Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 256 live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. Five rounds were not enough to settle the score between
Deiveson
Figueiredo and Brandon
Moreno. Figueiredo retained his
Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight crown but settled for
a majority draw against Moreno in the
UFC 256 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Judge Derek Cleary scored it 48-46 for Figueiredo, while Sal
D’Amato and Junichiro Kamijo saw it 47-47. A third-round point
deduction for a low blow ultimately cost the Brazilian a victory in
a clear contender for “Fight of the Year.”
Aaaaaaannd STILL!
@Daico_Deiveson
retains his title in a majority draw.
#UFC256 pic.twitter.com/zPJzAPvvFe— UFC (@ufc)
December 13, 2020
It was a dogfight from start to finish. Figueiredo (20-1-1, 9-1-1
UFC) hit the Mexican challenger with everything in his arsenal,
from spinning back kicks to the body and standing elbows to left
hooks and heat-seeking jabs. Moreno (18-5-2, 6-2-2 UFC) refused to
go away, returned fire and, perhaps most importantly, mixed in
multiple takedowns to keep the champion on his toes. With the
result still very much in doubt, the challenger’s output waned in
the fifth round, at least in part to an apparent arm injury.
Figueiredo executed a late takedown, consolidated it with
ground-and-pound and escaped with his championship reign
intact.
Afterward, UFC President Dana White called it the greatest fight in
the history of the flyweight division.
Ascendant Oliveira Dominates Ferguson
Effortless takedowns, sublime topside grappling and a
near-submission spurred Charles
Oliveira to a one-sided unanimous decision over “The Ultimate
Fighter” Season 13 winner Tony
Ferguson in the three-round lightweight co-main event. Oliveira
(30-8, 18-8 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-26 marks from the
judges, his stock at an all-time high.
Outside of a defensive elbow strike that resulted in a cut on the
Brazilian’s left eyebrow, Ferguson (25-5, 15-3 UFC) was a
non-factor. Oliveira set the tone with an overwhelming first round,
where he took down “El Cucuy,” advanced to full mount and
hyperextended the Californian’s left elbow with an armbar in the
waning moments. Anyone other than the notoriously tough Ferguson
might have tapped. Oliveira kept his foot on the gas, executed
takedowns in the second and third rounds, stymied the former
interim champion and never once allowed him to sniff an opportunity
to turn the tide.
Oliveira, 31, has rattled off eight consecutive victories.
Dern Outlasts Jandiroba in Standup War
Checkmat RVCA export Mackenzie
Dern continued to build momentum, as she laid claim to a
unanimous decision over former
Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder Virna
Jandiroba in a featured women’s strawweight confrontation. All
three judges struck 29-28 scorecards for Dern (10-1, 5-1 UFC), who
has pieced together a three-fight winning streak since her 2019
defeat to Amanda Ribas.
Dern leaned on winging overhand rights and wild punching flurries
throughout much of the first round, took a knee to the face that
appeared to leave her with a broken nose in the second and
connected on the more consequential blows in the third. There, she
delivered a booming right cross that resulted in significant damage
around Jandiroba’s right eye, scored with a persistent jab and
landed several thudding body kicks.
The loss was the first for Jandiroba (16-2, 2-2 UFC) in nearly two
years.
Breakout Star Holland Victimizes Souza
Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Kevin
Holland punched out two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission
Wrestling World Championships gold medalist Ronaldo
Souza in the first round of their middleweight feature. Souza
(26-9, 9-6 UFC) met his end 1:45 into Round 1.
Holland (21-5, 8-2 UFC) remained calm under duress after being
taken down by the former Strikeforce champion. He initially
threatened Souza with a triangle and elbows from his back, returned
to an upright position and made a pass at a guillotine choke. After
relinquishing his grip on the Brazilian’s neck, Holland lured him
into a kneeling position and unleashed a series of right hands —
first from his back, then while seated — that left “Jacare” dazed
and defenseless against the cage. Sensing the end was near, he
continued to fire punches as he returned to his feet and battered
Souza until he was bent over backwards and unconscious.
One of the UFC’s breakout stars of 2020, Holland has won five
fights in a row.
Unbeaten Gane Melts Dos Santos
Undefeated MMA Factory standout Ciryl Gane
dismissed Junior
dos Santos with a standing elbow strike and follow-up punches
in the second round of their heavyweight showcase. Dos Santos
(21-9, 15-8 UFC) succumbed to blows 2:34 into Round 2, as he
suffered his fourth consecutive defeat.
Gane (7-0, 4-0 UFC) wrecked the Brazilian’s base with kicks to the
inside and outside of his lead leg throughout the first round, then
made his move. A jab from the Frenchman blindsided dos Santos and
propelled him back into the fence. Gane gave chase, floored the
former UFC champion with an elbow behind the ear and mopped up what
was left with punches.
The 30-year-old Gane has finished six of his first seven opponents,
five of them inside two rounds.
Continue Reading »
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