Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 265
live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device
via the ESPN app. Ciryl Gane
was on another level. The undefeated Frenchman captured the interim
Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title, as he put
away Derrick
Lewis with punches in the third round of their UFC
265 headliner on Saturday at the Toyota Center in Houston.
Having been effectively drawn and quartered in his hometown, Lewis
(25-8, 16-6 UFC) succumbed to blows 4:11 into Round 3.
Gane (10-0, 7-0 UFC) chipped away at “The Black Beast” with kicks
to the legs and body, powerful jabs, occasional combinations and
slashing knees from the clinch. He flummoxed Lewis with routine
stance switches, controlled the center of the cage and went about
dissecting one of the most feared men in the sport’s history. Gane
finally broke down the former
Legacy Fighting Championship titleholder with leg kicks in the
third round, forced him to turtle at the base of the cage after
landing a sweeping left hook to his already damaged eye and closed
the show with a burst of unanswered hammerfists.
The setback snapped Lewis’ four-fight winning streak.
Brilliant Aldo Handles Munhoz
Former UFC and
World Extreme Cagefighting champion Jose Aldo
paired mesmerizing combinations with a surgical jab and crushing
low kicks, as he took a unanimous decision from
American Top Team’s Pedro
Munhoz in the three-round bantamweight co-main event. All three
judges scored it the same: 30-27 for Aldo (30-7, 12-6 UFC).
While he needed a round or so to get going, once Aldo hit his
stride, it was a sight to behold. Munhoz (19-6, 9-6 UFC) did what
he could to keep pace, but the skill, speed and experience
disparities were too much for him to overcome. Aldo zeroed in on
the body and head with accurate punches and later in the fight
turned his attention to the legs, battering the onetime
Resurrection Fighting Alliance titleholder with some of the
trademark low kicks for which he was known in his prime.
Aldo has recorded two straight wins since his July 2020 loss to
Petr
Yan.
Luque Choke Dismisses Chiesa
Cerrado MMA and
Sanford MMA export Vicente
Luque submitted “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 15 winner
Michael
Chiesa with a brabo choke in the first round of their featured
welterweight pairing. Luque (21-7-1, 14-3 UFC) slammed the door
3:25 into Round 1, handing “Maverick” his first loss at 170
pounds.
Chiesa (18-5, 11-5 UFC) opened a cut under the New Jersey native’s
left eye with a crisp two-punch combination, secured a takedown and
transitioned to the back, where he hunted the rear-naked choke and
made a pass at a neck crank. Neither of his attempts were
successful. Luque escaped into top position, clamped down on the
choke during the ensuing scramble and prompted the tapout soon
after.
The 29-year-old Luque will carry a four-fight winning streak into
his next assignment.
Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 265
live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device
via the ESPN app.
Revitalized Torres Subdues Hill
Rapid-fire punching combinations and an active kicking game spurred
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 20 quarterfinalist Tecia
Torres to a unanimous decision over former
Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder Angela Hill
in a three-round women’s strawweight feature. Scores were 30-27,
30-27 and 29-28, all for Torres (13-5, 9-5 UFC).
Hill (13-10, 8-9 UFC), who had hoped to avenge a June 2015 defeat
to “The Tiny Tornado,” enjoyed little in terms of meaningful
success. Torres handled her in the clinch and routinely beat her to
the draw, often answering her single shots with two, three and
sometimes four strikes of her own. She punctuated a comprehensive
performance in the closing seconds of the third round, where she
executed a takedown, maintained top position and applied her
ground-and-pound.
Torres, 31, has rattled off three consecutive victories.
Song Rides Late Surge, Edges Kenney
Team Alpha Male’s Yadong Song
rebounded from his March 6 defeat to Kyler
Phillips with a split decision over former Tachi
Palace Fights champion Casey
Kenney in a three-round bantamweight showcase. Judges Sal
D’Amato and Chris Lee struck 29-28 and 30-27 scorecards for Song,
while Kerry Hatley saw it 29-28 for Kenney.
Song (17-5-1, 6-1-1 UFC) countered effectively throughout, piled up
points with some exquisite body work and found another gear when he
needed it most. Neither man truly separated himself from the other
through two competitive rounds. Song hit the accelerator in the
third, zeroed in on the American’s body with punches and kicks,
staggered him with a right hand and managed to stay upright before
conceding a takedown in the waning seconds.
Kenney (16-4-1, 5-3 UFC) has lost back-to-back bouts for the first
time in his 21-fight career.
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UFC 265 Prelims: Penne Armbars Kowalkiewicz 
