Nassourdine
Imavov took care of business, even if it was messy in
practice.
The Frenchman made his pitch as a Top 10 contender in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight division, as he
outstruck and outlasted Romand Dolidze to a majority decision in
the
UFC Fight Night 235 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas. Judges Derek Cleary and Sal D’Amato saw it 49-44 and
48-46 for Imavov, while Ron McCarthy scored it a 47-47 draw.
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Imavov (13-4, 5-2 UFC) was docked a point for an illegal head kick
in the fourth round but otherwise controlled the majority of the
match with sharp striking. He wobbled Dolidze with a right hand
inside the first five minutes, forced him to the canvas with a
series of follow-up shots, including a brutal knee strike to the
body, and nearly authored a quick finish with ground-and-pound.
Perhaps undercut by fatigue, Imavov was hesitant from that point
forward yet still managed to extend his lead against a woefully
inactive opponent. Dolidze (12-3, 6-3 UFC) resorted to a series of
clinches along the fence but offered little in terms of meaningful
offense, resulting in several referee restarts. The Georgian
threatened with a kneebar in the fourth round and a toe hold in the
fifth, though neither of the attempts had Imavov in any real
danger.
Meanwhile, American Top Team’s Renato
Carneiro rode takedowns, asphyxiating top control and steady
ground-and-pound to a unanimous decision over Drew Dober in
the three-round lightweight co-main event. All three members of the
cageside judiciary scored it 29-28 for Carneiro (18-5-1, 10-5
UFC).
Dober (27-13, 13-9 UFC) buckled “Moicano” more than once in their
standup exchanges and executed an exquisite lateral drop in the
second round that resulted in a gnarly cut near the Brazilian’s
right eye. With the outcome still in doubt, Carneiro made his move
in the third. He countered another lateral drop from Dober, powered
into top position 3:22 left on the clock and never again allowed
the Elevation Fight Team rep regain his footing. With blood
spurting from his face, Carneiro applied his ground-and-pound,
stayed busy enough to keep referee Mark Smith at bay and eventually
climbed to full mount to salt away the victory.
Carneiro, 34, has won four of his past five bouts, a March 2022
decision defeat to Rafael dos
Anjos the only hiccup.
Elsewhere, ex-Ring of Combat champion Randy Brown
felled Muslim
Salikhov with punches in the first round of their welterweight
showcase.
Brown (18-5, 12-5 UFC) slammed the door on the “King of Kung Fu”
3:17 into Round 1, winning for the sixth time in seven
appearances.
Salikov (19-5, 6-4 UFC) closed the distance with crushing leg kicks
but could not give them enough time to marinate. Brown doubled up
with jabs and then followed them with a brutal right cross.
Salikhov absorbed the concussive impact, hit the deck, turtled in a
defensive shell and ate a standing-to-ground right hand before
referee Kerry Hatley arrived on the scene.
The knockout was Brown’s first since he stopped Bryan
Barberena with punches at UFC Fight Night 154 on June 22,
2019.
Further down the card, budding Team Borracha star Natalia
Silva called upon a clever, taekwondo-based kicking game,
bulletproof takedown defense, power punching bursts and relentless
lateral movement in a unanimous decision over onetime Pancrase
champion Viviane
Araujo in a three-round women’s flyweight feature. All three
cageside judges struck 29-28 scorecards for Silva (17-5-1, 5-0
UFC), an emerging threat at 125 pounds.
Araujo (12-6, 6-5 UFC) tried and ultimately failed to bottle up the
former Jungle Fight titleholder in the clinch. Silva bided her
time, broke free when the opportunity presented itself and launched
quick-twitch offensive attacks for which there was no retort. She
sat down Araujo with a sweeping left hook in the second round, then
proceeded to pile up points with creative kicks to the body, head
and legs.
The 27-year-old Silva has rattled off 11 consecutive victories.
Finally, former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder
Charlie
Radtke melted “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 29 finalist
Gilbert
Urbina with punches in the first round of their welterweight
appetizer.
Radtke (9-3, 2-0 UFC) drew the curtain 4:47 into Round 1, as he
nailed down his sixth straight win in spectacular
fashion.
Urbina (7-3, 1-2 UFC) never established a foothold in the match.
Radtke forced him onto his back foot with a thrusting jab and
well-timed leg kicks, then decked him with a clean left hook.
Urbina managed to get back to a standing position, only to find
himself pinned to the fence. Another powerful left hook from Radtke
folded him where he stood and left him defenseless to the follow-up
punches that came next.
It was the fourth first-round finish of Radtke’s brief but eventful
career.
In other action, a hotly anticipated middleweight showdown between
Aliaskhab
Khizriev (12-0, 1-0 UFC) and Makhmud
Muradov (26-8, 4-2 UFC) ended in a no contest due to in
accidental eye poke 11 seconds into Round 1. The cageside
physician, referee Herb Dean and Muradov—his left eye already
swollen shut—all agreed he was in no condition to continue.
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