Warriors until the very end! đź‘Ź How’d you
score it?
#UFC270 pic.twitter.com/rQbNrk0IgN— UFC (@ufc)
January 23, 2022
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live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device
via the ESPN app. Victor
Henry made quite the entrance. The longtime Josh Barnett
protégé looked like a man at ease in his first
Ultimate Fighting Championship assignment, as he took a
unanimous decision from former
Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion Raoni
Barcelos in the featured UFC
270 bantamweight prelim on Saturday at the Honda Center in
Anaheim, California. All three judges struck 30-27 scorecards for
Henry (22-5, 1-0 UFC).
Barcelos (16-3, 5-2 UFC) stood toe-to-toe with the onetime Deep
champion for 15 minutes, and though he experienced occasional
glimmers of hope, they were too few and far between. Henry leaned
on overwhelming output, focusing on the body, the head and
occasionally the legs. He had Barcelos reeling near the end of
Round 1 and rode the wave of momentum for the rest of the bout,
springing the upset on the favored Brazilian.
Henry, 34, has won 10 of his past 11 bouts.
Maddalena Blasts Replacement Rodriguez
Former Eternal MMA titleholder Jack
Della Maddalena dazzled in his Octagon debut, as he wiped out
Pete
Rodriguez with punches in the first round of their welterweight
pairing. A short-notice substitution for Warlley
Alves, Rodriguez (4-1, 0-1 UFC) checked out 2:59 into Round
1.
Maddalena (11-2, 1-0 UFC) bloodied the in-over-his-head prospect’s
nose with a surgical jab, probed for openings and carried himself
like a seasoned pro. The polished Australian eventually lured
Rodriguez into open space, pawed away with his lead hand and fired a left cross that sat down his withering
counterpart in a dazed state. A few standing-to-ground punches
from Maddalena followed before referee Frank Trigg
had seen enough and opted for rescue over restraint.
The 25-year-old Maddalena has recorded 11 straight wins, 10 of them
finishes.
Relentless Gravely Swamps Oliveira
Repeated takedowns, effective top control and airtight submission
defense carried former CES MMA and King of the Cage champion
Tony
Gravely to a unanimous decision over Saimon
Oliveira in a three-round bantamweight tilt. Gravely (22-7, 3-2
UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27 marks from all three
judges.
Oliveira (18-4, 0-1 UFC) tried to counter the takedown-centric
attack with guillotine chokes, to no avail. Gravely limited their
engagements on the feet and grounded the Astra Fight Team-trained
Brazilian at well. Oliveira enjoyed brief bursts of success—his
close-range elbows were his most effective weapons—but all too
often saw his momentum stymied by a focused opponent who followed
his game plan to perfection.
The setback closed the book on Oliveira’s run of consecutive
victories at five.
Frevola Stops Undefeated Valdez
Serra-Longo Fight Team’s Matt
Frevola put away the previously unbeaten Genaro
Valdez with punches in the first round of their chaotic
lightweight encounter. Valdez (10-1, 0-1 UFC) succumbed to blows
3:15 into Round 1, referee Mike Beltran having given him every
chance to recover.
Frevola (9-3-1, 3-3-1 UFC) fought fire with fire. He knocked down
Valdez five times, as the 2017 Dana White’s Contender Series
graduate tipped his spear with savage left hooks. After the fifth
and final knockdown, Frevola climbed to the back, threatened with a
rear-naked choke and eventually progressed to full mount. No matter
where Valdez turned, there was no escape. Frevola floated through
dominant positions, settled on the back and flattened out the
Entram Gym standout. A series of unanswered punches from both hands
fell next, prompting the stoppage.
The win snapped a two-fight losing streak for Frevola.
Demopoulos Armbar Submits Juarez
Former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Vanessa
Demopoulos submitted Silvana
Gomez Juarez with an armbar in the first round of their women’s
strawweight affair. Demopoulos (7-4, 1-1 UFC) brought it to a close
2:25 into Round 1, as she rebounded from an Aug. 28 decision defeat
to J.J.
Aldrich.
Juarez (10-4, 0-2 UFC) had her opportunity, and it was golden. She
floored Demopoulos with a crushing right hand a little more than a
minute into the first round, swooped into top position and cut
loose with punches, a finish withing reach. However, Juarez’s
efforts did not produce the desired result. Demopoulos remained
composed, isolated the Entram Gym export’s right arm and let
her considerable skills do the rest.
The 33-year-old Demopoulos has won two of her last three bouts.
Newcomer Jasudavicius Handles Hansen
Niagara Top Team product Jasmine
Jasudavicius shined in her promotional debut, as she laid claim
to unanimous decision over Kay Hansen
in a three-round women’s flyweight clash. All three cageside judges
scored it for Jasudavicius (7-1, 1-0 UFC): 30-27, 29-28 and
29-28.
Hansen (7-5, 1-2 UFC) struggled with the move from strawweight to
125 pounds. Jasudavicius exploited her five-inch height and reach
advantages, kept the 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu rep at arm’s reach and
piled up points with jabs and chopping right hands. She executed
takedowns in the first and second rounds, settled in top position
and applied her ground-and-pound with elbows and forearm strikes.
Hansen rebounded in Round 3, where she checked the Canadian’s chin
with several sneaky left hooks. However, it was a case of too
little too late for the 22-year-old prospect.
Jasudavicius, 32, has rattled off three consecutive victories.
