Juicy J closing out the prelims 👏
Here’s your 𝑺𝑯𝑶𝑻 𝑶𝑭 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑵𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻 📸
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#UFC279 | B2YB by @JoseCuervo
] pic.twitter.com/cHlXt2IgZL
— UFC (@ufc)
September 11, 2022
Hakeem
Dawodu failed on the scales, then failed in the cage.
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 22 semifinalist Julian
Erosa shined as an underdog in perhaps his most complete
performance as a member of the
Ultimate Fighting Championship roster, as he cruised to a
one-sided unanimous decision over Dawodu in their featured UFC
279 featherweight prelim on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las
Vegas. All three cageside judges scored it 30-27 for Erosa (28-9,
6-5 UFC), who suddenly finds himself on a three-fight winning
streak.
Dawodu (13-3-1, 6-3 UFC)—who missed weight for the bout by nearly
four pounds—endured a difficult first round in which he was twice
badly hurt by right hands and never seemed to recover. Erosa
incorporated takedowns in the second and third rounds, advanced to
the back, secured his position with a body triangle and fished for
chokes while piling up points with ground-and-pound. Dawodu has no
answers.
Almeida Choke Submits Turkalj
Former Thunder
Fight champion Jailton
Almeida dispatched the previously undefeated Anton
Turkalj with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their
catchweight battle at 220 pounds. A short-notice substitution for
Shamil
Abdurakhimov, Turkalj (8-1, 0-1 UFC) conceded defeat 4:27 into
Round 1.
Almeida (17-2, 3-0 UFC) executed a pair of takedowns inside the
first minute and methodically went about dissecting the situation
on the mat. He progressed to full mount, made a pass at an
arm-triangle and turned to his ground-and-pound as a clever
distraction. There was no escape for Turkalj. The GBG
MMA rep surrendered his back under duress,
at which point Almeida cinched the fight-ending
choke.
The 31-year-old Almeida will carry a 12-fight winning streak into
his next assignment.
Tiuliulin Crowds, Overwhelms Pickett
Denis
Tiuliulin lured Jamie
Pickett into a firefight and disposed of the Dana White’s
Contender Series graduate with knee strikes and follow-up punches
in the second round of their middleweight confrontation. Pickett
(13-8, 2-4 UFC) checked out 4:52 into Round 2.
The 34-year-old Tiuliulin (10-6, 1-1 UFC) broke down the St. Louis
native with merciless pressure. He crowded Pickett with punches,
forced him to fight off his back foot and wrecked him at close
range. Tiuliulin floored “The Nightwolf” with a standing elbow
midway through the second round, allowed him to return to his feet
and
eventually decked him again with a pair of knees to the
head. Pickett turtled in a kneeling position at the
base of the cage, offered no intelligent defense and forced referee
Mike Beltran to act.
Tiuliulin has nailed down nine of his 10 career victories by
knockout or technical knockout.
Barnett Comeback Shocks Collier
Chris
Barnett put away former
Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion Jake
Collier with punches in the second round of their spectacularly
sloppy heavyweight slugfest. Barnett (23-8, 2-2 UFC)—who missed
weight for the match—brought it to a close 2:24 into Round 2,
winning for the eighth time in 10 appearances.
Collier (13-8, 5-7 UFC) nearly finished it in a woefully lopsided
first round, where he dropped the “Huggy Bear” with a right hand
that resulted in a cut and severe swelling around his left eye. He
later executed a takedown, climbed to full mount, poured on the
punishment and threatened with a rear-naked choke. Barnett refused
to go away. The lovable Georgian sprawled on a takedown in the
middle stanza, wheeled to the back, assumed a dominant position and
unleashed with punches and hammerfists. Barnett
eventually progressed to mount and continued to let his hands go
until referee Mark Smith had seen enough.
The 33-year-old Collier has suffered back-to-back defeats for the
first time as a pro.
Dumont Dominates Overmatched Wolf
Norma
Dumont made her case as potential title contender at 145
pounds, as she took a one-sided unanimous verdict from
Alliance MMA product Danyelle
Wolf in a three-round women’s featherweight encounter. Scores
were 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26, all for Dumont (8-2, 4-2 UFC).
Wolf (1-1, 0-1 UFC) was a non-factor. After a largely uneventful
first round, Dumont floored the 39-year-old three-time national
boxing champion twice with right hands in the second and never
looked back. The Brazilian sanda stylist took down Wolf in Round 3,
achieved full mount on multiple occasions and applied her
ground-and-pound whenever she felt the need to do so.
Dumont, 31, has won four of her last five bouts.
Surging Alateng Sinks Anheliger
Clean power punching, thumping leg kicks and sublime distance
control spurred Fight Ready export Heili
Alateng to a unanimous decision over Chad
Anheliger in a three-round bantamweight clash. All three
members of the cageside judiciary struck 30-27 scorecards for
Alateng (16-8-2, 4-1-1 UFC), who continues to make subtle inroads
at 135 pounds.
Anheliger (12-6, 1-1 UFC) was outmatched, technically and
athletically. Alatang drew first blood in the first round, where he
peppered the
Dana White’s Contender Series alum with overhand rights and
left hooks. He built his lead further in the middle stanza, then
delivered multiple takedowns in the third to salt aways his second
straight victory.
The loss was Anheliger’s first since June 13, 2014 and snapped his
10-fight winning streak.
Reed Subdues Unbeaten Martinez
Kickside Martial Arts standout Elise Reed
won for the second time in three outings, as she laid claim to a
unanimous decision over previously unbeaten former Combate Global
champion Melissa
Martinez in a three-round women’s strawweight tilt. A late
substitution for Hannah
Cifers, Reed (6-2, 2-2 UFC) swept the scorecards with 29-28
marks across the board.
Martinez (7-1, 0-1 UFC) enjoyed sustained success with kicks to the
inside of her counterpart’s lead leg but spent far too much time on
her bicycle. Reed blindsided and dropped her with a right hand in
the first round, often bullied her in the clinch and then secured
three takedowns in the second half of the third. While far from a
comprehensive performance, it got the job done.
Lainesse Outduels Replacement Weeks
Jabs, leg kicks and evasive movement carried former
Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder Yohan
Lainesse to a split decision over Darian
Weeks in a three-round welterweight pairing. All three cageside
judges scored it 29-28: Michael Bell and Tony Weeks for Lainesse,
Ron McCarthy for Weeks.
A short-notice replacement for Miguel
Baeza, Weeks (5-3, 0-3 UFC) struggled to establish anything
resembling consistency. Lainesse was content to circle on the
perimeter, picking his spots with one-twos aimed at the head. Weeks
executed a high-amplitude takedown in the second round and
connected with a few stomps to the lead leg but never managed to
seize the reins.