Brendan
Allen reasserted himself as a clear and present danger in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division.
The onetime
Legacy Fighting Alliance titleholder submitted Andre Muniz
with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their
UFC Fight Night 220 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas. Muniz (23-5, 5-1 UFC)
checked out 4:25 into Round 3, thus ending his run of
nine consecutive victories.
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Saturday’s planned main event between Nikita
Krylov and Ryan Spann
was canceled after Krylov suffered an illness and was not medically
cleared to compete. The news was first reported during the UFC
Fight Night 220 broadcast at the start of the main card.
Allen (21-5, 9-2 UFC) seized the reins from the start in the
makeshift main event and remained the aggressor for the duration.
He turned the tide in the middle stanza, where he countered a
takedown into top position, applied his ground-and-pound and
advanced position. Allen later delivered a high-amplitude takedown
with a little more than two minutes to go in Round 3 and climbed to
full mount under threat of an arm-triangle. Muniz surrendered his
back in a final bid to shake free but failed to properly defend the
choke. Allen eventually went palm-to-palm with his grip, tightened
his squeeze and procured the tapout.
Sakai Clinches Smother Mayes
American Top Team’s Augusto
Sakai put a stop to a career-worst four-fight winning streak,
as he cruised to a unanimous decision over three-time Dana White’s
Contender Series alum Don’Tale
Mayes in the three-round heavyweight co-main event. Sakai
(16-5-1, 5-4 UFC) swept the scorecards with matching 30-27 marks
from the cageside judiciary.
Mayes (9-5, 2-3 UFC) was woefully inept. Sakai pressed him to the
fence and assaulted him with knees to the head, body and legs at
close range. It was a scene that repeated itself over and over
again in the 15-minute encounter. Sakai struck for a takedown with
roughly two minutes remaining in the third round and paired it with
some mild but effective ground-and-pound to tie a bow on his
performance.
The victory was Sakai’s first since May 30, 2020.
Returning Suarez Guillotines De La Rosa
In her first outing since June 8, 2019, “The Ultimate Fighter”
Season 23 winner Tatiana
Suarez disposed of Montana
De La Rosa with
a guillotine choke in the second round of their women’s flyweight
feature. De La Rosa (12-8-1, 5-4-1 UFC) conceded
defeat 2:51 into Round 2, suffering her first submission defeat in
more than seven years.
Suarez (9-0, 6-0 UFC) ran the Elevation Fight Team export through a
series of clinches in the first round and managed to gain a
foothold with a takedown. She grounded De La Rosa again in the
second, advanced to side control and then returned to an upright
position after a scramble. Suarez bit down on a front headlock in
the center of the cage, transitioned to the guillotine and wrapped
her counterpart in full guard. Suddenly, the writing was on the
wall for De La Rosa. She fought hard to free herself but had no
choice to capitulate.
De La Rosa will head into her next assignment on the heels of
back-to-back losses.
Malott Arm-Triangle Buries Lainesse
Niagara Top Team representative Mike Malott
put away former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder
Yohan
Lainesse with
an arm-triangle choke in the first round of their welterweight
showcase. Lainesse (9-2, 1-2 UFC) checked out 4:15
into Round 1, losing for the second time in three appearances.
Malott (9-1-1, 2-0 UFC) tested the waters with body kicks, then
closed the distance and executed a takedown. From there, he
progressed methodically, moved on the choke when the opportunity
presented itself and climbed to a mounted position to prompt the
tapout.
The 31-year-old Malott has won five fights in a row, all of them
first-round finishes.