One clubbing right hand was all Brunno
Ferreira needed to shift momentum—permanently.
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The undefeated Brazilian was one of five competitors signed by the
Ultimate Fighting Championship from
Week 9 of
Dana White’s Contender Series, as he wrecked Leon Aliu
with punches in the first round of their middleweight showcase on
Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Aliu (10-2, 0-1 DWCS) met his
end 95 seconds into Round 1.
Ferreira (9-0, 1-0 DWCS) tested the water with kicks, then
connected with a right hook to the temple that set the Albanian on
rubbery legs. Aliu never recovered, his equilibrium having been
shaken beyond repair. Ferreira gave chase with punches, denied a
desperate single-leg takedown attempt, drove his compromised
counterpart to the canvas and connected with a diving
standing-to-ground right hand that drew the curtain.
In addition to Ferreira, the UFC also linked arms with bantamweight
Raul
Rosas Jr., lightweight Nurullo
Aliev, flyweight Jafel
Cavalcante Filho and heavyweight Austen
Lane.
Takedowns, stellar offensive grappling and a steady stream of
submission attempts carried Rosas to a unanimous decision over
Mando
Gutierrez in a three-round bantamweight tilt. All three
cageside judges scored it for the 17-year-old Rosas (6-0, 1-0
DWCS)—the youngest fighter to ever compete on the Contender
Series.
Gutierrez (7-2, 0-1 DWCS) was overwhelmed by the teenaged
wunderkind and often played right into his hands. Rosas progressed
to full mount on more than one occasion and countered reversals
from the Murcielago MMA standout with some of his own whenever he
got carried away with his youthful aggression. Gutierrez never
posed much of a threat in the 15-minute battle, always seemingly a
step behind in the chaotic grappling exchanges.
The setback stopped Gutierrez’s run of consecutive wins at
three.
Meanwhile, Tajikistan’s Aliev kept his perfect professional record
intact, as he took care of Josh Wick
with punches in the first round of their lightweight affair. Wick
(12-6, 0-1 DWCS) succumbed to blows 4:36 into Round 1, suffering
his first defeat in more than three years.
Aliev (7-0, 1-0 DWCS) withstood a rake of the eyes while clinched
with the
Elevation Fight Team, then struck for an immediate takedown
upon the restart. From there, he settled in top position and fired
elbows into Wick’s face, slowly but surely increasing the intensity
of his ground-and-pound. Aliev eventually turned it into an all-out
blitz of elbows, punches and hammerfists, forcing referee Jason
Herzog to intervene.
The loss snapped Wick’s modest two-fight winning streak.
Elsewhere, Filho, a former Shooto Brazil champion, put away the
previously unbeaten Roybert
Echeverria with punches in the third round of their flyweight
pairing. Echeverria (7-1, 0-1 DWCS) checked out 1:31 into Round
3.
Filho (14-2, 1-0 DWCS) set the tone with clinches and takedowns in
the first and second rounds. He progressed to Echeverria’s back at
one point and nearly cinched a rear-naked choke before the
Venezuelan managed to slip out of danger. Early in Round 3, Filho
dodged a head kick and countered with a devastating left hook that
sat down his counterpart at the base of the cage. A volley of
punches followed, prompting the stoppage.
The 29-year-old Filho has rattled off five consecutive victories,
all of them finishes.
Finally, Lane disposed of Chute Boxe rep Richard
Jacobi with punches in the first round of their heavyweight
clash. Lane (12-3, 1-1 DWCS)—who was victimized by Greg Hardy
during Season 2 of the Contender Series in 2018—brought it to a
close 4:34 into Round 1.
Jacobi (6-1-1, 0-1 DWCS) somehow weathered a brutal kick to the
groin, managed to complete a takedown after the restart and climbed
immediately to full mount. Lane stayed composed and called upon his
considerable strength and athleticism to execute a reversal into
top position. He lulled Jacobi into a false sense of security, then
postured out of full guard before unleashing a hellacious barrage
of punches that sealed the Brazilian’s fate.
Lane, 34, has won six bouts in a row.