Our featured prelim is called after swelling on Justin
Jaynes‘s eye.
#UFCVegas18 pic.twitter.com/8HrtyXZmSI— UFC (@ufc)
February 7, 2021
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. Devonte
Smith is no longer out of sight or out of mind.
In his first appearance since suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon,
the Factory X prospect made a triumphant return to the
Ultimate Fighting Championship with a second-round technical
knockout of Justin
Jaynes at
UFC Fight Night 184 on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Referee Keith
Peterson called for the stoppage 3:38 into Round 2 on the
advice of the cageside physician, as Jaynes (16-7, 1-3 UFC)
suffered a gruesome hematoma that closed his left
eye.
Smith (11-2, 3-1 UFC) settled into the 160-pound catchweight clash
with jabs and leg kicks, survived after being staggered by an
overhand right in the first round and executed a takedown in the
second. From there, Jaynes’ situation deteriorated rapidly. Smith
moved to side control and dropped a few short elbows, one of which
led to the fight-ending swelling. He later transitioned to full
mount and threatened with a rear-naked choke. Once the two men
returned to an upright position, Peterson motioned for the doctor
to examine Jaynes.
Ascending Rosa Vanquishes Edwards
Takedowns, positional advances and ground-and-pound spurred
Parana Vale Tudo prospect Karol Rosa
to a unanimous verdict over former King of
the Cage champion Joselyne
Edwards in a three-round bantamweight scrap. All three judges
scored it the same: 30-27 for the surging Rosa (14-3, 3-0 UFC).
Edwards (10-3, 1-1 UFC) could not match the Brazilian’s aggression.
Rosa backed her to the fence, executed takedowns, achieved full
mount on multiple occasions and incorporated some ferocious
ground-and-pound. Edwards did damage on the feet, as she cut Rosa
where her lips meet in the second round. Blood poured from the
wound, drenching the canvas and both competitors. However, it was
not a factor in the outcome. Rosa was undeterred, battered the
Panamanian with leg kicks and excelled in the clinch, where she
connected with knees to the body and sweeping power punches.
Rosa has rattled off five straight wins.
Once-Beaten Procopio Handles McCann
Former Shooto Brazil
champion Lara
Procopio rebounded from her Aug. 31, 2019 decision loss to the
aforementioned Rosa with unanimous decision over Molly
McCann in a three-round battle at 125 pounds. Procopio (7-1,
1-1 UFC) carried all three scorecards: 29-27, 29-28 and 30-27.
McCann (10-4, 3-3 UFC) failed to dictate the terms of the
engagement and paid the price. Procopio pressured the British boxer
into the clinch, secured multiple takedowns, advanced to dominant
positions and applied her ground-and-pound. McCann surprised her
with an attempted armbar in the second round and had the
Brazilian’s corner holding its breath for several tense moments.
However, Procopio eventually extricated herself from the maneuver
and resumed her assault from top position. By the time the
15-minute encounter was complete, the
Nova Uniao standout had piled up nearly nine minutes of control
time.
The 30-year-old McCann will enter her next assignment on a
two-fight losing streak.
Resurgent Choi Downs Zalal
Former Top Fighting Championship titleholder
Seung
Woo Choi strengthened his foothold at 145 pounds and recorded
his second consecutive victory, as he laid claim to a unanimous
decision over Youssef
Zalal in a three-round featherweight tilt. All three judges
scored it for Choi (9-3, 2-2 UFC): 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27.
The South Korean swamped Zalal (10-4, 3-2 UFC) with superior size,
power and discipline. He punched effectively in combination, mixed
in the occasional front kick and even incorporated a takedown in
the closing seconds of Round 1. Zalal was a non-factor through the
first 10 minutes, the Factory X standout struggling
to find a rhythm while he circled on the outside. He saw his best
chance to turn the tide in his favor come and go in the third
round, where he executed a takedown, trapped Choi in a mounted
guillotine and later transitioned to a triangle choke. However,
Zalal’s efforts fell short. Choi escaped, steered clear of danger
for the remainder of the bout and exited the cage with his hand
raised.
Zalal, 24, has suffered back-to-back defeats for just the second
time in his career.
Dominant Valiev Stymies Day
Sharp leg kicks, repeated takedowns and steady ground-and-pound
carried
Professional Fighters League veteran Timur
Valiev to a lopsided unanimous decision over former
Universal Reality Combat Championship titleholder Martin Day
in a three-round bantamweight affair. Valiev (17-2, 1-0 UFC) swept
the scorecards with 30-25, 30-25 and 30-26 marks from the cageside
judges.
Day (8-6, 0-4 UFC) had no answer for the weaponry his counterpart
brought to bear. Valiev struck for takedowns in all three rounds,
progressed to dominant positions—he floated from full guard to half
guard to side control during their grappling exchanges—and built an
insurmountable lead with short punches and elbows from the top.
Valiev has compiled a 7-0 record with one no-contest across his
past eight appearances.
Osbourne Wrecks Reeling Rivera
Pura Vida MMA representative Ode
Osbourne cut down fellow
Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Jerome
Rivera with punches in the first round of their featherweight
pairing. Rivera (10-5, 0-3 UFC) succumbed to blows 26 seconds into
Round 1 and remains winless in three starts inside the Octagon.
It was over in a hurry. Osbourne (9-3, 1-1 UFC) countered a head kick with a clean straight
left, followed his fallen counterpart the canvas and drew the
curtain with follow-up punches.
Osbourne, 29, has won five of his last six fights. 
