Alex
Pereira made certain history will remember him.
The surgical Brazilian kickboxer struck gold in a second
Ultimate Fighting Championship weight class when he vanquished
Jiri
Prochazka with a volley of second-round elbows and walked away
with the vacant light heavyweight title in the
UFC 295 headliner on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New
York. Prochazka (29-4-1, 3-1 UFC) checked out 4:08 into Round
2.
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Now the first man to have won UFC championships at 185 and 205
pounds, Pereira weaved in and out of danger. Prochazka secured a
takedown and enjoyed some significant control time in the second
half of the first round, having chosen to move the action to the
floor after the Brazilian tore into his lead leg with a series of
punishing kicks. Pereira (9-2, 6-1 UFC) stayed calm under duress,
eventually returned to an upright position and extended the fight.
Prochazka appeared to have him reeling with a few overhand rights
in Round 2, but his aggressive tendencies caught up to him. Pereira
caught him with a right hand and a counter left hook as he moved
forward, forcing the Jetsaam Gym rep to dive on a desperation
double-leg. He answered with a few short punches to the side of the
Czech Republic native’s head, then transitioned to digging elbows
that caused real damage. Prochazka collapsed backward in a dazed
state while pinned beneath the Brazilian, at which point referee
Marc
Goddard elected to call for the stoppage.
The loss was Prochazka’s first since Dec. 31, 2015 and halted his
13-fight winning streak.
Aspinall Folds Pavlovich, Claims Interim Championship
Team Kaobon star Tom
Aspinall captured the interim heavyweight championship and did
so in spectacular fashion, as he turned away Sergei
Pavlovich with punches in the first round of their co-main
event. Aspinall (14-3, 7-1 UFC) slammed the door shut 69 seconds
into Round 1.
Pavlovich (18-2, 6-2 UFC) zapped the Englishman with a left hook
during one of their first exchanges but never managed to follow up.
Aspinall took away his equilibrium with a clubbing right hand to
the side of the head, floored him with another and pursued him to
the canvas. More punches and hammerfists followed on the
defenseless Pavlovich, leaving referee Dan Miragliotta no choice
but to intervene.
It was the 30-year-old Aspinall’s 10th victory in 11
appearances.
Andrade Wrecks One-Dimensional Dern
Parana Vale Tudo product Jessica
Andrade dismissed a defensively challenged Mackenzie
Dern with punches in the second round of their women’s
strawweight showcase. Dern (13-4, 8-4 UFC), who had never before
been finished, succumbed to blows 3:15 into Round 2.
Andrade (25-12, 16-10 UFC) patiently exposed the considerable holes
in the 2015 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Fighting World
Championship gold medalist’s game. She walked through considerable
fire on the feet, decked Dern with a right hook near the end of the
first round and set the stage for what was to come. Andrade denied
a takedown attempt in the middle stanza, forced prolonged standup
exchanges and knocked down the longtime Brazilian jiu-jitsu black
belt three times in a matter of moments. The third and final
knockdown, which resulted from a left hook-straight right
combination, drew the curtain and sent Dern back to the drawing
board yet again.
The win put an and to a career-worst three-fight losing streak for
Andrade.
St. Denis Head Kick Buries Frevola
Benoit St.
Denis cut down Serra-Longo Fight Team’s Matt
Frevola with a head kick and follow-up punches in the first
round of their lightweight feature. Frevola (11-4-1, 5-4-1 UFC)
bowed out 91 seconds into Round 1, suffering his first setback in
more than two years.
The 27-year-old St. Denis (13-1, 5-1 UFC) tested the water with
kicks to the body and legs before he surrendered top position on a
failed guillotine choke. After a sequence of sweeps and scrambles,
Frevola completed a takedown but could not corral the Frenchman on
the canvas. St. Denis moved back to his feet and floored the
American with a head kick while he was trying to circle away from
their exchange. He then pounced on the fallen Frevola and let fly
with a few punches to necessitate the stoppage.
St. Denis has rattled off five consecutive victories, all of them
finishes.
Surging Lopes Fells Sabatini
Lobo Gym standout Diego Lopes
put away former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder
Pat
Sabatini with punches in the first round of their featherweight
appetizer. Lopes (19-4, 6-1 UFC) brought it to an emphatic close
1:30 into Round 1.
Sabatini (18-5, 5-2 UFC) clipped the Francisco Grasso protégé with
a right hook inside the first minute but failed to gain any more
ground. Lopes sprawled out of an attempted takedown, dumped his
counterpart to the canvas and caught him with a chopping right hand
in the subsequent scramble. Sabatini careened backward into the
cage and collapsed. Lopes then swarmed with follow-up punches until
referee Keith
Peterson had seen enough.
The 28-year-old Lopes has won four of his past five bouts.
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