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. In five-round battle that was as closely-contested as they
come, Michelle
Waterson had just a little bit more in the tank down the
stretch. The former
Invicta Fighting Championships title holder edged Angela Hill
via split decision in the
UFC Fight Night 177 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on
Saturday night in a high-paced five-round affair. Waterson received
49-46 and 48-47 tallies from the cageside judges, while a third saw
the fight 48-47 in favor of Hill. In victory, “The Karate Hottie”
improves to 2-1 in UFC main event bouts and halts a two-bout
skid.
Coming off a split-decision loss to Carla
Esparza in her most recent outing, Waterson (18-8, 6-4 UFC) was
happy to emerge on the right side of the scorecards this time
around. Hill, meanwhile, is now 0-3 in contests that go to split
decision in the Octagon.
“I was confident,” Waterson said. “You never want to leave it in
the hands of the judges. You get another split decision, it doesn’t
leave a good feeling in your stomach.”
Hill (12-9, 7-9 UFC) got off to a quick start, landing powerful
right hands repeatedly over the course of the first 10 minutes. As
a result of the damage absorbed, Waterson developed a mouse on her
head and was bleeding from her nose as the fight progressed.
Still, the
Jackson-Wink MMA product found another gear in Round 3, when
she landed the fight’s first takedown and spent about three minutes
in top control. It was also the bout’s lone takedown, as Hill
defended Waterson’s other 17 attempts.
“I wanted to submit her,” Waterson said. “I wanted to take her down
and finish the fight.”
From there, Waterson was able to increase the volume of her offense
on the feet, blending a variety of kicks with her punches. Hill was
still able to connect with more power, and she finished the fight
with a flurry of knees and elbows in the clinch before the Round 5
horn. It still wasn’t enough for “Overkill,” who was making her
fourth appearance of 2020.
Azaitar Runs Through Worthy
Ottman
Azaitar is quickly establishing a reputation as a wrecking
machine.
The 30-year-old Cologne, Germany, native made short work of
Khama
Worthy, winning via technical knockout in the evening’s
lightweight co-main event. Azaitar (13-0, 2-0 UFC)
brought a halt to the contest with a barrage of unanswered
punches to the side of his opponent’s head at the 1:33 mark of
Round 1. Worthy (16-7, 2-1 UFC) saw a seven-bout professional
winning streak snapped in defeat.
Azaitar rattled his Worthy with a right hand-left hook combination
early and he blitzed his opponent from there, teeing off with heavy
punches in close quarters. Worthy then fell to the canvas on all
fours and Azaitar followed him down, where a barrage of unanswered
strikes brought the bout to a close.
“The game plan was to go for three rounds, to not think about the
knockout. When I get in such situations, I don’t stop — I don’t hit
the brake,” Azaitar said. “If I get in such a situation, I cannot
stop. If I smell blood, I want to eat.”
Azaitar has ended 10 of his 13 professional wins by knockout or
technical knockout.
Modafferi Edges Lee in Rematch
Roxanne
Modafferi improved to 2-0 against Andrea Lee,
as she took a competitive unanimous decision in a flyweight scrap.
All three judges submitted 29-28 scorecards in favor of “The Happy
Warrior,” who also owns a split-decision triumph over Lee under the
Invicta FC banner in 2014.
Modafferi’s (25-17, 4-5 UFC) grappling acumen proved to be the
difference in a bout that hinged on a few key moments. The
Syndicate MMA representative controlled a significant portion
of Round 1 with top position and ground-and-pound, and she clinched
her victory with a takedown with approximately two minutes
remaining in the third period. Though Lee (11-5, 3-3 UFC) was able
to land with greater volume on the feet — including a spinning back
elbow in Round 2 that drew a reaction from Modafferi — it wasn’t
enough to sway the judges in her favor.
Lee has lost three consecutive bouts.
Herman Scores Controversial Submission
Ed
Herman took advantage of an apparent error by referee Chris
Tognoni to rally for a submission triumph over Mike
Rodriguez in a light heavyweight scrap. “The Ultimate Fighter
3” finalist framed a kimura to elicit the tapout 4:01 into the
final frame for his third consecutive triumph.
Controversy struck in Round 2, when Rodriguez hurt his opponent
with knees to the body against the fence, causing Herman (26-14, 1
NC, 13-10, 1 NC UFC) to slump to the canvas in pain. As Rodriguez
stepped in to swarm for the finish, Tognoni elected to pause the
bout for what he perceived to be a low blow. Though replays
appeared to indicate that there was no foul, Herman used the
recovery period to his advantage.
Despite that reprieve, things still looked good for Rodriguez, as
he again hurt Herman with body work in Round 2 and rocked him with
elbows to the side of the head while defending a takedown in the
third frame. But just when the end appeared to be near for a
grounded Herman,
he secured the kimura, swept into top position and stepped over
Rodriguez’s head to torque the maneuver. At that point,
Rodriguez (11-5, 1 NC, 2-3, 1 NC UFC) had no choice but to tap.
Green Wins Third Straight
Bobby
Green relied on takedowns, solid topside grappling and his
usual crafty standup to take a three-round verdict against Alan
Patrick Silva Alves at lightweight. All three cageside judges
submitted 30-27 tallies in favor of Green. The former King of
the Cage title holder has won three consecutive promotional
appearances within a three-month span.
Though it was Patrick who attempted to initiate grappling
exchanges, Green (27-10-1, 8-5-1 UFC) was the one who landed
multiple takedowns. The 34-year-old Pinnacle MMA representative was
effective from top position, as well, and he was able to nullify
the Brazilian’s submission attempts while landing
ground-and-pound.
When the fighters did stand, Green was typically elusive, and he
began to touch his opponent’s chin with right hands in the final
round. Patrick (15-3, 5-3 UFC), who was competing for the first
time since October 2018, lost his second straight bout.
Quarantillo Gets One-Punch KO
Dana White’s Contender Series veteran Billy
Quarantillo remained unbeaten in UFC competition, scoring a
one-punch knockout of Kyle Nelson
in a featherweight feature. Quarantillo brought a close to the
contest just seven seconds into Round 3 with a clean right hand,
possibly fracturing his opponent’s orbital in the process.
After a back-and-forth opening stanza where both competitors landed
their share of heavy shots, Quarantillo (15-2, 3-0 UFC) began to
take control in the second frame through takedowns and clinch work.
Toward the end of that round, Nelson appeared to be fading badly,
and that carried over into Round 3, when Quarantillo put his final
stamp on the bout. Nelson (13-4, 1-3 UFC)
stumbled backward for a moment before faceplanting on the canvas
after absorbing the blow, bringing an abrupt end to the
fight.
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