Jared
Cannonier’s performance was not the kind that inspires
long-term hope in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division, but it
was enough to get the job done.
Thudding leg kicks and occasional bursts of power punches spurred
Cannonier to a split decision over former King of
the Cage champion Sean
Strickland in the
UFC Fight Night 216 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas. All three members of the cageside judiciary struck 49-46
scorecards: Sal D’Amato for Strickland, Derek Cleary and Junichiro
Kamijo for Cannonier.
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Neither man established much of a framework for victory, hence the
discrepancies in the scorecards. Cannonier (16-6, 9-6 UFC) was
effective with kicks to the lower extremities for much of the
back-and-forth affair. Strickland (25-5, 12-5 UFC), meanwhile,
managed distance with a consistent jab, then picked up the pace in
the middle rounds. He aimed his shots almost exclusively at the
head. Cannonier continued to attack at all levels and turned up the
heat late, when he seemed more willing and able to sell out on his
punches upstairs.
Tsarukyan Stymies Frustrated Ismagulov
Repeated takedowns and a time-stealing clinch carried Arman
Tsarukyan to a unanimous decision over Damir
Ismagulov in their three-round lightweight co-main event. All
three cageside judges scored it the same: 30-27 for Tsarukyan
(19-3, 6-2 UFC), who bounced back from his June 25 defeat to
Mateusz
Gamrot. Ismagulov (24-2, 5-1 UFC) was never afforded the chance to
establish any kind of offensive rhythm. Tsarukyan attacked his legs
relentlessly, securing takedowns in all three rounds. Those efforts
slowly wore down Ismagulov. Tsarukyan advanced to the former M-1
Global champion’s back in the second and third rounds, threatening
the neck with chokes and bleeding precious seconds off the
clock.
The loss was Ismagulov’s first since Sept. 20, 2015 and snapped a
remarkable run of 19 straight victories.
Albazi Wrecks Replacement Costa
Xtreme Couture’s Amir Albazi
took care of former Lux Fight League champion Alessandro
Costa with punches in the third round of their flyweight
showcase. A short-notice substitution for Brandon
Royval, Costa (12-3, 0-1 UFC) bowed out 2:13 into Round 3.
Albazi (16-1, 4-0 UFC) overcame a tepid start and seized the reins.
He decked Costa with a two-punch combination in the second round,
moved into top position and assaulted him with ground-and-pound.
That set the stage for the third. There, Albazi floored the Dana
White’s Contender Series alum
with a ringing right uppercut, chased him to the canvas and mopped
up the rest with follow-up punches.
The setback closed the book on Costa’s seven-fight winning
streak.
Caceres Kick KOs Erosa
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 12 quarterfinalist Alex
Caceres rebounded from his March 12 loss to Sodiq
Yusuff and did so in style, as he chopped down Julian
Erosa with
a head kick and follow-up punches in the first round of their
featherweight feature. Erosa (28-10, 6-6 UFC) checked
out 3:04 into Round 1, his three-fight winning streak having run
its course.
The two men traded leg kicks for much of the encounter. Caceres
(20-13, 15-11 UFC) exploded out of nowhere with the head kick that
dropped the Xtreme Couture export where he stood. Dazed and
confused, Erosa was in no condition to defend himself from the
punches that followed.
Caceres, 34, has rattled off six wins in seven appearances.
Dober Rallies to Stop Green
Elevation Fight Team’s Drew Dober
cut down former King of the Cage champion Bobby Green
with punches in the second round of their lightweight showcase.
Dober (26-11, 12-7 UFC)
drew the curtain 2:45 into Round 2.
Operating out of his unconventional hands-down stance, Green
(29-14-1, 10-9-1 UFC) tore into his opponent with quick punching
bursts throughout a lopsided first round. Dober retreated to his
corner with a bloody nose and in search of answers for the
fast-twitch strikes being fired in his direction. He eventually
backed Green to the fence, triggered a wild exchange and flattened
him with a clean left hook. Dober added a follow-up shot for good
measure before referee Keith
Peterson could arrive on the scene.
Dober now finds himself on a three-fight winning streak.
Patient Oleksiejczuk Buries Brundage
Former Thunderstrike Fight League champion Michal
Oleksiejczuk put away Cody
Brundage with punches in the first round of their featured
middleweight attraction. Oleksiejczuk (18-5, 6-3 UFC) slammed the
door 3:16 into Round 1, authoring his fastest finish in more than
three years.
Brundage (8-3, 2-2 UFC) struck for a takedown inside the first 15
seconds and managed to maintain control for a time before allowing
the Pole to reverse into top position. Oleksiejczuk got busy with
his ground-and-pound, increasing the intensity of his punches and
elbows with each passing second.
A sweeping left forced Brundage to turn away from contact and
rendered him defenseless to the barrage of punches and hammerfists
that followed.
Oleksiejczuk has won four of his past five bouts.
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