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ESPN app. The
Ultimate Fighting Championship on Tuesday brought in more
reinforcements through
Dana White’s Contender Series, as flyweight Jimmy Flick,
light heavyweight William
Knight and bantamweight Ronnie
Lawrence joined the roster on the strength of impressive Week 5
performances at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Flick submitted Nate Smith
with an arm-triangle choke in the third round of their flyweight
encounter. Smith (6-1) conceded defeat 3:15 into Round 3, the
Elevation Fight Team prospect beaten for the first time as a
professional.
Flick (15-5) was masterful on the ground. The Oklahoma-based
Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt settled in top position in all three
rounds and made passes at a variety of submissions throughout the
first 10-plus minutes: a straight armbar, a brabo choke, a triangle
choke, an armbar, an omoplata and multiple guillotines. Flick found
the right combination in the third, where the
Legacy Fighting Alliance champion secured a takedown, climbed to full mount and cinched the arm-triangle
for the finish.
The 29-year-old Flick has delivered 13 of his 15 career wins by
submission, seven of them via arm-triangle choke.
Relentless Lawrence Subdues Johnson
Repeated takedowns, stifling positional control and occasional
spinning attacks on the feet carried
American Top Team’s Lawrence to a unanimous decision over
Jose
Johnson in a three-round bantamweight showcase. Lawrence (6-1)
swept the scorecards with matching 30-27 marks from the judges.
Non-existent takedown defense cost Johnson (11-6). The
Warrior Xtreme Cagefighting champion cut Lawrence below the
right eye with a standing elbow strike but too often found himself
pinned to the cage or the mat. Frustration built. Lawrence
continued to execute takedowns, kept his foot on the gas and chewed
up time in top position.
The defeat stopped Johnson’s run of consecutive victories at
five.
Knight Rallies, Stops Brundage
Knight put away the previously unbeaten Factory
X prospect Cody
Brundage with elbows and punches in the first round of their
light heavyweight encounter. Knight (8-1) brought it to a close
2:23 into Round 1, as he improved to 2-0 on Dana White’s Contender
Series.
Brundage (5-1) executed a takedown, shifted to the back and
flattened out the
CES MMA veteran, nearly forcing a stoppage with a burst of
unanswered punches. Knight withstood the onslaught, escaped to his
feet and cut off the next attempted takedown with multiple elbows
to the side of the head. Brundage collapsed and absorbed several punches
before referee Herb Dean
elected to intervene.
Knight, 32, has recorded back-to-back wins since suffering a
technical knockout loss to Tafon
Nchukwi under the
Cage Fury Fighting Championships banner in November.
Baghdasaryan Outlasts Game Buzukja
Glendale Fighting Club export Melsik
Baghdasaryan utilized slaps with his right hand, slashing
straight lefts, standing elbows and clinch knees in capturing a
unanimous decision over Ring of
Combat champion Dennis
Buzukja in a three-round featherweight confrontation. All three
cageside judges scored it for Baghdasaryan (5-1): 30-27, 29-28 and
29-28.
Buzukja (4-2) was in survival mode for much of the first round,
under heavy fire from the finish-minded Armenian. The Serra-Longo
Fight Team standout bounced back in the second, where he tore into
a visibly fatigued Baghdasaryan with leg kicks and executed a
takedown. Baghdasaryan mustered the means necessary to piece
together a strong Round 3, as he focused his efforts on the body
with kicks and punches, tightened up his takedown defense and freed
himself from a precarious armbar during one of their few exchanges
on the ground.
Baghdasaryan has won five fights in a row.
Streaking Lutz Handles Gibson
Shogun
Fights champion Tucker Lutz
distributed effective strikes to the head, body and legs, as he
laid claim to a unanimous decision over Chase
Gibson in a three-round lightweight pairing. All three cageside
judges scored it the same: 30-27 for Lutz (10-1), who has rattled
off 10 consecutive victories.
Gibson (9-5) connected with a few right hands across the first 10
minutes and advanced to the back to threaten with a rear-naked
choke in the closing seconds of Round 3, but the Combate
Americas alum was otherwise outgunned. Pace was a major factor
in the outcome. Lutz peppered him with hooks and uppercuts to the
head, mixed in some body shots and attacked the lead leg with
kicks, doing more than enough damage to warrant the decision.
The loss halted Gibson’s two-fight winning streak. 
