Davey Grant with the reverse triangle
submission đ±
#UFCLasVegas pic.twitter.com/XIPSrJ5Ab8â ESPN MMA (@espnmma)
March 11, 2023
Davey
Grant showed a flair for the dramatic at
UFC Fight Night 221.
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âThe Ultimate Fighter 18â alum rallied for a third-round submission
victory over Raphael
Assuncao in their preliminary bantamweight clash at The Theater
at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Nev., on Saturday. The 37-year-old
Englishman used an inverted triangle choke to render Assuncao
(28-10, 12-7 UFC) unconsicous at the 4:43 mark of Round 3.
Assuncao, who has lost five of his last six Octagon appearances,
left his gloves in the center of the cage and announced his
retirement following the defeat.
Assuncao blended grappling with smart counterstriking to rack up an
early lead on the scorecards, but action really picked up in the
final stanza. Grant (15-6, 6-5 UFC) stumbled Assuncao with a right
hand early on, a blow that seemed to slow the Brazilian for the
remainder of the period. Assuncao attempted to steer the momentum
in his favor by reverting back to his wrestling, and Grant was
deducted a point by referee Keith
Peterson for multiple fence grabs while defending
takedowns. Shortly after the fighters returned to their feet, Grant rocked his
foe with a spinning backfist, prompting Assuncao to shoot out of
desperation. When Assuncao picked Grant up over his shoulder, the
Syndicate MMA product
locked in a inverted triangle to set the stage for an unlikely
finish.
Wrestling Carries Williams Past Brzeski
Dana Whiteâs Contender Series alum Karl
Williams relied on his wrestling to propel him to a lopsided
unanimous decision triumph over Lukasz
Brzeski in a heavyweight scrap. Williams (8-1, 1-0 UFC) earned
tallies of 30-26, 30-26 and 30-27 from the cageside judges for his
fifth straight professional victory.
Williamsâ game plan was evident from the opening bell, as he
grounded his Polish opponent repeatedly. The American Top Team
Atlanta product appeared to be on the verge of a finish early in
Round 2 when he blized Brzeksi (8-3-1, 0-2 UFC) with power punches
being executed a powerful slam. When the stoppage didnât arrive,
the pace slowed for both fighters, but Williams continued to
imposed his will through takedowns and ground-and-pound until the
final horn.
Fremd Guillotines Dumas
Factory X member Josh Fremd
earned his first Octagon triumph, as he tapped out Sedriques
Dumas with a guillotine choke in their middleweight clash. The
former Legacy Fighting Alliance competitor submitted his foe at the
3:00 mark of the second stanza. Fremd (10-4, 1-2 UFC) has finished
eight of his 10 career triumphs inside the distance.
Fremd set the tone for the fight when he hurt Dumas (7-1, 0-1 UFC)
with a counter left and immediately followed up with a takedown in
the opening frame. A similar sequence occured in Round 2, as Fremd
wobbled his foe with a right hand before executing a high-amplitude
hip toss. Dumas went for an ill-advised back take during an ensuing
scramble, which resulted in him falling off the top and back to the
canvas. Fremd then capitalized,
locking in the choke with Dumas in a seated position against the
fence.
Henry Edges Gravely
Well-traveled veteran Victor
Henry took a hard-fought split decision triumph against Dana
Whiteâs Contender Series alum Tony
Gravely in a bantamweight bout. Judges Derek Colon (30-27) and
Sal DâAmato (29-28) saw the fight for Henry, while Rick Winter
submitted a 29-28 tally in favor of Gravely. Henry (23-6, 2-1 UFC)
has won 11 of his last 13 professional outings.
Henry maintained a withering pace, as he kept Gravely (23-9, 4-4
UFC) on his heels with punching combinations, front kicks to the
body, knees and elbows. Gravely struggled to hold his opponent
down, but he made things interesting in a frenetic final stanza
when he tagged his foe with power punches and scrambled free from a
kneebar attempt by Henry. Ultimately, it wasnât quite enough.
Lipski Outduels Aldrich
Former KSW champion Ariane
Lipski secured a much-needed victory, as she outpointed
J.J.
Aldrich in a flyweight encounter. âThe Violence Queenâ received
a trio of 30-27 tallies from the cageside judges, returning to the
win column after an unsuccessful one-bout stint at 135 pounds last
August. Aldrich has lost back-to-back fights for the first time in
her professional tenure.
Lipski ( 15-8, 4-5 UFC) controlled the range throughout the
contest, landing punching combination and kicks effectively against
the Invicta FC veteran. Lipskiâs takedown defense held up as well,
and she punished Aldrich (11-6, 7-5 UFC) with knees in close
quarters when her opponent attempted to get the fight to the
canvas. By the end of the bout, Aldrichâs nose was bloodied from
eating a steady diet of straight punches from the 29-year-old
Brazilian. Lipski punctuated her victory by reversing an Aldrich
takedown attempt in the waning moments of Round 3.
Silva Drops, Chokes Out Nam
Fight Ready export Bruno Silva
earned his third consecutive finish in UFC competition, submitting
Tyson
Nam with a rear-naked choke in their flyweight clash. The
Brazilian
rendered his opponent unconscious at the 1:23 mark of
Round 2, handing Nam (21-13-1, 3-4 UFC) the first submission defeat
of his professional career.
Silva (13-5-2, 3-2 UFC) set the stage for his finish by dropping
Nam with a front kick to the chin early in the second frame. After
attempting to end the bout with ground-and-pound, âBulldogâ jumped
on his adversaryâs back when Nam attempted to scramble back to his
feet and secured the fight-ending maneuver shortly thereafter.
Harris Best Short-Notice Foe Gooden
Guyanaâs Carlston
Harris relied on his wrestling and grappling to capture a
unanimous decision triumph against short-notice foe Jared
Gooden in a welterweight bout. All three judges scored the
fight in favor of the Renovacao Fight Team representative: 30-27,
30-27, 30-27. Gooden, who was a replacement for Abubakar
Nurmagomedov, missed weight by six pounds on Friday.
After a competitive opening stanza that contested primarily on the
feet, Harris imposed his will over the final 10 minutes through
takedowns, top pressure and moderate ground-and-pound. âMocambiqueâ
did some of his best work in Round 3, when he grounded Gooden
(22-9, 1-4 UFC) four times, advanced to mount and dropped elbows
from top position.