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. After a brief hiatus, Robert
Whittaker is back on track. The former middleweight champion returned to form in the
UFC on ESPN 14 headliner, winning a closely-contested unanimous
decision over Darren Till
at the Flash Forum on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi on Saturday night.
All three cageside judges struck 48-47 scorecards in favor of
Whittaker, who took time off due to burnout following his
championship defeat to Israel
Adesanya last October.
“That fight was so stressful,” Whittaker said. “Honestly, I hope
the fans and everybody can appreciate it. That was one of the most
technical fights I’ve ever had to fight.”
Till (18-3-1, 6-3-1 UFC) threatened to make it an early night for
Whittaker (21-5, 12-3 UFC), as he dropped his opponent with a clean
elbow to the jaw in the first round. Till tagged his foe with
several lefts on the feet after that, but Whittaker seemed to
regain his senses by the end of the period.
It was Whittaker’s turn to seize momentum in Round 2, when he
dropped Till with an overhand right. The Sydney resident then
settled into Till’s guard, attacking with elbows to the head and
short shots to the ribs in the most emphatic frame of the bout.
The contest took on a more deliberate pace from there, but it was
Whittaker who landed with the superior volume, blending in leg
kicks with punches to the head while Till often hesitated to pull
the trigger. Till offered one final salvo in the fifth round,
bloodying the side of Whittaker’s head with another standing elbow.
“The Reaper” was unfazed, however, and he closed the round by
pressuring for a takedown against the fence before the horn.
‘Shogun’ Improves to 3-0 Against Nogueira
Over the course of a trilogy that spanned two decades, Mauricio Rua
just seems to have Antonio
Rogerio Nogueira’s number.
“Shogun” improved to 3-0 against his fellow
Pride Fighting Championships veteran, earning a split-decision
triumph in a light heavyweight co-main event matchup. Two judges
scored the fight 29-28 for Rua, while a third saw it 29-28 in favor
of “Minotouro,” who seemed to be leaning toward retirement after
the defeat.
“I wanted to share this Octagon with Mauricio Rua. He used to be a
Pride world champion, UFC world champion,” Nogueira said. “To me
it’s an honor to be here, 44 years old. I think this time it’s
gonna be my last one, and I’m very grateful to share the ring with
the champ Mauricio Rua.”
Nogueira (23-10, 6-7 UFC) set the tone early by rocking Rua
(27-11-1, 11-9-1) with a straight left hand in the first round, and
the left proved to be the weapon of choice for the 44-year-old
Brazilian throughout the fight. The grizzled veterans proved
willing to engage in entertaining exchanges, but over time, Rua
asserted himself through kicks to the legs and body along with the
occasional right hand. “Shogun” put one final stamp on the fight
with a left hook counter and takedown late in Round 3, where he
ended the contest landing ground-and-pound from above.
All three Rua-Nogueira bouts went the distance — with two ending
via split decision.
Werdum Armbars Gustafsson
Fabricio
Werdum showed Alexander
Gustafsson that being on the mat with a world-class heavyweight
grappler just feels different.
Werdum (24-9-1, 12-6 UFC) halted a two-bout skid, submitting the
former 205-pound title challenger with an armbar 2:30 into the
opening stanza. Gustafsson, who was making his heavyweight debut,
has been finished in his last three UFC appearances.
Gustafsson (18-7, 10-7 UFC) did well to fend off Werdum’s initial
attempt at a single-leg takedown, and he punished the Brazilian
with some hammerfists to the side the head for his efforts. “Vai
Cavalo” proved to be relentless in his mindset, however, as he
remain attached to Gustafsson and tripped him to the canvas from
behind. The former heavyweight king then transitioned from a
rear-naked choke to an armbar, worked to break Gustafsson’s grip
with hammerfists and
finally torqued the arm to force the tap in a matter of
seconds.
“This is a very important fight for me,” Werdum said. “I’ve been
waiting for a long time, my whole life is like a victory and I’m
very happy. I’m almost crying now.”
Esparza Takes Split Verdict Over Rodriguez
A gritty Carla
Esparza edged Marina
Rodriguez via split decision in a pivotal clash between
strawweight contenders. The former 115-pound champion received
scorecards of 29-28 and 30-27 from the cageside judges, while a
third submitted a 29-28 tally in favor of Rodriguez. “Cookie
Monster” has won four straight UFC bouts — all by going the
distance.
Esparza (17-6, 8-4 UFC) relied on her wrestling, landing takedowns
in every frame. Top position proved to be perilous at times for the
Team Oyama product, as Rodriguez (12-1-1, 2-1-2 UFC) cut her
open with a slicing elbow from the bottom in Round 1 that quickly
turned into a sizable hematoma. Esparza was also plagued by
questionable decision making, as leg lock attempts toward the end
of the first and second frames resulted in Rodriguez reversing
position and unleashing ferocious ground-and-pound from above.
Still, it was Esparza’s relentless pressure and top control that
ultimately won the day in a competitive bout.
Craig Triangles Antigulov
Paul
Craig showed once again why it’s not wise to enter his
guard.
The Scottish light heavyweight lured Gadzhimurad
Antigulov into his comfort zone, framed a triangle choke and
eventually coaxed a tap from his opponent at the 2:06 mark of Round
1. Craig (13-4-1, 5-4-1 UFC) has now won 12 of his 13 professional
bouts by way of submission. Antigulov (20-7, 2-3) has lost three
straight Octagon appearances.
Antigulov wasted little time closing the distance, where he landed
a single-leg takedown with relative ease. However, Craig seemed to
welcome the position, and although Antigulov managed to score some
heavy shots from above,
his aggression allowed “Bearjew” to gradually tighten the finishing
maneuver. Eventually, Antigulov could no longer resist the
squeeze.
Kicks Propel Oliveira Past Sobotta
Alex
Oliveira captured a unanimous decision over Peter
Sobotta in a welterweight showdown. All three cageside judges
submitted identical 30-27 scorecards in favor of the Brazilian, who
now owns a modest two-bout UFC winning streak.
Body kicks were the weapon of choice for Oliveira (22-8-1, 2 NC,
11-6, 1 NC UFC). “Cowboy” hurt Sobotta (17-7-1, 4-6 UFC) on more
than one occasion with his legs, opened a cut on his opponent’s
head with elbows and dropped the German with a counter right hand
at the end of round two. Due to the arsenal of kicks coming in his
direction, Sobotta struggled to get into boxing range for much of
the fight.
Chimaev Punishes McKee for TKO Win
Khamzat
Chimaev might be a star in the making in the welterweight
division.
For the second time in 10 days, the
Allstars Training Center representative authored a dominant
performance, earning a first-round technical knockout victory over
Rhys
McKee. A cascade of ground-and-pound brought a halt to the
contest at the 3:09 mark of Round 1.
McKee (10-3-1, 0-1 UFC) was never competitive. Chimaev (8-0, 2-0
UFC) took McKee down immediately and spent the duration of the
fight transitioning from one dominant position to another. Chimaev
battered his opponent with a variety of punches, hammerfists and
elbows from mount, and McKee was only able to last as long as he
did thanks to an ability to keep moving under duress. Eventually,
Chimaev’s onslaught was too much.
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