Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. Colby
Covington may be the most hated man in mixed martial arts, but
more often than not, he backs up his bravado with his
performance. High-volume striking, a stifling clinch, opportunistic takedowns
and damaging ground-and-pound spurred the
MMA Masters representative to a fifth-round injury stoppage of
former
Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight titleholder
Tyron
Woodley in the
UFC Fight Night 178 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas. Having been thoroughly dominated for four-plus rounds,
Woodley (19-6-1, 9-5-1 UFC) surrendered to an apparent rib injury
79 seconds into Round 5.
Covington (16-2, 11-2 UFC) turned on the afterburners in the fourth
round, where he executed a high-crotch takedown and sliced open his
former
American Top Team stablemate with a slashing elbow. Blood
gushed from the wound near Woodley’s right eye, making an already
miserable experience that much tougher to stomach. Covington
secured another takedown at the start of the fifth round and was in
the process of extricating himself from a guillotine choke when
Woodley twisted the wrong way, cried out in pain and prompted an
immediate stoppage.
Cerrone, Price Battle to Draw
Donald
Cerrone and Niko Price
fought to a majority draw in the welterweight co-main event. Judge
Eric
Colon scored it 29-27 for Cerrone, while Ron McCarthy and
Chris Lee
struck matching 28-28 scorecards. A point deduction for multiple
eye pokes in the first round ultimately came back to bite Price,
preventing the former Fight Time champion from getting his hand
raised.
Price (14-4-1, 6-4-1 UFC) stormed out of the grate with
overwhelming aggression, as he assaulted “Cowboy” with powerful
punching combinations, body kicks and standing elbows. Cerrone
(36-15-1, 23-12-1) drew on his guile and experience, withstood the
attack and settled into a rhythm with which he was more
comfortable. His thudding jab, multi-punch bursts to the body and a
slick standing elbow to the face at close range leveled the playing
field in the second round, and he made further progress in the
third. There, he threatened with a takedown, briefly advanced to
the still-standing Price’s back and continued to strike with his
hands, feet, knees and elbows.
Cerrone remains winless over his last five appearances.
Unbeaten Chimaev KOs Meerschaert
Allstars Training Center prospect Khamzat
Chimaev knocked out former
Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion Gerald
Meerschaert with a devastating right cross in the first round
of their middleweight showcase. Meerschaert (31-14, 6-6 UFC) folded
17 seconds into Round 1, the victim in the third-fastest finish in
the history of the UFC’s 185-pound weight class.
Chimaev (9-0, 3-0 UFC) marched down the
Roufusport rep, fired a body kick and corralled him along the
fence.
As soon as Meerschaert’s feet stopped moving, he was met with a
brutal shot to the jaw that found the off switch. Chimaev
managed to get off a few more punches on his unconscious adversary
before referee Mark Smith
could arrive on the scene.
The 26-year-old Chimaev has stopped all nine of his opponents
inside two rounds.
Walker Rallies, Dismisses Spann
SBG Ireland’s Johnny
Walker put away Ryan Spann
with elbows and punches in the first round of their featured light
heavyweight clash. Spann (18-6, 4-1 UFC) succumbed to blows 2:43
into Round 1, as he experienced his first defeat since July
2017.
It was chaotic while it lasted. Spann floored the Brazilian with a
clean counter left hook, gave chase with punches and advanced to
full mount, a potential finish within reach. Walker (18-5, 4-2 UFC)
escaped to his feet and staggered the Fortis
MMA export with a clubbing right hand. A dazed Spann shot for a
takedown,
left himself exposed and absorbed a series of hammerfists and
elbows—some of them appeared to stray to the back of the
head—that prompted referee Dan Miragliotta to act.
The victory halted a two-fight losing streak for Walker.
Dern Armbar Submits Markos
Mackenzie
Dern disposed of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 20 semifinalist
Randa
Markos with an armbar in the first round of their strawweight
showcase. Markos (10-9-1, 6-8-1 UFC) bowed out 3:44 into Round 1,
as she was submitted for the first time in more than four
years.
Dern (9-1, 4-1 UFC) slipped on a kick, then lured her counterpart
into a ground exchange. The 2015 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission
Wrestling World Championships gold medalist threatened with a
triangle, swept into top position with an omoplata and briefly
achieved full mount. Dern stayed composed, isolated a limb and made
the topside transition to lock in the armbar. Following a brief
struggle,
she extended Markos’ arm beyond its bounds and forced the
tapout.
A longtime Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Dern now sports six
submissions among her nine professional wins.
Holland Outlasts Stewart to Split Verdict
Phalanx MMA Academy standout Kevin
Holland leaned on his creative offensive skills in laying claim
to a split decision over Darren
Stewart in a three-round middleweight feature. All three
cageside judges scored it 29-28: Ron McCarthy for Stewart, Eric Colon
and Sal D’Amato for Holland.
The two men seemed to enjoy one another’s company in the cage,
their occasional trash talk supplemented by violent exchanges on
the ground and on the feet. Holland (19-5, 6-2 UFC) rushed out to a
lead with a high-output effort in the first and second rounds,
where he attacked the legs with kicks and handled his business in
the clinch. There, he utilized everything from ear slaps and foot
stomps to shoulder strikes and hammerfists to the thighs. An
undeterred Stewart (12-6, 5-5 UFC) executed multiple takedowns in
Round 3 and applied damaging ground-and-pound through elbows,
punches and hammerfists, urging the Travis
Lutter protégé to respond as he went. Despite his late
dominance, the finish he needed failed to materialize.
Holland, 27, will carry a three-fight winning streak into his next
assignment.
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UFC Fight Night 178 Prelims: Dvorak Hobbles, Subdues Espinosa
