Eryk
Anders’ approach may not have been aesthetically pleasing, but
it was undeniably effective against a lower-level
Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight.
Repeated takedowns and accompanying ground-and-pound carried the
ex-University of Alabama linebacker to a unanimous decision over a
retiring Jamie
Pickett in their featured
UFC Fight Night 238 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas. Scores were 29-27, 29-28 and 29-28—all for Anders (16-8,
8-8 UFC), who rebounded from his June 10 defeat to Marc-Andre
Barriault.
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Pickett (13-11, 2-7 UFC) decked the onetime Legacy Fighting
Alliance champion with a counter right hand in the first round but
grew more and more ineffective as time went on. Anders wore him
down with takedowns, passed guard without issue and cut loose with
ground-and-pound. His shots landed with increasing intensity, an
elbow strike eventually opening a gash on Pickett in the third
round.
Meanwhile, former UAE Warriors champion Vinicius
Oliveira wiped out Bernardo
Sopai with a sensational flying knee in the third round of
their bantamweight encounter. A short-notice substitution for
Yanis
Ghemmouri, Sopai (11-3, 0-1 UFC) met his unceremonious end 4:41
into Round 3.
Oliveira (20-3, 1-0 UFC) was on his heels for much of the fight’s
first half. Sopai peppered him with punches and kicks, mixed in
takedowns at opportune times and kept the Brazilian guessing. He
seemed to be closing in on a finish midway through the second
round, where he floated from the back to full mount and flattened
out Oliveira on multiple occasions. However, the Sombra Team star
sprang a reversal, smashed away with standing-to-ground punches and
eventually bled the Sopai gas tank dry. Oliveira seized the reins
from there.
He hobbled the visibly fatigued Sopai with kicks to the upper and
lower leg, forced him to retreat to the fence and found the mark
with a spectacular flying knee that separated the Allstars Training
Center representative from his senses.
The 28-year-old Oliveira has won three fights in a row, all of them
by knockout.
Further down the card, Tristar Gym underdog Aiemann
Zahabi outstruck the previously unbeaten Javid
Basharat to a unanimous decision in a three-round bantamweight
battle, drawing 29-28 marks from all three judges. All three
cageside judges scored it the same: 29-28 for Zahabi (11-2, 5-2
UFC).
Basharat (14-1, 3-1 UFC) started strong but struggled to establish
consistency. Zahabi made it ugly across the final 10 minutes, as he
cut loose with two-, three- and four-punch combinations, effective
counters and heavy body kicks. The 36-year-old Canadian crowded
Basharat late, often forcing the Xtreme Couture prospect out of his
comfort zone and onto his back foot.
Zahabi has quietly put together a four-fight winning streak at 135
pounds.
Elsewhere, ex-Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder
Christian
Leroy Duncan disposed of Claudio
Ribeiro with punches in the second round of their woefully
one-sided middleweight confrontation.
Duncan (10-1, 3-1 UFC) brought it to a close 1:57 into Round
2.
Ribeiro (11-5, 1-3 UFC) was a non-factor. Duncan spent the first
five minutes abusing him with jabs, leg kicks, sharp standing
elbows, timely spinning attacks and various other techniques. The
promising Mark Weir
protégé shifted gears in the second round, where he executed a
takedown inside the first 90 seconds, climbed immediately to mount
and forced Ribeiro to go belly down with a series of brutal elbow
strikes. Unanswered punches followed, resulting in the finish.
Duncan, 28, has rattled off back-to-back wins.
Dominant in his own right, Spartakus Fight Gym standout Ludovit
Klein cut down A.J.
Cunningham with a front kick to the body and follow-up punches
in the first round of their lightweight tilt. A short-notice
replacement for Joel
Alvarez, Cunningham (11-4, 0-1 UFC) checked out 4:36 into Round
1.
Klein (21-4-1, 5-2-1) had too much firepower for the promotional
newcomer. He battered him with body-head combinations, clean
one-twos, clinch knees and the occasional standing elbow.
Klein backed the Factory X rep to the fence and buried a front kick
into his guts. Cunningham collapsed forward onto the mat, at which
point it became clear he was in no condition to absorb further
punishment.
The 29-year-old Klein now finds himself on a five-fight unbeaten
streak.
Finally, two-time Professional Fighters League finalist Loik
Radzhabov put away former Brave Combat Federation champion
Abdul-Kareem
Al-Selwady with punches in the third round of their
back-and-forth lightweight affair.
Radzhabov (18-5-1, 2-1 UFC) drew the curtain 49 seconds into Round
3.
Al-Selwady (15-4, 0-1 UFC) appeared to be pointed in the right
direction after a strong middle stanza, where he racked up points
with inside leg kicks, counter right hands and a late takedown.
Radzhabov refused to wilt. He floored Al-Selwady with sweeping
right hook at the start of the third round, then pounced with a
burst of follow-up hammerfists to prompt the stoppage.
The loss snapped Al-Selwady’s run of consecutive victories at five.