This fight is BANANAS 🍌
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#UFC275 | Prelims LIVE on ESPN2 & @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/2BsqPQD2ip— UFC (@ufc)
June 12, 2022
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Former Hex
Fight Series titleholder Joshua
Culibao took a significant step forward in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division, as he
was awarded a split decision over Seung Woo
Choi in their featured
UFC 275 prelim on Saturday at Singapore Indoor Stadium in
Kallang, Singapore. All three judges scored it 29-28, two of them
siding with Culibao.
Culibao (10-1-1, 2-1-1 UFC) had his counterpart reeling in the
first round, where he staggered the Korean with a left hook,
dropped him with another and swarmed for a potential finish. Choi
(10-5, 3-4 UFC) weathered the assault but wandered into peril yet
again in the middle stanza. There, Culibao stepped into a right
hand that had the onetime
Top Fighting Championship titlist somersaulting across the cage
to avoid further punishment. Choi responded in Round 3, as he
struck for a takedown, progressed to the back and secured position
with a body triangle before hunting a potential choke. Culibao
ultimately denied those advances, absorbed some mild
ground-and-pound and left his fate to the judges.
Debuting Hayisaer Faceplants Garcia
Enbo Fight Club prospect Maheshate
Hayisaer leveled Steve
Garcia with a one-punch knockout in the first round of their
lightweight confrontation. Garcia (12-5, 1-2 UFC) faceplanted into
the canvas 1:14 into Round 1, the unwitting victim of an utterly
spectacular finish.
Hayisaer (9-1, 1-0 UFC) remained calm under fire, sat down the
Jackson-Wink MMA rep with a right hand and fought through a
subsequent clinch along the fence. He created some separation,
walked Garcia into a short counter right hook
that separated the Bellator
MMA veteran from his senses and sent a rush of adrenaline
through the crowd.
The 22-year-old Hayisaer has recorded seven straight victories.
Opportunistic Allen Edges Malkoun
Sanford MMA’s Brendan
Allen held his own in the scrambles and made the most of his
tactical opportunities in a unanimous decision over Jacob
Malkoun in a three-round middleweight tilt. All three cageside
judges struck 29-28 scorecards for Allen (19-5, 7-2 UFC), who has
rattled off 11 victories in 13 appearances.
Malkoun (6-2, 2-2 UFC) was competitive throughout and troubled the
former
Legacy Fighting Alliance champion with clinches, takedowns and
positional control. However, his failure to consolidate those
efforts with damage proved costly. Allen scrambled into top
position in all three rounds and even managed to secure full mount
late in the first, doing just enough to curry the necessary favor
from the judiciary.
The setback closed the book on Malkoun’s modest two-fight winning
streak.
Kang Outduels Replacement Danaa
Onetime
Road Fighting Championship titleholder Kyung Ho
Kang won for the fourth time in five outings, as he laid claim
to a unanimous decision over Batgerel
Danaa in a three-round bantamweight clash. Kang (18-9, 7-3 UFC)
swept the scorecards with 29-28 marks from all three judges.
Precision jabs and thudding leg kicks tipped Kang’s spear and left
his Mongolian adversary with visible damage to the face and lower
extremities. A short-notice replacement for Saimon
Oliveira, Danaa (12-4, 3-3 UFC) answered with jabs of his own
and power punches—he snapped Kang’s head back with a sneaky shovel
uppercut in the first round—but too often found himself
outmaneuvered by the South Korean matador.
Danaa, 32, has lost two fights in a row.
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Juarez Wrecks Favored Liang
Entram
Gym export Silvana
Gomez Juarez rebounded from consecutive losses to Lupita
Godinez and Vanessa
Demopoulos, as she turned away Na Liang with
punches in the first round of their women’s strawweight affair.
Juarez (11-4, 1-2 UFC) brought it to a close 1:22 into Round 1.
Liang (19-6, 0-2 UFC) rolled out some overhand rights and a few
takedown attempts to start but failed to seize the reins. Juarez
dropped her counterpart to a knee with a clubbing right behind the ear and followed with a
devastating multi-punch volley that slammed the door shut.
The 25-year-old Liang has suffered back-to-back defeats.
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Prochazka
Edwards Surges Past Pascual
Relentless kicks to the legs and body carried former King of
the Cage champion Joselyne
Edwards to a unanimous decision over
Syndicate MMA’s Ramona
Pascual in a three-round women’s featherweight pairing. All
three cageside judges scored it for Edwards (11-4, 2-2 UFC): 30-27,
29-28 and 29-28.
Pascual (6-4, 0-2 UFC) landed the blows of consequence but saw her
efforts overrun by the volume with which she was met in return.
Edwards unleashed kicks from both legs, focusing on the midsection
and the area just above the knee. The
Kings MMA product found another gear in the third round, where
she shrugged off takedowns, punched effectively in combination and
managed to mix in a few jumping switch kicks to the body.
The win closed the book on Edwards’ two-fight losing streak.