These guys are THROWING
[
#UFC263 | LIVE now on @ESPN & @ESPNPlus] pic.twitter.com/aJRGOBIWxK— UFC (@ufc)
June 13, 2021
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your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. Brad
Riddell had to walk through heavy artillery to earn the biggest
victory in his
Ultimate Fighting Championship career to date.
The
City Kickboxing product went toe-to-toe with Drew Dober
for three thrilling rounds at
UFC 263, earning a unanimous decision triumph in their
preliminary lightweight bout at Gila River Arena in Glendale,
Arizona, on Saturday night. Riddell rallied to secure a trio of
29-28 scorecards for his fourth consecutive triumph in the Octagon.
Dober has dropped back-to-back fights for the second time in his
UFC tenure.
Dober (23-11, 1 NC, 9-7, 1 NC UFC) nearly put Riddell (10-1, 4-0
UFC) away early when he buckled his opponent with a left hand near
the fence in Round 1. Riddell wisely shot for a takedown and was
able to stall long enough to regain his bearings. Over time,
Riddell began to consistently find the range on his laser right
hand, twice wobbling the durable Dober in the final stanza. During
a furious final sequence, Riddell sent his foe stumbling backward,
stuffed a takedown and then ended the fight landing
standing-to-ground punches until the final horn.
Anders Gets Closure in Stewart Rematch
After their first meeting ended prematurely, Eryk Anders
got the result he wanted in his rematch with Darren
Stewart, taking a unanimous decision triumph in a light
heavyweight scrap. The former University of Alabama linebacker
received scorecards of 29-27, 29-28 and 29-28 in his first
205-pound bout since April 2019.
The first two rounds were largely forgettable, with clinch-heavy
exchanges drawing boos from those in attendance. Anders (14-5, 1
NC, 6-5, 1 NC UFC) authored a dominant final frame, as he took “The
Dentist” down within the first minute and maintained a dominant
position while landing ground-and-pound from above. Anders ended
the fight pummeling Stewart (12-7, 2 NC, 5-7, 2 NC UFC) with left
hands as the British fighter worked his way back up near the
cage.
It was a far cry from their frantic first bout, where Anders
floored Stewart before landing an illegal knee that ended the
middleweight clash 4:37 into Round 1 at UFC Fight Night 187 this
past March.
Murphy Wins Fifth Straight Flyweight Bout
Lauren
Murphy might have just punched her ticket to a flyweight title
shot.
“Lucky” won her fifth consecutive bout, taking home a hard-fought
split-decision triumph over Joanne
Calderwood in a 125-pound matchup. Junichiro Kamijo and Dennis
O’Connell submitted 29-28 scorecards in favor of Murphy, while
Derek Cleary had it 29-28 for Calderwood.
Murphy (15-5, 6-5) relied on her physicality to get the better of
Calderwood (15-6, 7-6 UFC). When the fight was at range, the
Scottish muay Thai stylist had success landing a variety of kicks
to the legs and body, spinning backfists and straight punches.
Murphy, meanwhile, snapped her foe’s head back with a one-two
combination in Round 1 before making a lasting impression in the
second stanza, when she took Calderwood down near the fence, moved
to full mount and rained down ground-and-pound. Round 3 was
Calderwood’s best, as she was able to deny Murphy’s telegraphed
takedowns and land enough offense at range and in the clinch to
cause significant swellling near her opponent’s right eye.
Ultimately, it was too little, too late for the Syndicate MMA
representative, who has lost three of her last five promotional
outings.
Evloev Outwrestles Dawodu, Survives Late Rally
Hakeem
Dawodu will be having nightmares about Movsar
Evloev on his back for weeks to come.
The former M-1 Global
champion suffocated Dawodu with his wrestling for two rounds, then
survived a late push from his opponent to win a unanimous decision
in a featherweight bout. All three scorecards favored the
27-year-old Russian: 29-27, 29-27 and 29-27. Dawodu saw a five-bout
UFC winning streak snapped in defeat.
Evloev (15-0, 5-0 UFC) overwhelmed Dawodu (12-2-1, 5-2 UFC) with
pressure, takedowns and positional control for the first 10 minutes
of the fight. He spent much of the first two rounds attached to his
adversary’s back, peppering the Canadian with punches to the head
while periodically threatening with chokes. That work drained
Evloev’s gas tank, however, and Dawodu was able to keep the action
upright for the majority of the third frame. The
World Series of Fighting veteran twice wobbled Evloev with left
hands in the period but succumbed to one final takedown with 45
seconds remaining, essentially ending his hopes of a comeback.
Pannie
Kianzad Outstrikes Davis, Earns Unanimous Verdict
Pannie
Kianzad earned a significant feather in her cap, taking a
unanimous verdict over former bantamweight title challenger
Alexis
Davis at 135 pounds. In a contest that was closer than the
scores indicated, the 29-year-old Swede secured tallies of 30-27,
30-27 and 29-28 for her fourth-consecutive triumph within the Las
Vegas-based promotion. The 36-year-old Davis has lost four of her
last five Octagon appearances.
Kianzad (15-5, 4-1 UFC) appeared to be quicker to the punch
throughout the contest, as she attacked with jabs, crisp left hooks
and counter right hands. Davis (20-11, 7-6 UFC) never backed down,
however, and she was able to slow her opponent’s movement with a
series of calf kicks in Round 2. The two combatants went
back-and-forth in Round 3, but ultimately Kianzad’s ability to land
punches in combination proved to be the difference.
McKinney Scores Seven-Second KO of Frevola
Terrance
McKinney made the most of his short-notice opportunity,
knocking out Matt
Frevola in record time in their lightweight clash. It was the
fourth consecutive first-round KO/TKO for McKinney (11-3, 1-0 UFC),
who brought the show to a close with a clean one-two combination
and approximately six follow-up hammerfists on the canvas seven
seconds into Round 1.
While that stoppage checks in as the fastest in UFC lightweight
history — and the fourth-fastest ever overall — the shine of
McKinney’s first Octagon triumph lost some luster when he jumped on
the cage and then landed awkwardly to suffer an apparent knee
injury in the midst of a post-fight celebration. Frevola (8-3-1,
2-3-1 UFC), who was originally slated to face Frank
Camacho, suffered the second KO loss of his promotional
tenure.
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Peterson Handles One-Dimensional Hooper
Fortis
MMA representative Steven
Peterson navigated the dangerous guard of
Dana White’s Contender Series alum Chase
Hooper with relative ease, capturing a unanimous decision
triumph at featherweight. All three judges saw the fight in favor
of the former
Legacy Fighting Alliance competitor: 30-27, 30-27, 29-28.
Peterson, who missed weight by 2.5 pounds, is the owner of a modest
two-fight winning streak in the Octagon.
As soon as Peterson (19-9, 3-3 UFC) hurt him with a body kick and
right hand early in Round 1, it was clear that Hooper (10-2-1, 2-2
UFC) wanted no part of his opponent on the feet. However, his
attempts to suck Peterson into clinches and into his guard
backfired, particularly on the canvas, where Peterson battered him
with purposeful hammerfists and elbows. While Hooper occasionally
threatened with leg locks and even took Peterson’s back at the end
of Round 3, “Ocho” was simply too crafty and physical to fall into
any of his adversary’s traps.
Tactical Ziam Holds Off Vendramini
Fares
Ziam racked up an early lead on the scorecards and then held
off Luigi
Vendramini to earn a narrow majority decision in a lightweight
encounter. The 24-year-old Frenchman earned a pair of 29-28
scorecards from the cageside judges, while a third submitted a
28-28 tally. Ziam has gone the distance in all three UFC
appearances.
Ziam (12-3, 2-1 UFC) was very technical in the early going, as he
kept Vendramini (9-2, 1-2 UF) at bay behind his jab and lead left
hook while displaying stout takedown defense. The Brazilian known
as “The Italian Stallion” threw caution to the wind in Round 3,
swarming with heavy power punches to put Ziam on the defensive
before tossing his foe to the canvas. From there, Vendramini spent
a significant portion of the frame in top position landing
ground-and-pound, which earned him one 10-8 scorecard. It wasn’t
enough to offset Ziam’s early work, however.
Felipe Edges Collier, Wins Third Straight
Carlos
Felipe won his third consecutive Octagon appearance, earning a
split verdict over Jake
Collier at heavyweight. Two judges saw the fight 29-28 for the
26-year-old Brazilian, while a third had it 29-28 for the Pit
MMA representative. Collier, who has competed at middleweight
and light heavyweight in the UFC, lost for the second time in three
outings in the big man’s division.
Punching combinations to the head and body and forward movement won
the day for Felipe, who shook off a slow start against his fading
foe. Collier (12-6, 4-5 UFC) had the superior volume in Round 1,
when he attacked with a variety of kicks and worked behind a stiff
jab. As the bout progressed, Felipe (11-1, 3-1 UFC) assumed
control, while Collier took multiple opportunities to glance at the
clock and twice had his mouthpiece fall to the canvas. 
