“The Highlight” remains as fitting a nickname today as the day it
was given to him.
Justin
Gaethje laid claim to the symbolic BMF title and established
himself as the No. 1 contender for the
Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight crown, as he brought
down Dustin
Poirier with a perfectly placed head kick in the second round
of the
UFC 291 headliner on Saturday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake
City, Utah. Gaethje (25-4, 8-4 UFC) filed away his latest victory
60 seconds into Round 2.
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Poirier (29-8, 21-7 UFC) struggled to establish a rhythm throughout
a competitive first round but managed to cut the former World
Series of Fighting champion near his left eye with a clean one-two.
Gaethje, meanwhile, invested in leg kicks and power punching
combinations. Early in the second round, he backed up a right hand
with an exquisitely timed head kick, his lower leg wrapping around
Poirier’s defenses before detonating behind the ear. The Louisiana
native crashed to the canvas and ate a hammerfist from Gaethje
before referee Herb Dean could
slide in for the save.
Pereira Edges Blachowicz on Split Scorecards
Teixeira MMA standout Alex
Pereira made a successful move to 205 pounds, as he eked out a
split decision over Jan
Blachowicz in their three-round light heavyweight co-main
event. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28: Junichiro Kamijo
for Blachowicz, Derek Cleary and Ron McCarthy for Pereira. Blachowicz (29-10-1, 12-7-1 UFC) was in charge for a majority of
the first round. He secured a takedown roughly two minutes into the
period, advanced to the back and secured his position with a body
triangle. The former UFC champion threatened with rear-naked chokes
on multiple occasions, but Pereira managed to survive. By the start
of Round 2, it became clear that fatigue had already taken a bite
out of Blachowicz. Pereira (8-2, 5-1 UFC) went to work with his
world-class kickboxing skills, as he shredded the Pole’s lower lead
leg with kicks, leaned into his jab and picked his spots with power
and precision. Blachowicz completed a takedown in the final minute
of the fight, but his attempts to consolidate it with meaningful
damage went nowhere.
Pereira, 36, has won eight of his past nine bouts.
Lewis Wrecks Rogerio de Lima in 33 Seconds
Former Legacy Fighting Championship titleholder Derrick
Lewis took care of “The Ultimate Fighter Brazil” Season 3
semifinalist Marcos
Rogerio de Lima with punches in the first round of their
heavyweight showcase. Rogerio de Lima (21-9-1, 10-7 UFC) bowed out
33 seconds into Round 1.
Lewis (27-11, 18-9 UFC)—who entered the Octagon on a three-fight
losing streak—roared out of the gate with a flying knee that sent
the American Top Team-trained Brazilian crashing to the canvas.
“The Black Beast” swarmed Rogerio de Lima with punches, briefly
climbed to full mount and then transitioned to the back with his
adversary in a kneeling position. Lewis continued to let his heavy
hands go until referee Dan Miragliotta had seen enough.
It was just the second sub-minute finish of Lewis’ career.
Green Arm-Triangle Buries Ferguson
Onetime King of the Cage champion Bobby Green
put away Tony
Ferguson with an arm-triangle choke in the third round of their
lightweight feature. Ferguson (25-9, 15-7 UFC) lost his grip on
consciousness 4:54 into Round 3, as he suffered his sixth
consecutive defeat.
Green (30-14-1, 11-9-1 UFC) withstood a first-round knockdown,
countered with punches from odd angles and made the most of his
other opportunities. Ferguson rolled for ill-advised leg locks in
the second and third rounds, only to pay the price for those
efforts. Green battered him with hammerfists, elbows and forearm
strikes from above, opening several small facial lacerations. He
exploited Ferguson’s fatigue further late in Round 3, as he once
again moved into top position, locked in the arm-triangle choke,
cleared his legs and waited for a lack of blood flow to the brain
take hold.
The submission win was Green’s first since Feb. 2, 2013.
Holland Choke Downs Chiesa
Former two-division Xtreme Knockout titleholder Kevin
Holland tapped “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 15 winner Michael
Chiesa with a brabo choke in the first round of their
welterweight attraction. Chiesa (16-7, 11-7 UFC) conceded defeat
2:39 into Round 1.
Holland (25-9, 12-6 UFC) put the Sikjitsu mainstay in peril almost
immediately. He checked Chiesa’s chin with a pair of close-range
uppercuts, shut down multiple takedown attempts and threatened with
knee strikes up the middle. Holland collapsed downward with his
opponent diving at his legs, caught the brabo choke and let his
powerful, long-armed squeeze do the rest.
Chiesa has lost three fights in a row, two of them via brabo choke
submission.
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UFC 291 Prelims: Roman Kopylov Kick Levels Claudio Ribeiro