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. The dark horse label no longer applies to Alexander
Volkov. On a steady climb inside the
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s heavyweight division, the
former Bellator
MMA and M-1 Global
champion damaged and discarded Alistair
Overeem in the second round of their
UFC Fight Night 184 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas. Overeem (47-19, 12-8 UFC), who looked like he had been
hit by wayward helicopter blades, succumbed to blows 2:06 into
Round 2.
Volkov (33-8, 7-2 UFC) was powerful and precise. He battered
Overeem bloody in the first round, where he took advantage of the
smaller cage, flurried with punches along the fence on more than
one occasion and knocked him off-balance with a clubbing left hand.
However, the worst was yet to come for “The Demolition Man.” Volkov
unleashed his jab and devastating one-twos in the second round,
further mangling his counterpart’s face. He shut down a desperate
takedown attempt from Overeem and floored the onetime Dream,
Strikeforce
and K-1 World Grand Prix titleholder with a chopping left hook that was well-hidden behind the
straight right that preceded it. The Dutchman dropped to
all-fours, necessitating the stoppage from referee Jason
Herzog.
The 32-year-old Volkov has posted nine wins across his past 11
appearances.
Sandhagen Knee KOs Edgar
Burgeoning
Elevation Fight Team star Cory
Sandhagen knocked out future hall of famer Frankie
Edgar with a picture-perfect flying knee in the first round of
their bantamweight co-main event. Sandhagen (14-2, 7-1 UFC) brought
it to a jaw-dropping close 28 seconds into Round 1, winning for the
ninth time in 10 outings and almost certainly cementing himself as
the No. 1 contender at 135 pounds.
Edgar (24-9-1, 18-9-1 UFC) pressed the issue, only to have his
aggression used against him. Sandhagen sidestepped the former
lightweight champion, took flight and planted his knee on the jaw.
Edgar froze where he stood, collapsed and hit the canvas motionless
and unconscious.
Sandhagen now awaits the outcome of the forthcoming bantamweight
title fight between reigning champion Petr Yan and
Aljamain
Sterling at UFC 259 on March 6.
Ageless Guida Sinks Johnson
Team Alpha Male’s Clay Guida
stopped the bleeding from a two-fight losing streak and notched his
first win in nearly two years, as he took a unanimous decision from
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 12 finalist Michael
Johnson in a grueling three-round lightweight showcase. Guida
(36-20, 16-14 UFC) drew 30-27 nods from all three judges.
Johnson (19-17, 11-13 UFC) was forced to play defense for much of
the 15-minute dogfight. Guida blasted him with overhand rights,
applied merciless pressure and chased takedowns with a maniacal
purpose. Johnson unleashed occasional multi-punch volleys and
wobbled “The Carpenter” with a lightning-quick straight right in
the third round, but he could not keep the former Strikeforce
champion at bay. Guida swooped in for another attempted takedown in
the waning moments of the match, scrambled to the back and secured
his position with a body triangle before nearly finishing it with a
rear-naked choke. Johnson fought through fatigue and a relentless
opponent to avoid being submitted, only to hear the scores read in
Guida’s favor.
The mercurial Johnson, who turns 35 in June, has lost his last four
fights, seven of his past nine and nine of his last 12.
Pantoja Spoils Kape Debut
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 24 semifinalist Alexandre
Pantoja leaned on superior output and consistency, as he laid
claim to a unanimous decision over former
Rizin Fighting Federation champion Manel Kape
in a three-round flyweight attraction. Scores were 29-28, 29-28,
30-27, all for Pantoja (23-5, 7-3 UFC), who has won five of his
last seven bouts.
Kape (15-5, 0-1 UFC) had his moments but suffered from too much
inactivity in his promotional debut. He landed a glancing cartwheel
kick in the first round, snuck in stabbing left hands and connected
with a crisp two-punch combination in the third, punctuated by a
right hook. Pantoja applied heavy forward pressure throughout,
attacked the legs and body with kicks, countered when the situation
called for it and denied the organizational newcomer’s bids for
takedowns.
The loss snapped Kape’s run of consecutive victories at three.
Dariush Edges Ferreira in Rematch
Multiple takedowns, stellar positional control and effective
ground-and-pound carried
Kings MMA’s Beneil
Dariush to a split decision over Diego
Ferreira in their three-round lightweight rematch. All three
judges scored it 29-28: Chris Lee and
Dave
Hagen for Dariush, Jerin Valel
for Ferreira.
Ferreira (17-3, 8-3 UFC) withstood a brutal knee strike to the body
in the first round but ran into considerable difficulty with
takedown defense. Dariush (20-4-1, 14-4-1) grounded him repeatedly
across the first 10 minutes, frustrating the former
Legacy Fighting Championship titleholder with his relentless
effort. Ferreira, to his credit, never gave up his pursuit. He
staggered Dariush with an overhand right and front kick in the
first round, then used his hand speed advantage to rack up
effective punching combinations in the third. However, Ferreira’s
fell short on the scorecards, and he went down to defeat for the
first time in nearly six years.
Dariush now finds himself on a six-fight winning streak. He owns a
2-0 advantage in his head-to-head series with Ferreira, having
beaten the Brazilian by unanimous decision in their first encounter
on Oct. 25, 2014.
Marques Throttles Rodrigues Unconscious
Danilo
Marques put
Dana White’s Contender Series alum Mike
Rodriguez to sleep with a rear-naked choke in the second round
of their light heavyweight showcase. In his first appearance since
he suffered a controversial Sept. 12 defeat to Ed Herman,
Rodriguez (11-6, 2-4 UFC) lost his grip on reality 4:52 into Round
2.
Marques (11-2, 2-0 UFC) was methodical with his approach. He
delivered multiple takedowns, neutralized Rodriguez on the mat and
let his skills do the rest. Marques climbed to full mount in the
second round, applied his ground-and-pound and progressed to the
back. He then cinched the choke, tightened his squeeze through
Rodriguez’s attempt to hand fight and cut off blood flow to the brain.
The 35-year-old Marques has won four fights in a row.
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UFC Fight Night 184 Prelims: Osbourne Wrecks Reeling Rivera
