Islam
Makhachev still rules 155 pounds.
The
American Kickboxing Academy star retained the undisputed
Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight crown with a
hard-earned unanimous decision over reigning featherweight
titleholder Alexander
Volkanovski in the five-round
UFC 284 headliner on Saturday at the RAC Arena in Perth,
Australia. All three members of the cageside judiciary scored it
for Makhachev (24-1, 13-1 UFC): 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46.
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It was a tactical struggle from start to finish. Makhachev
countered effectively with both hands throughout the 25-minute
affair and executed multiple takedowns, advancing to the back and
threatening the neck on more than one occasion. He did his best
work in Round 4, where he ducked into a takedown, progressed to the
back when Volkanovski tried to escape and secured his position with
a tight body triangle. Makhachev bottled up the outwardly
frustrated Australian for more than three minutes, much to the
chagrin of the raucous crowd. Volkanovski (25-2, 12-1 UFC) made his
move late in the fifth round after being cut by a close-range knee
strike. He drove Makhachev to all fours with a thudding right hand
to the side of the head and forced his retreat to full guard. From
there, Volkanovski cut loose with punches to the body and head with
increasing intensity, his fellow Aussies roaring their approval.
Alas, the finish he needed did not materialize.
Makhachev, 31, now finds himself on a run of 12 consecutive
victories. The setback was Volkanovski’s first since May 10, 2013
and snapped his remarkable 22-fight winning streak.
Rodriguez Triangles Emmett, Strikes Interim Gold
“The Ultimate Fighter Latin America” Season 1 winner Yair
Rodriguez dispatched Josh Emmett
with a triangle choke and captured the interim UFC featherweight
championship in the second round of their co-main event. Emmett
(18-3, 9-3 UFC), who had never before been submitted, bowed out
4:19 into Round 2.
Rodriguez (15-3, 10-2 UFC) unleashed a blistering attack on the
Team Alpha Male rep’s body with a variety of kicks from every
imaginable angle. However, Emmett did not go away quietly. He
rocked Rodriguez with a right hook in the first round, powered into
top position and leaned into his ground-and-pound. It was a
harrowing exchange for “El Pantera,” but he managed to endure.
Rodriguez continued to zero in on the body in the second round, and
though he conceded a takedown after landing a flying knee, he had
his reeling adversary right where he wanted him. Emmett soon
wandered in the triangle and tapped once the choke was fully
cinched.
The 30-year-old Rodriguez has won three of his past four bouts.
Della Maddalena Choke Thwarts Brown
Former Eternal MMA champion Jack
Della Maddalena took care of Randy Brown
with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their welterweight
feature. Della Maddalena (14-2, 4-0 UFC) drew the curtain 2:13 into
Round 1, as he recorded his 14th straight win.
Brown (16-5, 10-5 UFC) initially exploited his four-inch height and
five-inch reach advantages, keeping the Scrappy MMA rep at bay with
a steady jab and routine stance switches. However, Della Maddalena
closed the distance, trapped him along the fence and found the mark
with a right hook behind the ear. Brown faceplanted into the
canvas, ducked for cover and ate rapid-fired hammerfists until he
surrendered his back. Della Maddalena then secured the choke and
nailed down his first submission victory in more than five
years.
The loss closed the book on Brown’s four-fight winning streak.
Tafa Counter KOs Porter
Justin
Tafa put away onetime Reality Fighting titleholder Parker
Porter with an exquisite counter left hook in the first round
of their heavyweight attraction. Porter (12-8, 3-3 UFC) melted
where he stood just 66 seconds into Round 1.
In his first appearance in 420 days, Tafa (6-3, 3-3 UFC) waited for
an opportunity to present itself and made the most of it. He
stepped backward against the oncoming Porter, beat him to the punch
and connected with a perfectly placed left hook. Fist met chin, and
no follow-up shots were required.
Tafa has rattled off back-to-back victories since his decision
defeat to Jared
Vanderaa in May 2021.
Crute, Menifield Battle to Draw
Former Hex Fight Series champion Jimmy Crute
fought to a majority draw with fellow Dana White’s Contender Series
graduate Alonzo
Menifield in a grueling three-round light heavyweight showcase.
Judges Ben Cartlidge and David Lethaby scored it 28-28, while Derek
Cleary saw it 29-27 for Crute.
Crute (12-3-1, 4-3-1 UFC) struck for multiple takedowns in the
first round, but nearly paid the price for his failure to corral
the Saekson Muay Thai product. Menifield (13-3-1, 6-3-1 UFC) turned
the tide at the end of the period and almost finished the
Australian with a close-range elbow strike and two clubbing right
hands along the cage. Only the bell prevented further punishment. A
still-dazed Crute hit the deck at the start of Round 2, managed to
weather the assault that followed and slowly but surely wormed his
way back into the match with a timely takedown and a series of
submission attempts. The two men emerged for the third round as
spent forces, and a blatant fence grab resulted in Menifield being
docked a key point. Crute seized the reins from there, achieving
full mount on multiple occasions before wheeling behind the
kneeling Pat Barry
protégé and peppering him with short punches and hammerfists.
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