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. Frankie
Edgar forced those intent on writing his career epitaph to put
down their chisels and hammers a little while longer. The former
Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight titleholder marked
his territory at 135 pounds, as he eked out a split decision over
Pedro
Munhoz in the
UFC on ESPN 15 main event on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las
Vegas. Scores were 48-47 and 48-47 for Edgar, 49-46 for Munhoz.
Neither man was willing to give ground in what turned into a war of
wills. Edgar (24-8-1, 18-8-1 UFC) let his hands go in crisp,
multi-punch volleys and routinely snapped back the former
Resurrection Fighting Alliance titleholder’s head with straight
rights and sneaky uppercuts. Munhoz (18-5, 8-5 UFC) answered with
suffocating pressure, a thudding jab and a steady stream of leg
kicks. It appeared to be anyone’s fight in the later rounds. Munhoz
connected with more of the consequential blows, but Edgar often
responded to one of the Brazilian’s shots with two, three and
sometimes four of his own.
Rodriguez Blasts Reeling Prachnio
Lauzon
MMA rep Mike
Rodriguez wiped out Marcin
Prachnio with a standing elbow strike and follow-up punches in
the first round of their light heavyweight co-headliner. Rodriguez
(11-4, 2-2 UFC) tied the bow on his victory 2:17 into Round 1, as
he evened his record inside the Octagon and rebounded from his
December knockout loss to Da Un
Jung.
Prachnio (13-5, 0-3 UFC) wandered too close to the fire, and the
consequences were predictable. Rodriguez trapped him in the Thai
clinch, tore into him with knees and scrambled his circuits with a
short standing elbow to the side of the head. Prachnio fell
backward to the canvas,
where he was met with a pair of devastating left hands that
resulted in an immediate stoppage.
Still winless in the UFC, Prachnio finds himself on a three-fight
skid.
Solecki Choke Submits Hubbard
An ascendant Joe Solecki
submitted former
Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Austin
Hubbard with a
standing rear-naked choke in the first round of their featured
lightweight pairing. Hubbard (12-5, 2-3 UFC) conceded defeat 3:51
into Round 1, as he lost for the second time in three outings.
Solecki (10-2, 2-0 UFC) forced a clinch along the fence, climbed
onto the Elevation Fight Team standout’s back and secured his
position with a body triangle. Hubbard staved off his initial
advances, but the John
Salter-trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt continued to
pursue the choke, snuck his arm underneath the chin and forced the
tapout.
The 26-year-old Solecki will carry a five-fight winning streak into
his next assignment.
Dobson Upsets Favored Agapova
Elevation Fight Team’s Shana
Dobson put away an exhausted Mariya
Agapova with punches in the second round of their women’s
flyweight showcase. Dobson (4-4, 2-3 UFC), who entered the cage as
a prohibitive +800 underdog, sealed the deal 1:38 into Round 2.
Agapova (9-2, 1-1 UFC) largely controlled the first round with
straight punches, a takedown and ground-and-pound. However, she
hemorrhaged fuel in her bid to finish and had nothing left in the
tank by the time the middle stanza started. She secured a takedown,
only to be immediately swept.
Dobson assumed top position and cut loose with punches until the
job was done.
The win was Dobson’s first since December 2017.
Rodriguez Rallies, Vanquishes Grant
Daniel
Rodriguez waded through considerable difficulty to dispatch the
American Kickboxing Academy’s Dwight
Grant with punches in the first round of their welterweight
feature. Rodriguez (13-1, 3-0 UFC) brought it to a close 2:24 into
Round 1, as he pushed his run of consecutive victories to nine.
Grant (10-3, 2-2 UFC) dropped the Combate
Americas veteran with a right hook and showered him with a
sustained barrage of punches that brought him to the brink of a
finish. Rodriguez somehow weathered the attack, returned to his
feet and stepped up his pursuit of “The Body Snatcher.” Winded by
his earlier efforts, Grant retreated to the fence in an effort to
recover. Rodriguez decked him with a chopping left hook, allowed
him to stand and
sent him back to the canvas with a short right to the head. It
was enough to prompt referee Chris Tognoni to intervene.
The loss closed the book on Grant’s two-fight winning streak.
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