DAYS NOTICE.
Damon
Jackson with sub No. in his UFC return.[ Tune in – LIVE on
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— UFC (@ufc)
September 19, 2020
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Persistence was Damon
Jackson’s strongest ally.
The Fortis
MMA mainstay returned to the
Ultimate Fighting Championship for the first time in nearly
five years and did so with spectacular results, as he submitted
Mirsad
Bektic with a mounted guillotine choke in the third round of
their
UFC Fight Night 178 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las
Vegas. Bektic (13-4, 6-4 UFC) waved the white flag 1:21 into Round
3.
Jackson (18-3-1, 1-1-1 UFC) refused to be denied. Bektic largely
dominated the first two rounds with takedowns, ground-and-pound and
positional control. In response, Jackson employed an active
submission game, threatening the
Tristar Gym representative with guillotines and kimuras. Behind
on the scorecards, “The Leech” countered a Bektic takedown early in
the third round with another guillotine. He then shifted to a
mounted position, torqued the choke and forced the tapout.
Once regarded as a can’t-miss prospect, Bektic now finds himself in
a three-fight tailspin.
Dvorak Hobbles, Subdues Espinosa
David
Dvorak continued his climb on the flyweight ladder, as he
cruised to a unanimous decision over Jordan
Espinosa in a three-round undercard battle at 125 pounds. All
three judges scored it the same: 30-27 for Dvorak (19-3, 2-0 UFC),
who has rattled off 15 straight victories dating back to 2012.
Espinosa (15-8, 2-3 UFC) was a step behind the Czech from the
start. Dvorak chewed up his base with repeated kicks to the lower
leg, scored with counters from both hands and controlled a majority
of their standup exchanges. Espinosa was clearly compromised
throughout the second half of the fight. Despite uncorking a few
leg kicks and stout right hands of his own, he failed to muster the
offense necessary to give his opponent pause.
The 30-year-old Espinosa has lost three times in his past four
outings.
Silva Armbar Dismisses Borella
Chute Boxe’s Mayra
Bueno Silva rebounded from her first career setback—a decision
defeat to Maryna
Moroz on March 14—and submitted Mara
Romero Borella with an armbar in the first round of their
preliminary bantamweight confrontation. Silva (7-1, 2-1 UFC) drew
the curtain 2:29 into Round 1.
Borella (11-9, 2-5 UFC) executed a takedown and mixed in some
ground-and-pound while trying to navigate an attempted triangle
choke. However,
Silva transitioned to the armbar, cut off avenues of escape and
prompted the tapout.
The 34-year-old Borella has lost four fights in a row.
Clark Bludgeons Bloody Alpar
Combat Sports Academy standout Jessica-Rose
Clark put away Sarah Alpar
with a barrage of knee strikes and punches in the third round of
their undercard clash at 135 pounds. In her first assignment in
nearly a year, Clark (10-6, 3-2 UFC) drew the curtain 4:21 into
Round 3.
Alpar (9-5, 0-1 UFC) pursued the clinch and takedowns with little
success. Clark turned the tables with close-quarters elbows, knees
to the body and excellent topside grappling with accompanying
ground-and-pound. In the third round,
she smashed Alpar’s nose with a devastating knee to the face while
she was in a crouched position. Believing the strike may have
been illegal, referee Chris Tognoni paused the action, took a look
at the replay and, against Nevada Athletic Commission rules,
restarted the fight once he deemed the knee clean. Bleeding
profusely from the nose, Alpar was a sitting duck the rest of the
way and absorbed further punishment until the stoppage was
called.
The win closed the book on Clark’s two-fight losing streak.
Minner Guillotine Submits Laramie
Premier Combat Center product Darrick
Minner submitted T.J. Laramie
with a guillotine choke in the first round of their preliminary
featherweight tilt. Laramie (12-4, 0-1 UFC) conceded defeat 52
seconds into Round 1, his four-fight winning streak at an end.
When the Canadian wrestler shot for a takedown, Minner (25-11, 1-1
UFC) was waiting.
He braced himself on the fence, bit down on the guillotine and
completed the maneuver by securing full guard. By the time
Laramie became aware of the dire nature of his situation, it was
too late.
Minner now has 22 submission wins on his resume, 11 of them via
guillotine choke.
Costa Kick Sinks Newson
Lauzon MMA rep Randy Costa
wiped out Journey
Newson with a head kick and follow-up punches in the first
round of their undercard encounter at 135 pounds. Newson (9-3, 0-2
UFC) succumbed to blows 41 seconds into Round 1 and remains winless
inside the Octagon.
Costa (6-1, 2-1 UFC) hid the kick behind a jab, and his opponent
never saw it coming.
Foot met face with a concussive smack, as Newson collapsed
backward at the base of the cage. Costa then swarmed with punches
until the job was done, recording the fourth sub-minute finish of
his seven-fight career.
High-Paced Ewell Outduels Rivera
Crisp punching combinations, effective counters and stellar
takedown defense carried former
CES MMA champion Andre Ewell
to a split decision over Irwin
Rivera in a three-round bantamweight affair. All three cageside
judges scored it 29-28: Junichiro Kamijo for Rivera, Dave Hagen
and Michael Bell for Ewell.
Length was a major factor. Ewell (17-6, 4-2 UFC) exploited a
discernible reach and height advantage, as he attacked the legs,
body and head with equal aplomb. Rivera (10-6, 1-2 UFC) had his
moments but too often saw his single punches answered by two-,
three- and four-punch combos from his counterpart. He executed a
takedown on Ewell in the waning moments of Round 3 and paired it
with some elbow-laced ground-and-pound, but his bid for a late
finish failed.
Ewell has won eight of his last 10 fights.
Nam Waylays Newcomer Rivera
Sports
Lab export Tyson Nam cut
down Jerome
Rivera with punches in the second round of their undercard
pairing at 135 pounds. Nam (20-11-1, 2-2 UFC) brought it to an
emphatic close 34 seconds into Round 2, as he put his second
straight stoppage victory in the books.
Rivera (10-3, 0-1 UFC) enjoyed some success with leg kicks and
stepping knees, but the
Dana White’s Contender Series graduate was fighting on borrowed
time.
Nam countered a leg kick with a devastating right hook early in
the second round, trailed his fallen counterpart to the canvas and
closed the deal with a sustained barrage of ground-and-pound.
The loss snapped Rivera’s three-fight winning streak. 
