IN ABSOLUTE CONTROL!
#UFCVegas21 pic.twitter.com/O4SEVvizpV— UFC (@ufc)
March 14, 2021
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Everything went according to plan for Angela
Hill.
The former
Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder outstruck and
outmaneuvered Ashley
Yoder to a unanimous decision in the featured
UFC Fight Night 187 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las
Vegas. All three cageside judges struck 30-27 scorecards for Hill
(13-9, 8-9 UFC), who rebounded from back-to-back decision losses to
Claudia
Gadelha and Michelle
Waterson.
Yoder (8-7, 3-6 UFC) was woefully ineffective. Hill drove home one
clubbing right hand after another, kept her honest with occasional
leg kicks and blew up any efforts to turn the tide in the clinch.
She enjoyed her clearest her success when she targeted the body
with straight punches and gnarly close-range knee strikes. Hill
faced almost no adversity in the 15-minute bout, and even though
she conceded two takedowns, she managed to stay active on the
bottom and steer clear of any danger.
Hill now owns a 2-0 advantage in her head-to-head series with
Yoder, having previously beaten “The Spider Monkey” at “The
Ultimate Fighter 25” Finale in 2017.
Jourdain Stops Newcomer Rojo
Former TKO
Major League MMA champion Charles
Jourdain put away Marcelo
Rojo with punches in the third round of their featherweight
duel. Stopped by strikes for the first time in his 23-fight career,
Rojo (16-7, 0-1 UFC) succumbed to an accumulation of blows 4:31
into Round 3.
Jourdain (11-3-1, 2-2-1 UFC) withstood the Entram
Gym product’s considerable efforts in the first half of the
match, then slowly seized control of the action. Subtle stance
switches allowed the Canadian to protect his damaged left leg and
connect with jabs from both hands. Jourdain floored the Combate
Americas veteran with a straight left in the third round, followed
up with ferocious ground-and-pound and made his final push once
they returned to their feet. He corralled Rojo along the fence and
buried a right hook into his ribs. The Argentinian fell to the mat,
at which point referee Mark Smith had seen enough.
The 25-year-old Jourdain his pieced together a 6-2-1 record across
his last nine starts.
Yahya Choke Submits Rodriguez
American Top Team’s Rani Yahya
submitted
Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Ray
Rodriguez with an arm-triangle choke in the second round of
their bantamweight tilt. Rodriguez (16-8, 0-2 UFC) conceded defeat
3:09 into Round 2, suffering his third setback in four
appearances.
Yahya (27-10-1, 12-4-1 UFC) spent much of the first round
establishing his superiority, as he executed a takedown, settled in
half guard and smothered the Ultimate Submission Academy rep with
crushing top control. The 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission
Wrestling World Championships gold medalist secured another
takedown early in Round 2, framed the arm-triangle choke and brought it to a
close.
The victory was Yahya’s first Aug. 25, 2018.
Haqparast Sinks Unbeaten Garcia
Crisp combinations, devastating kicks to multiple levels and
airtight takedown defense spurred
Tristar Gym standout Nasrat
Haqparast to a unanimous decision over former Combate
Americas champion Rafa Garcia
in a three-round lightweight affair. Haqparast (13-3, 5-2 UFC)
swept the scorecards with 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 marks from the
judges.
Garcia (11-1, 0-1 UFC) impressed in his promotional debut, but the
gulf between the two men seemed to grow over time. Haqparast
executed his game plan flawlessly, as he unleashed kicks to the
body and head, multi-punch bursts and occasional stepping elbows.
Garcia was a stationary target once the fight reached the third
round, his opponent picking him apart with educated hands and
feet.
Haqparast has won five of his past six bouts.
Aldrich Edges Struggling Casey
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 23 quarterfinalist J.J. Aldrich
recorded her fifth win in seven outings, as she eked out a split
decision over Cortney
Casey in a competitive three-round flyweight encounter. All
three cageside judges scored it 29-28, two of them siding with
Aldrich.
Aldrich (9-4, 5-3 UFC) leaned on takedowns and control in a
15-minute scrap that was full of give and take. Casey (9-9, 5-8
UFC) zeroed in on her adversary with leg kicks, clinch knees,
elbows and occasional punching flurries but struggled to maintain
momentum. Aldrich struck for pivotal takedowns in the first and
third rounds, held her own in the standup exchanges and managed to
leave the cage with her hand raised.
Casey, 33, has lost five of her last seven fights.
Control-Minded Frey Stymies de Paula
Timely takedowns and suffocating positional control carried former
Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder Jinh Yu
Frey to a unanimous decision over Octagon newcomer Gloria de
Paula in a three-round strawweight battle. All three cageside
judges scored it the same: 29-28 for Frey (10-6, 1-2 UFC).
De Paula (6-2, 1-0 UFC) was effective at range. The
Chute Boxe-trained muay Thai stylist enjoyed a strong middle
stanza, where she attacked Frey with leg kicks, crisp combinations
and close-range knees, opening a small cut on the bridge of the
Fortis
MMA rep’s nose. However, it was not enough to erase what
unfolded in the first and third rounds. There, Frey completed
takedowns and piled up control time. She did her best work when it
mattered most, climbing to full mount midway through the final
period before advancing to de Paula’s back, securing her position
with a body triangle and hunting rear-naked chokes.
The win closed the book on Frey’s two-fight losing streak.
Surging Semelsberger Waylays Witt
Clinch Academy export Matthew
Semelsberger made his presence known in the welterweight
division, as he knocked out Jason Witt
with a counter right hand in the first round of their undercard
pairing at 170 pounds. Witt (18-7, 1-2 UFC) hit the deck 16 seconds
into Round 1, losing for the second time in three appearances.
Semelsberger (8-2, 2-0 UFC) set the trap and countered a low leg
kick with a searing straight right that sent his counterpart
crashing to the canvas. Witt’s head bounced off the canvas upon
impact, leaving the James
Krause protégé defenseless against the punches that followed
before referee Chris Tognoni could arrive on the scene.
The 28-year-old Semelsberger has rattled off five straight
victories, three of them finishes. 
