Brendan
Allen exacted a subtle measure of vengeance against Chris
Curtis.
Allen continued his steady climb on the
Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight ladder and avenged
one of his five career defeats, as he picked up a split decision
over the former CES MMA titleholder in the
UFC Fight Night 240 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas. Judges Derek Cleary and Eric Colon saw it 48-47 and
49-46 for Allen, while Michael Bell turned in a 48-47 scorecard for
Curtis, who replaced Marvin
Vettori on late notice and did so admirably.
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The two rivals traded strategic barbs across five well-fought
rounds. Curtis (31-11, 5-3 UFC)—who won their first meeting by
technical knockout in December 2021—hammered the Kill Cliff Fight
Club standout with body-head combinations, dazed him with a left
hook in the third round and forced him to work for every inch of
ground he gained. Allen mostly held his own in the standup
department but excelled at shooting for takedowns and setting off
scrambles. More than once he climbed onto Curtis’ back, threatened
the neck and troubled him with pitter-patter punches from behind.
With the outcome still very much up in the air, Allen swooped in
for another attempted takedown late in the fifth round. Curtis
turned away his advances but appeared to suffer a hamstring injury,
leaving him vulnerable to a volley of knees in the waning seconds.
It was a strong closing statement for Allen (24-5, 12-2 UFC), as he
recorded his seventh straight victory by the thinnest of
margins.
Meanwhile, Fortis MMA mainstay Damon
Jackson withstood a late rally from Alexander
Hernandez and walked away with a split verdict over the Factory
X export in the three-round featherweight co-main event. Judges
Cleary and Junichiro Kamijo scored it 29-28 for Jackson, while
Bryan Miner submitted a 30-27 scorecard for Hernandez, who missed
weight for the match by one and a half pounds.
Jackson (23-6-1, 6-4-1 UFC) outperformed “The Great Ape” through
the first 10 minutes with activity, takedowns and effective
standup. However, a beautiful counter right hand from Hernandez
(14-8, 6-7 UFC) shifted momentum at the start of Round 3, sat down
“The Leech” and set the stage for attritive exchanges in which both
men enjoyed a modicum of success. Jackson bounced back late in the
period, maneuvered behind the former Hero Fighting Championship
titleholder, flattened him out and applied his ground-and-pound.
Hernandez refused to wilt, escaped to his feet through sheer will,
then engaged his opponent in close quarters before the remaining
time ticked off the clock.
Hernandez has lost four of his last five fights.
Further down the card, Elevation Fight Team’s Jose
Mariscal filled in as a short-notice replacement for Seung Woo
Choi and eked out a split decision over ex-Cage Warriors
Fighting Championship titleholder Morgan
Charriere in a three-round featherweight feature. Judges Bell
and Colon struck 29-28 scorecards for Mariscal, while Adalaide Byrd
saw it 30-27 for Charriere.
It was a back-and-forth encounter in which neither man’s stock took
a hit. Mariscal (16-6, 3-0 UFC) pushed a merciless pace at the
outset and proved effective at close range with short punches and
knee strikes to the body. Charriere (19-10-1, 1-1 UFC) answered
with a strong second round, where he opened a cut near his
opponent’s right eye, kept him at arm’s reach and piled up points
with jabs, inside leg kicks and sharp right hands. With the outcome
still in doubt, the featherweights traded dominant positions on the
ground for much of a scramble-heavy Round 3. Mariscal powered on
top with roughly a minute to go on the clock, progressed to half
guard and unleashed a burst of left hands to the head, perhaps
swinging the pendulum ever so slightly to his side.
Mariscal, 31, now finds himself on a six-fight winning streak.
Elsewhere, promising VFS Academy prospect Ignacio
Bahamondes put away former Resurrection Fighting Alliance and
Tachi Palace Fights champion Christos
Giagos with a head kick in the first round of their lightweight
attraction.
Giagos (20-12, 6-8 UFC) met his end 3:34 into Round
1.
Bahamondes (15-5, 4-2 UFC) maximized his size and length, forcing
the Kill Cliff Fight Club rep to operate on the outside. He
staggered Giagos with a spinning hook kick and later pinned him to
the fence with a flurry of punches. Bahamondes reset in open space
once the finish failed to materialize and soon after floored the
Californian with perfectly placed head kick. Giagos careened
backward into the fence and took a defensive posture, resulting in
an immediate stoppage.
It was the sixth first-round finish of Bahamondes’ career.
Finally, Serra-Longo Fight Team’s Charlie
Campbell outlasted Trevor Peek
to a unanimous decision in a grueling three-round lightweight
appetizer. All three members of the cageside judiciary scored it
30-27 for Campbell (9-2, 2-0 UFC), winning for the third time in as
many appearances.
Clean combinations and thudding low kicks from Campbell
counteracted his counterpart’s awkward aggression. Peek (9-2, 2-2
UFC) charged forward with reckless abandon, often absorbing two or
three shots for every one he landed. With fatigue setting in,
Campbell turned to a tactical takedown in the third round, kept the
ex-Ares Fight Series champion at bay on the mat and threatened with
chokes and cranks to bleed more time off the clock.
Peek, 29, has lost two of his past three bouts.
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