Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC,
PFL and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer,
phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Ciryl Gane
is shaping up to be a difficult puzzle to solve at heavyweight. The Frenchman won his second consecutive five-round verdict in the
Octagon, taking a unanimous decision over former Bellator
MMA and M-1 Global
champion Alexander
Volkov in the
UFC Fight Night 190 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on
Saturday. Gane received scorecards of 50-45, 50-45 and 49-46 from
the cageside judges, ending Volkov’s two-bout winning streak. The
victory comes on the heels of a 25-minute triumph over Jairzinho
Rozenstruik this past February, proving that the
MMA Factory member is the rare big man capable of consistently
swimming in deep waters.
“Volkov is one of the best in the division, so I’m really happy,”
Gane said.
Volkov (33-9, 7-3 UFC) simply had no answers for his opponent’s
superior speed and output. Gane (9-0, 6-0 UFC) was able to fight at
his preferred range, and he repeatedly tagged the Russian with a
crisp jab and straight left, gradually upping his volume and
intensity as the bout progressed. Over time, blood began to trickle
from Volkov’s nose as he absorbed more damage from his opponent.
Volkov’s primary response was to attack with kicks to the legs and
body, but it did little to hinder “Bon Gamin,” who often responded
with his own toolbox of kicks.
In the aftermath of his latest triumph, Gane indicated that wants a
crack at the top of the division.
“I’m ready,” Gane said. “I like the challenge.”
Boser Spoils St. Preux’s Second Heavyweight Outing
Tanner
Boser snapped a two-bout skid with a knockout victory over
former University of Tennessee football player Ovince St.
Preux in a heavyweight tilt. The 29-year-old Canadian ended the bout with a knee and a clubbing right
hand at the 2:31 mark of Round 2. A longtime UFC competitor at
205 pounds, St. Preux fell to 0-2 as a heavyweight.
Boser (20-8-1, 4-3 UFC put a rapid pace on St. Preux (25-16, 13-11
UFC) in Round 1, attacking his foe with kicks to the legs and body
and punching combinations upstairs. St. Pruex, meanwhile, offered
virtually no output in a lackluster opening frame. “OSP” shifted
gears in the second stanza, when he took Boser down near the fence
and landed in side control. “The Bulldozer” was able to return to
his feet and then sprawled on a shot, creating an opening for a
knee that hurt St. Preux. An ensuing right hand sent the
Knoxville MMA product tumbling to the canvas, essentially
ending the bout.
Valiev Edges Barcelos Via Majority Decision
Timur
Valiev had just enough volume and activity to get the better of
Raoni
Barcelos in a matchup of bantamweight prospects, winning a
closely-contested affair via majority decision. Judges Ron McCarthy
and Rick Winter submitted 29-28 scorecards for Valiev, while
Michael Bell saw it 28-28, bringing an end to Barcelos’ nine-bout
professional winning streak.
Valiev kept his foe off balance with movement and superior volume
in the first and third rounds, consistently finding a home for his
right hand while avoiding the majority of Barcelos’ offerings.
While Barcelos (16-2, 5-1 UFC) generally led the dance, his
inability to pull the trigger would ultimately come back to haunt
him.
Barcelos authored the most emphatic sequence of the fight in Round
2, when he sat Valiev down with a counter left hook. The Brazilian
then doggedly pursued the finish, flooring Valiev (18-2, 1 NC, 2-0,
1 NC UFC) again with an uppercut when the Dagestani attempted to
return to his feet. Barcelos continued to unload with
ground-and-pound in hopes of the stoppage but tired himself out
before the end of the frame, allowing Valiev to survive until the
horn. Ultimately, that effort yielded only a single 10-8
scorecard.
Fili vs. Pineda Ends in No Contest Due to Eye Poke
An accidental eye poke by Andre Fili
brought a premature ending to what was shaping up as a showcase
performance from the
Team Alpha Male stalwart. The inadvertent foul left Daniel
Pineda unable to continue 46 seconds into Round 2, resulting in
the featherweight bout being ruled a no contest.
Fili (21-8, 1 NC, 9-7, 1 NC UFC) unleashed the kitchen sink on
Pineda (27-14, 3 NC< 4-5, 1 NC UFC) in Round 1. Fili wobbled
Pineda with a right hand, rocked him with a pair of head kicks and
made him double over with a kick to the liver. Despite absorbing
multiple shots that might have felled a lesser fighter, Pineda made
it to the end of the frame. “The Pit” couldn’t survive the ensuing
foul, however, and a cageside doctor waved off the bout when Pineda
was unable to open his left eye during an examination. Pineda
protested the ruling vehemently, but it was to no avail.
Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC,
PFL and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer,
phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.
Means Earns Decision Against Dalby
Tim
Means won his third straight Octagon appearance, taking a
three-round verdict over former
Cage Warriors champion Nicolas
Dalby in a welterweight bout. “The Dirty Bird” earned a trio of
29-28 scorecards from the judges to snap his opponent’s seven-bout
unbeaten streak.
The combatants brawled willingly in spurts, but the Fit-NHB
representative kept Dalby off balance thanks to occasional
takedowns and clinch work to complement his arsenal of body
strikes, knees and elbows on the feet. Dalby (19-4-1, 2 NC, 3-3-1,
1 NC UFC) was game throughout and had a chance to turn the tide
when he buckled Means (32-12-1, 1 NC, 14-9, 1 NC UFC) with a right
hand early in Round 3. A resourceful Means was able to keep his
wits and neutralized his opponent in the clinch for much of the
period to avoid further danger.
‘Moicano’ Breaks Down Herbert
Former featherweight contender Renato
Carneiro put on a grappling clinic en route to a submission
victory over ex-Cage Warriors ruler Jai Herbert
in a 155-pound clash. “Moicano” forced Herbert to ask out of the
contest with a rear-naked choke at the 4:34 mark of Round 2 to
improve to 2-1 at lightweight.
Other than a few fleeting moments on the feet for Herbert, Carneiro
was in complete control. The 32-year-old Brazilian secured multiple
takedowns, transitioned from one dominant position to another and
punished his adversary with timely punches and elbows from above.
Carneiro (15-4-1, 7-4 UFC) picked up the intensity of his
ground-and-pound during the finishing sequence, which created an
opening to slide his arm under Herbert’s (10-3, 0-2 UFC) chin for
the fight-ending submission. Carneiro now owns eight career
triumphs by way of rear-naked choke.
Continue Reading »
UFC Fight Night 190 Prelims: Rakhmonov Remains Undefeated,
Overwhelms Prazeres 
