HE ONLY NEEDED ONE ARM @TouchNgo_
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#UFC261 on ESPN+ https://t.co/11j8ptNbRf pic.twitter.com/azQV4WvYwo— ESPN MMA (@espnmma)
April 25, 2021
Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 261 live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. Randy
Brown’s rangy striking and crafty submission game proved to be
a lethal combination against Alex
Oliveira at UFC
261.
Brown (13-4, 7-4 UFC) won for the third time in his last four
outings in the evening’s featured preliminary bout, submitting the
veteran Brazilian with a rear-naked choke in front of a sellout
crowd at Vystar Veteran’s Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida,
on Saturday night. “Rude Boy” ended the welterweight bout 2:50 into
Round 1, as he locked in a one-arm rear-naked choke. Oliveira
(22-10-1, 2 NC, 11-8, 1 NC UFC) has lost five of his last seven
promotional appearances.
The “Cowboy” enjoyed some success early, when he chopped away at
Brown’s lead leg with low calf kicks. Brown was able to bide his
time and find his opening, and he floored Oliveira with a straight
right hand to the chin. Brown followed his man to the canvas in
pursuit of the finish, but Oliveira was able to survive the ensuing
barrage of ground-and-pound. However, when the Rio de Janeiro
native returned to his feet, Brown locked in a rear-naked choke as
the combatants stood. Although Oliveira prevented Brown from
connecting both hands, the Budokan Martial Arts Academy was able to
fall back to the canvas, tighten the one-arm squeeze and elicit the
tapout.
Grant Edges Returning Sekulic
It wasn’t pretty, but Dwight
Grant did just enough to edge Stefan
Sekulic via split decision in a welterweight encounter. Judges
Chris Lee and Howard Reichbach submitted 29-28 scorecards for
Grant, while Derek Cleary saw it 29-28 in favor of Sekuic, who was
fighting for the first time since September 2018.
In a bout where action came at a premium, Grant (11-3, 3-2 UFC) was
slightly more active over the first 10 minutes. The
Alliance MMA representative landed the occasional right hand —
including a solid flurry in Round 2 after stuffing a takedown —
while Sekulic (12-4, 0-2 UFC) often appeared reluctant to pull the
trigger. Sekulic had his best moment at the end of the final
stanza, when he wobbled Grant with a straight left hand, landed a
takedown near the fence and locked in a tight guillotine choke. Had
the move been applied earlier, the fight might have ended via
submission, but in this case Grant was able to survive until the
final horn.
Allen Ankle Lock Vanquishes Roberson
Brendan
Allen showed how quickly he can seize an opportunity on the
canvas by submitting Karl
Roberson late in the opening stanza of a middleweight showdown.
The ex-Legacy
Fighting Alliance champion made Roberson (9-4, 4-4 UFC) tap out
to an ankle lock 4:55 into Round 1 for his eighth win in his last
nine professional outings. All four of Roberson’s UFC defeats have
come via submission.
Allen (16-4, 4-1 UFC) didn’t stand for too long against his
opponent, who has experience under the Glory Kickboxing banner. The
25-year-old
Sanford MMA landed a pair of takedowns against Roberson in
Round 1, but for the most part his foe did a good job neutralizing
Allen’s ability to pass guard. Roberson made his fatal mistake in
the waning seconds, when he attempted to secure a leg lock in a
scramble on the canvas. That allowed Allen to lock in the fight-ending maneuver, and Roberson
could only resist for a few seconds before yelping in pain.
Sabatini Uses Takedowns, Grappling to Control Connelly
Pat
Sabatini enjoyed an impressive promotional debut, as he relied
on well-timed takedowns and dominant topside grappling to cruise to
a unanimous decision over Tristan
Connelly at featherweight. All three cageside judges scored the
bout for Sabatini: 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28. Connelly (14-7, 1-1 UFC)
was making his first UFC appearance at 145 pounds after scoring an
upset of Michel
Pereira in his Octagon debut at welterweight.
Sabatini (14-3, 1-0 UFC) changed levels under Connelly’s looping
punches for takedowns relatively early in both the first and second
rounds. From there, the former
Cage Fury Fighting Championships title holder was able to float
and transition from one dominant position to another. Sabatini
ended both periods attached to Connelly’s back, but his Canadian
opponent did well to defend all submission attempts. Sabatini
slowed somewhat in Round 3, but by then he had already racked up a
comfortable lead on the scorecards.
Vargas Outduels Rong
Mexico City native Rodrigo
Vargas spoiled the promotional debut of Zhu Rong,
earning a unanimous decision triumph in a lightweight matchup.
Cageside judges submitted tallies of 30-26 and 29-28 (twice) for
Vargas (12-4, 1-2 UFC), who ended a two-bout skid.
Vargas appeared to hold an edge in volume when it came to striking
exchanges. While Rong did have success landing right hands, the
Combate Americas veteran usually had an answer with a stiff jab,
punching combinations and kicks to the calf and body. He also
threatened with a pair of guillotine chokes in Round 2, though Rong
(17-4, 0-1 UFC) was able to escape on both occasions. The
21-year-old China native did his best work in the final frame, with
he twice buckled Vargas with punches and ended the round in top
position.
Molina Holds Off Aori
Once Jeff Molina
found a rhythm, there wasn’t much Qileng Aori
could do. The
Dana White’s Contender Series alum found his rhythm over the
second half of the fight, earning a unanimous verdict over his
Chinese counterpart. All three judges submitted scorecards for
Molina: 29-28, 29-28 and 29-27.
Early on, Aori (18-8, 0-1 UFC) led the dance, as he pressured his
opponent and consistently found a home for his right hand. Momentum
shifted in Round 2, when Molina (9-2, 1-0 UFC) landed a pair of
knockdowns — including one in the waning seconds. Aori continued to
walk Molina down in Round 3, but he paid the price for a lack of
head movement as Molina countered, landed in combination and worked
the body effectively. Aori’s eyes were nearly swelled shut by the
end of the round, but that didn’t prevent him from rocking Molina
during one furious exchange near the fence before the final horn.
It wasn’t enough to get the nod from the judges, however.
Carnelossi Pounds Out Debuting Liang
Ariane
Carnelossi survived a wild opening-round sequence to earn her
first Octagon triumph, as she defeated newcomer Na Liang via
technical knockout in a strawweight encounter. A barrage of ground-and-pound from the Sao Paulo
native brought a halt to the contest 1:28 into Round 2, ending
Liang’s four-bout winning streak.
Liang (13-5, 0-1 UFC) rocked Carnelossi (13-2, 1-1 UFC) with a
right hand during a furious opening exchange before securing a body
lock takedown and threatening with an armbar. Once Carnelossi
gathered her bearings, she gradually took control, and she nearly
finished the fight with ground-and-pound from mount at the end of
the opening stanza — an assault that resulted in an exhausted
Liang being helped to her corner after the horn. Carnelossi quickly
regained top position following a scramble in the second frame, and
after a short salvo of hammerfists, referee James Folsom decided he
had see enough. 
