-to-ground punches from Ribeiro
(11-3, 1-1 UFC) ended the contest 3:21 into Round 2. Ribeiro has
finished all 11 of his wins by knockout or technical knockout.
Ribeiro shifted momentum late in the opening round, when he landed
a takedown and moved to mount. From there, the Brazilian unloaded
with ground-and-pound, and Holmes (8-4, 1-3 UFC) only survived the
onslaught because the bell saved him. Ribeiro kept it going in the
second stanza, as he punched his way into the clinch and dropped
his foe with a close quarters knee. Holmes, who missed weight by
three pounds on Friday, could only cover up as Ribeiro unleashed
the finishing salvo.