Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app.
Anthony
Pettis will enter 2021 with some welcomed momentum in his back
pocket.
The former
World Extreme Cagefighting and
Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder overcame an
inauspicious start, put some of his otherworldly skills to use and
picked up a unanimous decision over Alex Morono
in the featured
UFC Fight Night 183 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las
Vegas. All three judges sided with Pettis (24-10, 11-8 UFC),
casting 29-28 scorecards in his favor.
Morono (18-7, 7-4 UFC) capitalized on an early slip in the first
round, pounced on the Roufusport mainstay, progressed to the back
and bloodied his nose in the process. Pettis withstood his efforts,
called upon his deep reservoir of experience and took advantage of
the one-minute respite between rounds. “Showtime” slowly seized
control with superior strikes in the middle stanza, but he saved
his best for Round 3. There, in the final minute, he connected with
a spinning wheel kick that set Morono on wobbly legs. A finish did
not materialize, but Pettis’ message had been sent.
WHAT A CLOSE FROM SHOWTIME!
#UFCVegas17 pic.twitter.com/9hljGB2xam— UFC (@ufc)
December 20, 2020
Streaking Kianzad Outlasts Eubanks
Former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Pannie
Kianzad won for the third time in as many outings, as she
captured a unanimous decision against Sijara
Eubanks in a competitive women’s bantamweight battle. Kianzad
(14-5, 3-2 UFC) earned 29-28 marks on all three scorecards.
Eubanks (6-6, 4-4 UFC) struck for multiple takedowns, achieved full
mount and piled up points with ground-and-pound in the first round.
However, success proved fleeting. Kianzad closed the holes in her
takedown defense across the final 10 minutes, did some excellent
work in the clinch and pieced together clean punching combinations.
Eubanks had her moments — she connected with a thudding right hand
and a concussive left in the third round — but failed to deliver a
convincing closing argument.
The 35-year-old Eubanks has lost two fights in a row.
Determined Winn Downs Arroyo
American Kickboxing Academy rep Deron Winn
leaned on takedowns and positional control, as he laid claim to a
unanimous decision over Antonio
Arroyo in a three-round catchweight affair at 195 pounds. All
three cageside judges scored it the same: 29-28 for Winn (7-2, 2-2
UFC), who rebounded from consecutive defeats to Darren
Stewart and Gerald
Meerschaert.
A short-notice replacement for Antonio
Braga Neto, Arroyo (9-4, 0-2 UFC) excelled in the standup
exchanges but failed to manage distance and found himself glued to
the canvas for much of the match. Winn executed one takedown, then
another and another. Over and over again, he attacked the legs of
the taller Brazilian before dragging him to the mat. His efforts
eventually depleted Arroyo’s gas tank and had him looking like a
man who was resigned to his fate.
Arroyo, 31, has suffered back-to-back losses for the first time in
his 13-fight career.
Surging Santos Subdues Robertson
Tactical takedowns, punishing ground-and-pound and airtight
submission defense spurred Astra Fight Team export Taila
Santos to a unanimous decision over “The Ultimate Fighter”
Season 26 alum Gillian
Robertson in a three-round women’s flyweight tilt. Scores were
30-26, 30-26 and 29-28, all for Santos (17-1, 2-1 UFC).
Robertson (9-5, 6-3 UFC) made advances toward submissions in all
three rounds, but when those efforts failed to yield fruit, the
Din
Thomas protégé found herself pinned to the canvas with few
routes of escape. Santos applied crippling pressure from top
position and battered the Canadian with punches, elbows and forearm
strikes.
The once-beaten Santos has posted back-to-back wins since she
dropped a split verdict to Mara
Romero Borella in February.
Unbeaten Nchukwi Sinks Pickett
Team Lloyd Irvin
prospect Tafon
Nchukwi kept his perfect professional record intact, as he took
a clear-cut unanimous decision from Jamie
Pickett in a three-round middleweight clash. All three cageside
judges scored it for the undefeated Nchukwi (5-0, 1-0 UFC): 30-25,
30-26 and 30-26.
Pickett (11-5, 0-1 UFC) lacked the oomph he needed to give his
fellow
Dana White’s Contender Series alum pause. Nchukwi marched
forward with punches, punctuated his combinations with head kicks
and performed brilliantly in the clinch, where he buried one knee
after another into his counterpart’s midsection. He staggered
Pickett in the third round with a head kick, dropped him to all
fours with another knee to the body and pursued a stoppage on the
canvas. While Nchukwi’s efforts to author a finish proved
unsuccessful, he still managed to leave his stamp on the match.
The loss snapped Pickett’s two-fight winning streak.
Flick Triangle Submits Durden
Onetime
Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Jimmy Flick
submitted Cody Durden
with a triangle choke in the first round of their flyweight
encounter. Durden (11-3-1, 0-1-1 UFC) conceded defeat 3:18 into
Round 1, as the Covington, Georgia, native suffered his first
setback in nearly three years.
Flick (16-5, 1-0 UFC) waded through significant adversity. Durden
pressured the DWCS graduate with a takedown, advanced to the back
and unleashed his ground-and-pound, then proceeded to flex his
superiority in the standup exchanges once the two men returned to
an upright position. Flick fired a head kick, transitioned to a flying triangle and cinched the
choke not long after his back hit the mat. After a brief
struggle, Durden capitulated.
The 30-year-old Flick has rattled off four straight victories, all
by submission.
Replacement Giagos Overwhelms Minus
Repeated takedowns, smooth positional advancements and intermittent
submission attempts carried former
Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion Christos
Giagos to a unanimous decision over Carlton
Minus in a three-round catchweight pairing at 160 pounds. A
short-notice substitution for Rick Glenn,
Giagos (18-8, 4-4 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-26, 29-27 and
29-28 marks from the judges.
Minus (10-3, 0-2 UFC) was a non-factor for two-plus rounds, as he
was essentially transformed into a grappling dummy by the Black
House rep. Giagos executed takedowns at will, floated from one
position of dominance to the next and hunted chokes. Minus
established a better rhythm in the third round, stayed upright and
exploited a visibly fatigued opponent. However, the finish he
needed was never in reach.
Giagos, 30, has won three of his last four fights. 
