It may not have ended the way he wanted it to, but rising
featherweight contender Arnold
Allen nonetheless passed his first main event test in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Allen (19-1, 10-0 UFC) earned his 10th straight promotional
triumph, as he defeated Calvin
Kattar (23-7, 7-5 UFC) via technical knockout eight seconds
into Round 2 of the
UFC Fight Night 213 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on
Saturday night. Kattar injured his right knee when he landed
awkardly after missing a leaping attack late in Round 1, and the
bout ended quickly in the second frame when he realized he couldn’t
plant on his back leg after absorbing an Allen calf kick in the
opening moments.
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Both combatants were measured in the early going, but Allen seemed
to be finding a rhythm as the first round progressed. The
Englishman landed several solid straight lefts in exchanges before
backing Kattar up with a rapid-fire punching combination late in
the stanza. Kattar’s unfortunate injury occurred shortly
thereafter, but the “Boston Finisher” was able to defend a brabo
choke on the canvas before the horn. Kattar looked relatively
stable at the start of the second period, but Allen wasted little
time testing his opponent’s stability to bring an end to the
contest.
Griffin Outduels Means
Former West Coast Fighting Championship title holder Max Griffin
blended power with wrestling to earn a hard-fought split-decision
triumph against FIT-NHB stalwart Tim Means in
the welterweight co-main event. Judges Ben Cartlidge saw it 29-28
and Derek Cleary had it 30-27 — both for Griffin— while Eric Colon
submitted a 29-28 scorecard in favor of Means. Griffin (19-9, 7-7
UFC) has won four of his last five UFC appearances. Griffin flashed his heavy hands over the course of the first 10
minutes. He dropped Means (32-14-1, 14-11, 1 NC UFC) with a left
hook-right hand combination in Round 1 and buckled his adversary
with a right late in the second stanza. He punctuated his victory
with multiple takedowns and plenty of control time in the third
period. Means hung tough throughout, as he landed with superior
volume before being hurt in Round 2 and finished with multiple
takedowns in the waning moments of the fight, but it was ultimately
not quite enough to get the nod.
Cortes-Acosta Edges Struggling Vanderaa
Former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Waldo
Cortes-Acosta enjoyed a successful promotional debut, taking a
closely-contested unanimous verdict againat Jared
Vanderaa at heavyweight. All three judges saw the fight for “Salsa Boy:” 30-27, 29-28, 29-28. Vanderaa (12-10, 1-6 UFC) has
lost five consecutive bouts.
Cortes-Acosta (8-0, 1-0 UFC) had a decided edge in hand speed, but
outside of a few sporadic bursts of aggression, he rarely was able
to string anything together. Still, he worked behind a skilled jab,
which landed consistently and bloodied the mug of his opponent over
the course of the contest. Vanderaa had his moments, most notably
hindering Cortes-Acosta’s movement with a steady diet of leg kicks,
but those alone were not enough to sway the scorecards in his
favor.
Gore Puts Squeeze on Fremd
“The Ultimate Fighter 29” cast member Tresean
Gore ended a two-bout losing streak, as he submitted Legacy
Fighting Alliance veteran Josh Fremd
in a middleweight showcase. Gore (4-2, 1-2 UFC) rendered his
adversary unconscious with a guillotine choke 49 seconds into the
second stanza.
Gore landed a pair of takedowns — including an impactful slam —
early in Round 1, but he appeared to be fading toward the end of
the period. Fremd (9-4, 0-2 UFC) began landing his right hand and
knees in close, and it appeared that Gore’s stamina was dwindling.
However, Gore turned things around when Fremd shot for a single-leg
takedown early in the second frame. The American Top Team Atlanta
product ensared his adversary in a guillotine and maintained the
squeeze even while Fremd attempted to go to his back while pushing
off the fence with his feet. That method of defense only served to
turn his neck to an awkward angle, and Fremd went to sleep moments
later.
Rountree Ends Jacoby’s Unbeaten Streak
Khalil
Rountree went toe-to-toe with former Glory Kickboxing
competitor Dustin
Jacoby to earn a competitive split-decision triumph in a light
heavyweight bout. Judges Ben Cartlidge and Chris
Flores saw the fight 29-28 in favor of Rountree, while Ron
McCarthy submitted a 29-28 tally for Jacoby, who sees a nine-fight
unbeaten streak come to an end.
Jacoby (18-6-1, 6-3-1 UFC) worked behind a volume-based approach,
as he switched stances consistently and enjoyed success landing
multi-punch combinations. Meanwhile, Rountree (11-5-1, 7-5 1 NC
UFC) was clearly loading up on his punches from the start, but his
gas tank held up and he got stronger as the bout progressed. The
Tiger Muay Thai product landed the more significant offense down
the stretch, opening a cut near Jacoby’s eye while connecting with
powerful left hands, low kicks and clinch knees.
Rountree has won three straight within the Las Vegas-based
promotion.
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