Letting it fly in Round
#UFCVegas29 pic.twitter.com/yi5ju3Zxhu— UFC (@ufc)
June 19, 2021
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A durable chin, consistent forward movement and a
willingness to brawl carried Nicolae
Negumereanu to victory on Saturday night.
The 26-year-old Romanian secured his first promotional triumph at
UFC on ESPN 25, taking a hard-fought split-decision triumph
over
Strong Style Fight Team representative Aleksa
Camur in a light heavyweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Michael Bell and Tony Weeks scored the fight 29-28 in favor of the
Korona Sports Centre export, while Eric Colon
had it 29-28 for Camur.
While Camur (6-2, 1-2 UFC) had a clear edge in technical boxing
ability, Negumereanu was able to make it an increasingly ugly
affair as the bout progressed. He consistently pressured his foe,
absorbing everything Camur had to offer while landing plenty of
heavy shots of his own. Negumereanu (10-1, 1-1 UFC) also was able
to slow the tempo down on occasion thanks to clinches against the
fence — along with multiple unpenalized fence grabs — and the
bout’s lone takedown. Camur has lost back-to-back contests after
beginning his mixed martial arts career with six consecutive
victories.
Jandiroba Injures Murata’s Arm, Wins Via Stoppage
Virna
Jandiroba has extreme confidence in her guard for a reason. The
Brazilian threatened Kanako
Murata with an armbar in the opening round before their
strawweight bout was halted after two frames due to damage incurred from that maneuver. The
cageside doctor waved off the matchup of former
Invicta Fighting Championships title holders after Round 2 once
it was apparent that Murata’s left arm was badly compromised.
Jandiroba (17-2, 3-2 UFC) began the fight by clipping Murata (12-2,
1-1 UFC) with multiple right hands. The Brazilian shifted gears
later in the period when she pulled guard near the fence, a move
that initially resulted in her absorbing heavy ground-and-pound
from the Japanese judoka. It didn’t take long before Jandiroba
trapped her foe in an armbar, and though Murata defended
diligently, the damage was already done.
Murata spent the duration of Round 2 with her left hand held low,
which allowed Jandiroba to land right hands and right high kicks
nearly at will before the doctor stoppage. Murata sees an
eight-bout winning streak come to an end in defeat.
Williams Outstrikes Semelsberger
Kalinn
Williams demonstrated he is capable of going the distance in
victory by earning a three-round verdict over Matthew
Semelsberger at welterweight. All three cageside judges saw the
bout in favor of “Khaos the Ox Fighter:” 30-27, 29-28, 29-28.
Semelsberger (8-3, 2-1 UFC) sees a five-bout winning streak snapped
in defeat.
Williams was his usual explosive self in Round 1, when he buckled
his foe with a right hand and flurried for a finish against the
fence. Though he wasn’t able to put Semelsberger away, Williams
(12-2, 3-1 UFC) did open a cut on the bridge of his opponent’s nose
during the sequence. While Semelsberger did enjoy some success
landing counter right hands, the bout was characterized by
Williams’ periodic explosive punching combinations. Ultimately,
Semelsberger was unable to match Williams’ output.
Parisian Takes Split Verdict Over Martinez
Dana White’s Contender Series alum Josh
Parisian secured his first Octagon triumph, earning a
split-decision triumph over Guam’s Roque
Martinez in a heavyweight duel. Junichiro Kamijo and Tony Weeks
submitted 29-28 scorecards in favor of Parisian, while Eric Colon
had it 29-28 for the
Rizin Fighting Federation veteran.
Martinez (15-8-2, 0-3 UFC) took the fight to Parisian in the early
going, as he pressured and forced multiple clinches, where he
landed hard uppercuts and elbows in close quarters — one which cut
the
Scorpion Fighting System product under his left eye. Over time,
however, the taller and heavier Parisian (14-4, 1-1 UFC) was able
to push his opponent into the fence more consistently while landing
a better variety of strikes at range. Martinez’s pace slowed
considerably after Round 1, which ultimately led to his demise.
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Glenn Returns from Layoff, Fells Silva with Counter Left
Ricky
Glenn returned from a near three-year absence in style, making
short work of Joaquim
Silva in a lightweight encounter. “The Gladiator” put his
Brazilian adversary away with a barrage of punches just 37 seconds
into the opening round. Glenn had been sidelined since November
2018 following a lengthy recovery from hip surgery.
Glenn made Silva (11-3, 4-3 UFC) pay for his aggression in short
order. The former
World Series of Fighting title challenger caught his foe with a
perfectly-placed counter left hand that put “Netto BJJ” on his
rear. Glenn (22-6-1, 4-3 UFC) immediately pursued the finish with
follow-up punches, and the bout was halted when Silva dropped to the canvas
once again after briefly returning to his feet.
O’Neill Chokes Procopio Unconscious
Tiger Muay Thai prospect Casey
O’Neill remained unbeaten in her fledging MMA career, as she
submitted
Nova Uniao’s Lara
Procopio in a flyweight encounter. The Scotland-born Aussie
rendered her opponent unconscious with a rear-naked
choke 2:54 into Round 3 for her second consecutive finish
within the Las Vegas-based promotion.
O’Neill got stronger as the fight progressed. The 23-year-old known
as “King” began to assert herself in the second stanza, when she
scored a takedown and threatened with a toe hold before ending the
round landing ground-and-pound from above. O’Neill (7-0, 2-0 UFC)
was more dominant in Round 3, as she landed another takedown and
then secured a crucifix from her back, peppering Procopio (7-2, 1-2
UFC) with hammerfists to the side of the head. From there, O’Neill
moved to mount and then back control — locking in the fight-ending
maneuver when the Brazilian attempted to stand. Shortly thereafter,
Procopio fell back to the canvas as she succumbed to the pressure
of the squeeze.
