Back in the win column! @Sara_McMann
w/ the UD win at
#UFCColumbus! pic.twitter.com/bnIS4So7Hc— UFC (@ufc)
March 26, 2022
Sara
McMann went back to basics, and the results were
revelatory.
The 2004 Olympic silver medalist stood her ground in the Ultimate
Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight division, as she took a
unanimous decision from Parana Vale Tudo’s Karol Rosa
in the featured UFC on ESPN 33 prelim on Saturday at Nationwide
Arena in Columbus, Ohio. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28
for McMann (13-6, 7-6 UFC).
Rosa (15-4, 4-1 UFC) failed to maintain a manageable distance with
the Team Alpha Male representative. McMann secured takedowns in all
three rounds, stifled the Brazilian with top control and progressed
to the back on more than one occasion. Rosa finally sprang a
reversal late in the third round and applied some significant
ground-and-pound, but the finish she needed never materialized.
The defeat halted Rosa’s run of consecutive victories at six.
Replacement Gutierrez Waylays Danaa
Factory X standout Chris
Gutierrez put away Batgerel
Danaa with a spinning backfist and follow-up elbows in the
second round of their bantamweight scrap. A late-notice
substitution for Montel
Jackson, Gutierrez (18-4-2, 6-1-1 UFC) brought it to a
spectacular close 2:34 into Round 2.
Danaa (10-3, 3-2 UFC) spent the majority of the fight eating leg
kicks and crowding the onetime Sugar Creek Showdown champion with
pressure and sweeping power punches. He delivered a takedown near
the end of the first round and blasted away with left hands, but
Gutierrez eventually re-guarded and bled the remaining time off the
clock. Midway through the middle stanza, the Marc Montoya protégé
caught Danaa with his hands down, decked him with a
spinning backfist and rushed in for the finish.
Gutierrez, 30, will carry a three-fight winning streak into his
next assignment.
Unbeaten Khizriev Throttles Tiuliulin
Former Fight Nights Global champion Aliaskhab
Khizriev put Denis
Tiuliulin to sleep with a rear-naked choke in the second round
of their middleweight tilt. A short-notice replacement for Abusupiyan
Magomedov, Tiuliulin (9-6, 0-1 UFC) lost consciousness 1:58
into Round 2.
Khizriev (14-0, 1-0 UFC) set the tone in the first round, where he
withstood a few punching volleys from the Evolve Gym rep, executed
a takedown and applied his ground-and-pound. He lured Tiuliulin to
the ground again in Round 2, as he climbed to the back, cut off avenues of
escape and snaked his arms in place for the choke. From there,
the conclusion was academic.
The 31-year-old Khizriev, who revealed plans to cut down to 170
pounds, has finished five of his last six opponents.
Fiorot Passes Maia Test
Fast-rising women’s flyweight contender Manon
Fiorot outstruck former Invicta Fighting Championships
titleholder Jennifer
Maia to a unanimous decision in their three-round confrontation
at 125 pounds. Fiorot (9-1, 4-0 UFC) carried all three cards with
30-27 scores.
Maia (19-9-1, 4-5 UFC) operated at a level or two below the
powerfully built and exquisitely skilled Frenchwoman. Fiorot kept
the Brazilian at bay with repeated side kicks to the body and leg,
laser-guided left hands and the occasional check hook. Maia landed
a head kick on the break in the second round and executed a pair of
takedowns, but those efforts did little to bridge the considerable
gap between the two.
Fiorot has won nine fights in a row.
Resurgent Nicolau Downs Dvorak
“The Ultimate Fighter Brazil” Season 4 semifinalist Matheus
Nicolau won for the fifth time in as many appearances, as he
laid claim to a unanimous decision over David
Dvorak in a three-round flyweight clash. Nicolau (18-2-1, 6-2-1
UFC) swept the scorecards with 29-28 marks across the board.
Dvorak (20-4, 3-1 UFC), who entered the cage on a 16-fight winning
streak, never shifted out of first gear. The Czech controlled the
cage but often walked into return fire. Nicolau dazed and floored
him with a left hook in the second round and staggered him again
with the same punch in the third. Dvorak initiated a scramble late
in the match, withstood the Brazilian’s leg attacks and assumed top
position but failed to do much to consolidate his efforts with
damage or control.
The setback was Dvorak’s first since May 11, 2012.
Saldana Rebounds, Outhustles Souza
Tactical takedowns, consistent leg kicks and accurate punching
bursts carried Fight Ready export Luis
Saldana to a unanimous decision over former
Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Bruno Souza
in a three-round featherweight pairing. All three cageside judges
scored it 29-28 for Saldana (16-7, 2-1 UFC), who bounced back from
his Aug. 21 loss to Austin
Lingo.
Souza (10-3, 0-2 UFC) pressed forward behind rear-leg front kicks,
the occasional threat of a flying knee and combination punching.
However, he failed to establish much of a rhythm, his momentum
often cut off by his opponent’s takedowns. Saldana turned up the
heat in the third round, where he connected on a spinning back kick
to the body, slip-and-rip right hands and standing elbows in the
clinch.
The 26-year-old Souza now finds himself on a two-fight losing
streak.