#UFCVegas30 Highlight Video: Kennedy Nzechukwu Overwhelms
Danilo Marques https://t.co/ndXRSnfO3Y pic.twitter.com/1GHIcyhUip— Sherdog by Mandatory (@sherdogdotcom)
June 26, 2021
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Once Kennedy
Nzechukwu gets rolling, it’s difficult to halt his
momentum.
The
Dana White’s Contender Series alum shook off a slow start at
UFC Fight Night 190 to defeat Danilo
Marques via technical knockout in a light heavyweight showdown
on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Nzechukwu (9-1, 3-1 UFC)
brought the show to a close 20 seconds into Round
3 for his third consecutive promotional triumph.
The first half of the bout belonged to Marques (11-3, 2-1 UFC). The
Demian
Maia protégé landed an immediate single-leg takedown and made
Nzechukwu wear him like a backpack for approximately 4:30 of the
opening round. Marques grounded the Fortis
MMA product again in Round 2, this time securing back control
on the mat. Nzechukwu was able to escape the predicament and began
to find a rhythm with his punching combinations before the horn, a
precursor for what was to come.
Nzechukwu wasted little time imposing his will in Round 3, as he
tagged a fast-fading Marques with repeated punching combinations to
the head. The Brazilian had no answer other than to cover up
against the fence, and finally, referee Jason Herzog stepped in to
save Marques from Nzechukwu’s onslaught.
Rakhmonov Remains Undefeated, Overwhelms Prazeres
Shavkat
Rakhmonov has the looks of a prospect to watch in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s welterweight division.
The former M-1 Global
champion dominated Michel
Prazeres before submitting his Brazilian foe with a rear-naked
choke 2:10 into Round 2 of their 170-pound matchup. The 26-year-old
Kazakhstan native has kicked off his Octagon tenure with
back-to-back tapouts and becomes the first person to submit
Prazeres in 30 professional outings.
After a relatively slow-paced opening stanza, Rakhmonov (14-0, 2-0
UFC) put Prazeres (26-4, 10-4 UFC) on the defensive with a spinning
heel kick to the face and a step-in knee. That assault forced the
39-year-old Brazilian to shoot out of desperation, but Rakhmonov
denied his foe’s takedown and punished him with a series of heavy
standing-to-ground right hands. From there, Rakhmonov worked his
way to Prazeres’ back and elicited a quick tap with the choke from a seated
position.
Wells Lamps Alves in Promotional Debut
Former
Cage Fury Fighting Championships and
CES MMA king Jeremiah
Wells made a strong impression on less than a week’s notice, as
he knocked out “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3” winner Warlley
Alves in a welterweight clash. A crushing right hand and
follow-up punches from the Philadelphia native rendered Alves
unconscious 30 seconds into Round 2, giving Wells his third
consecutive finish.
Wells (9-2-1, 1-0 UFC), who was a replacement for Ramazan
Emeev, was powerful and explosive in virtually all his
movements. After assuming top position following an Alves slip and
attacking with ground-and-pound in Round 1, Wells connected with a right hand to the jaw early
in the second period. When a dazed Alves (14-5, 8-5 UFC)
attempted to return to his feet, Wells unloaded with approximately
four more punches before referee Chris Tognoni stepped in to wave
off the fight.
Prachnio Liver Kick Folds Villanueva
Marcin
Prachnio weathered early adversity before knocking out former
Fury Fighting Championships title holder Isaac
Villanueva in a light heavyweight scrap. The Warsaw native
brought an instant end to the contest with a left kick to the liver
56 seconds into Round 2. After beginning his promotional tenure
with three straight defeats, Prachnio (15-5, 2-3 UFC) is now the
owner of a modest two-bout winning streak in the Octagon.
Villanueva (18-12, 1-3 UFC) forced his foe to cover up early, when
he landed an uppercut that left visible damage on Prachnio’s left
eye. The 37-year-old Texan couldn’t capitalize on the early
advantage, and Prachnio gradually took control with a more diverse
offense attack. The
Tatsujin Dojo representative blended his punches and kicks
effectively, and he compromised Villanueva’s movement with a steady
diet of low kicks. Early in the second frame, Prachnio switched to
a southpaw stance and buried his shin in Villanueva’s body, a blow
that had his foe doubled over in pain on the canvas
immediately.
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Avila Chokes Out Stoliarenko
Julia
Avila beat Julija
Stoliarenko at her own game, as she earned a third-round
submission victory over the former
Invicta Fighting Championships title holder in a bantamweight
tilt. The 33-year-old known as “Raging Panda” ended the contest
with a rear-naked choke at the 4:19 mark of Round 3. Avila (9-2,
3-1 UFC) has been victorious in five of her last six professional
outings.
Avila was her typically aggressive self early on, as she pressed
the action and forced Stoliarenko (9-5-2, 0-2 UFC) to brawl during
several furious exchanges in Round 1. Avila bloodied Stoliarenko’s
nose with a front kick to the face during one sequence, and the
Lithuanian fighter leaked fluid for the rest of the bout.
Stoliarenko attempted to slow the pace with takedowns and clinches,
but that approach ultimately backfired. Avila landed a takedown of
her own in the third stanza, took her foe’s back during a scramble
and then locked in the fight-ending maneuver to force a
quick tap.
Rosa Hands Jaynes Fourth Straight Loss
American Top Team export Charles
Rosa sent Justin
Jaynes to his fourth consecutive defeat, earning a
split-decision triumph in a competitive featherweight affair.
Adalaide Byrd scored it 30-27 and Chris Lee had
it 29-28 — both in favor of Rosa — while Ron McCarthy submitted a
29-28 scorecard for Jaynes.
After getting rocked during an initial exchange, Rosa did a good
job blending his striking and grappling, advancing with
combinations and scoring a takedown late in Round 1. The second
stanza saw “Boston Strong” control positioning on the canvas while
trapping Jaynes’ arm to land a steady stream of moderate
ground-and-pound in the most decisive round of the fight.
Jaynes (16-8, 1-4 UFC) emptied his clip in Round 3, as he rocked
his opponent with a left hook and right hand before taking Rosa to
the canvas. From there, the
Xtreme Couture product secured an arm-triangle choke and passed
to the proper side. Somehow, Rosa (14-5, 5-5 UFC) didn’t tap, and
he eventually escaped to end the period landing more punches from
top position.
Hadzovic Holds Off Late Medeiros Charge
Damir
Hadzovic racked up an early lead on the scorecards, then held
off a late surge from Yancy
Medeiros to win a unanimous decision in a lightweight clash.
All three cageside judges submitted 29-28 tallies in favor of “The
Bosnian Bomber.” Medeiros (15-8, 1 NC, 6-8, 1 NC UFC) has lost four
straight bouts within the Las Vegas-based promotion.
Hadzovic (14-6, 4-4 UFC) had his way for the first 10 minutes, as
he tagged Medeiros with punching combinations to the head while
mixing in the occasional takedown. The
Arte Suave Copenhagen representative had Medeiros reeling on
multiple occasions, but the Hawaiian displayed his trademark grit
and hung tough in the fight.
Those offensive outbursts gradually took their toll on Hadzovic,
who fatigued badly in the final frame after nearly finishing his
opponent with a barrage of punches early in the period. Once his
adversary’s tank emptied, Medeiros landed multiple takedowns,
transitioned to dominant positions and locked in a tight rear-naked
choke in the bout’s waning seconds. It wasn’t enough to put
Hadzovic away, however. 
