SERGHEI SPIVAC SUBMITS LEWIS IN ROUND 1 đź—ś
#UFCVegas68 pic.twitter.com/qSlnn4mnBv— ESPN MMA (@espnmma)
February 5, 2023
Sergey
Spivak was completely dominant in his first UFC main event.
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The Moldovan ragdolled former heavyweight title challenger Derrick
Lewis all over the Octagon at
UFC Fight Night 218 before locking in an arm-triangle choke for
a submission victory at the 3:05 mark of the opening stanza. Spivak
(16-3, 7-3 UFC) has won three straight fights and six of his last
seven UFC appearances overall.
Lewis (26-11, 1 NC, 17-9 UFC) never had a chance to get going.
Spivak executed a hip toss within the bout’s first 30 seconds, and
the rout was on from there. “The Polar Bear” slammed a helpless
Lewis to the mat repeatedly while punishing his foe with
ground-and-pound from mount. Finally, after slamming Lewis to the
canvas one last time, Spivak deftly transitioned to the
fight-ending maneuver to mercifully bring an end to the
contest. Lewis has lost four of his last five UFC outings — with all of
those defeats coming inside the distance.
Clark Outlasts Jung
Ex-Resurrection Fighting Alliance title holder Devin Clark
took a hard-fought unanimous decision triumph over Korean Top Team
member Da Woon
Jung in the evening’s light heavyweight co-main event. All
three judges submitted 30-27 scorecards in the Sioux Falls, S.D.,
native.
Much of the bout was contested in close quarters, as both
combatants attempted to impose their will in the clinch and through
takedown attempts. Ultimately, a determined Clark (14-7, 8-7 UFC)
managed to put a more lasting stamp on a grueling fight. Clark
blended striking and takedowns effectively, doing some of his best
work with a barrage of punches and elbows on the canvas late in
Round 1. He also enjoyed success at range, tagging Jung (15-4-1,
4-2-1 UFC) with straight punches and the occasional kick. Jung had
his moments as well, including several slashing elbows in the
clinch and takedown of his own early in Round 3, but he couldn’t do
enough with the position to turn the tide in his favor.
Tybura Wears Down Ivanov
Marcin
Tybura continued his upward trajectory in the UFC’s heavyweight
division, as he outworked ex-World Series of Fighting champion
Blagoy
Ivanov for a unanimous decision triumph. All three cageside
judges submitted tallies in favor of Tybura: 30-27, 29-28, 29-28.
The former M-1 Global title holder has been victorious in seven of
his last eight UFC appearances.
For the first 10 minutes,Tybura (24-7, 11-6 UFC) mixed up his
attacks, landing jabs to the head and kicks to the body on his
durable opponent. Ivanov (19-5, 1 NC, 3-4 UFC) was more than game,
and he flashed his handspeed on multiple occasions by countering
with swift punching combinations. Tybura did some of his best work
in Round 3, when he shifted gears and took Ivanov to the canvas
early in the period. The Pole then spent the rest of the stanza
grinding away from top position, making a frustrated Ivanov carry
his weight to clinch his latest victory.
Choi, Nelson Battle to Majority Draw
A late point deduction cost Doo Ho Choi
dearly in his first bout in more than three years, as he battled
Kyle
Nelson to a majority draw in their three-round featherweight
clash. Judge Adelaide Byrd saw it 29-27 for “The Korean Superboy,”
while Chris Lee and
Eric
Colon submitted 28-28 tallies. The key moment of the fight
occurred in Round 3, when referee Chris Tognoni penalized Choi for
an accidental headbutt on his opponent.
Choi (14-4-1, 3-3-1) ran out to an early lead after two rounds
thanks to chopping leg kicks, solid right hands and sturdy
defensive wrestling. Nelson (13-5-1, 1-4-1 UFC) did his best to
make it a grinding affair, and while he secured multiple takedowns,
he didn’t land much in the way of offense once he grounded his
South Korean adversary. Choi ended the fight defending a Nelson
shot while landing hard shots to the ribs, but those efforts
couldn’t quite undo the damage he had done with the foul.
Fugitt Elbows Batter Kinoshita
Adam
Fugitt secured his first UFC triumph with a largely dominant
performance against former Dana White’s Contender Series competitor
Yusaku
Kinoshita in a welterweight clash. Fugitt (9-3, 1-1 UFC) ended
the contest with a series of powerful elbows from mount 4:36 into
the first round.
After absorbing a head kick early, Fugitt asserted himself through
takedowns and clinch work. The Art of War MMA representative set
the stage for the finishing sequence when he sat Kinoshita (6-2,
0-1 UFC) down with a left hand. He then followed his adversary to
the fence, powered him to the canvas and transitioned to mount,
where he was able to put Kinoshita away with the aforementioned
elbows.
Jubli Overwhelms Saragih
Tiger Muay Thai product Anshul
Jubli imposed his will on Indonesia’s Jeka
Asparido Saragih en route to technical knockout victory in a
Road to UFC lightweight final. A barrage of ground-and-pound from
Jubli (7-0, 1-0 UFC) forced referee Marc Goddard
to step in on Saragih’s behalf at the 3:44 mark of Round 2.
Saragih (13-3, 0-1 UFC) enjoyed some early success landing hard leg
kicks, but it wasn’t long before Jubli closed the distance and
grounded his opponent, where he passed to full mount and threatened
with an arm-triangle choke. That theme continued in Round 2, when
Saragih was taken down quickly after landing a head kick during an
early exchange. It was all Jubli from that point on, as he advanced
from one dominant position to another while using wrist control to
create openings for offense from above. Eventually, Jubli’s salvo
of elbows and punches overwhelmed his fatigued foe.
Lee Edges Yi
Jeong Yeong
Lee survived a grueling battle with Zha Yi to
capture a split-decision triumph in a Road to UFC featherweight
final. Judges Junichiro Kamijo and David Lethaby submitted 29-28
tallies for “The Korean Tiger,” while Jacob Montalvo saw the fight
30-27 in favor of Yi (22-4, 0-1 UFC).
After finishing his first two Road to UFC opponents in a combined
78 seconds, Lee (10-1, 1-0 UFC) encountered much more resistance
from Yi. The Chinese fighter put Lee on the defensive by applying
constant pressure, shooting for multiple takedowns and pressing his
adversary into the cage repeatedly. That grinding approach limited
Lee’s offense, but the former Road FC champion found enough
openings at range to land the strikes of consequence, which
ultimately proved to be the difference on the scorecards.
Nakamura Lamps Kazama
Rinya
Nakamura announced his presence to the promotion in emphatic
fashion with a vicious knockout of Toshiomi
Kazama in a Road to UFC bantamweight final. A perfectly placed
counter left hand to the chin removed Kazma (10-3, 0-1 UFC) from
consciousness, and Nakamura (7-0, 1-0 UFC) added one follow-up
punch on the canvas to seal his victory just 33 seconds into Round
1. The Saitama, Japan, native finished all three of his Road to UFC
foes inside of a round.
Nakamura’s intentions were clear from the opening bell. He rushed
forward and forced Kazama to engage in a brawl, sitting his foe
down with a right hook during an initial exchange. Nakamura
continued to swing heavy leather when his adversary returned to his
feet, and he ultimately found the mark with the decisive blow
shortly thereafter.
Park Rallies, Submits Choi
Hyun
Sung Park shook off a slow start and rallied to submit “Korean
Zombie” protege Seung Guk
Choi in a Road to UFC flyweight final. Park (8-0, 1-0 UFC)
brought the show to a close with a rear-naked choke 3:11 into the
third frame. Park has finished his last seven opponents.
Choi (6-2, 0-1 UFC) started strong, as he countered several of his
opponent’s kicks with heavy right hands, powering Park to the floor
in the process on a couple occasions. Over time, however, Park
gradually took control. He worked behind a solid jab and whipping
low kicks in Round 2 before a solid knee to the midsection allowed
him to jump on Choi’s back in the third stanza. From there, Park
threatened with a rear-naked choke, forcing Choi to fall to the
canvas. The tap came moments later.
’The Iron Turtle’ Chokes Out Tiuliulin
Jung Yong Park earned his third consecutive Octagon triumph, as he
choked out Denis
Tiuliulin in the opening stanza of their middleweight
encounter. “The Iron Turtle” rendered his opponent unconscious with
a rear-naked choke at the 4:05 mark of the period — his second
consecutive submission triumph.
Park (16-5, 6-2 UFC) wasted little time in closing the distance and
tripping Tiuliulin (10-7, 1-2 UFC) to the canvas, where he landed
in full mount. Tiuliulin appeared to be a fish out of water on his
back, and Park methodically worked to create openings to land
purposeful ground-and-pound. The South Korean cut his opponent open
with a slashing elbow before forcing Tiuliulin to give up his back
with a series of heavy elbows and and punches from above. Once
there, Park was able to secure with rear-naked choke with little
resistance.
Prospect Taira Armbars Aguilar
Japanese prospect Tatsuro
Taira kept his undefeated record intact with a quick submission
of Dana White’s Contender Series alum Jesus
Santos Aguilar in a flyweight affair. The Paraestra Okinawa
export elicited a verbal tap from his opponent with a triangle
armbar at the 4:20 mark of Round 1.
Aguilar (8-2, 0-1 UFC) was aggressive at the outset, as he
pressured Taira (13-0, 3-0 UFC) and spent the better part of two
minutes threatening with a guillotine from his back. Taira
ultimately survived the predicament, popped his head free and
passed to full mount. From there, the former Shooto champion locked
in a triangle and rolled to his back before transitioning to a
belly-down armbar to force the stoppage.