Cody
Brundage SAID NO MORE WRESTLING pic.twitter.com/RSN7DPzBHI— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist)
July 10, 2022
Cody
Brundage made short work of “The Ultimate Fighter 29” cast
member Tresean
Gore in a middleweight encounter, winning via knockout in the
featured
UFC on ESPN 39 preliminary bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on
Saturday night. The Factory
X member unleashed a salvo of ground-and-pound from mount to
seal his victory at the 3:50 mark of Round 1. Brundage has authored
back-to-back first-round finishes in UFC competition.
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Brundage (8-2, 2-1 UFC) forced Gore (3-2, 0-2 UFC) to wrestle
early, but that approach changed as the bout progressed. While the
early grappling exchange appeared to have fatigued the Brighton,
Michigan, native, he was merely biding his time. Brundage set the
stage for the final sequence when he countered a Gore low kick with
a right hook. That sent Gore to the canvas and Brundage pounced
with a purpose, landing punches from above before powering his way
into mount, where he
rendered his adversary unconscious with even heavier blows from
the dominant position.
Shevchenko Edges Casey
Tiger Muay Thai representative Antonina
Shevchenko withstood a late charge from Cortney
Casey to capture a narrow split-decision triumph in a flyweight
contest. All three cageside judges scored the contest 29-28, two of
them siding with Shevchenko (10-4, 4-3 UFC). Casey (10-10, 6-9 UFC)
has lost three of her last four promotional outings. Shevchenko was content to fight at kickboxing range, where she
connected with jabs and kicks to all levels — primarily with her
lead leg — while fending off the majority of her opponent’s
takedown attempts through the first 10 minutes. Casey enjoyed
success landing her right hand when she pressured Shevchenko, and
she put together a strong push in Round 3, as she landed multiple
takedowns, controlled the clinch and dropped a heavy elbow from
above. Ultimately, it wasn’t quite enough to sway the scorecards in
her favor.
Onama Chokes Out Armfield
Uganda native David Onama
imposed his will against short-notice foe Garrett
Armfield, winning via submission in a featherweight affair. The
Glory MMA & Fitness representative rendered his foe unconscious
with an arm-triangle choke 3:13 into the second frame. Onama (10-1,
2-1 UFC) has finished all 10 of his professional triumphs by
knockout, technical knockout or submission.
Armfield (8-3, 0-1 UFC), who was a replacement for Austin
Lingo, held his own in Round 1, landing some decent shots in
the pocket during exchanges and assuming top position on one
occasion. Onama gradually took control, however, and his power
advantage was evident as soon as he grounded his adversary in Round
2. Once on the canvas, Onama threatened from back control before
transitioning to the fight-ending maneuver from top position.
Armfield defended for as long as he could before eventually going
to sleep.
Nzechukwu Overpowers Roberson
Fortis
MMA product Kennedy
Nzechukwu rode a clear size and strength advantage to a
technical knockout victory over Karl
Roberson in a light heavyweight showdown. A hailstorm of
punches and elbows from mount forced the stoppage at the 2:19 mark
of Round 3, ending a two-bout skid for Nzechukwu (10-3, 4-3 UFC).
Roberson (9-6, 4-6 UFC) has lost four straight within the Las
Vegas-based promotion — all inside the distance.
The 6-foot-5 Nzechukwu overpowered Roberson in close quarters, as
he grounded his foe repeatedly, advanced to dominant positions and
threatened with chokes. Roberson experienced fleeting success
landing body kicks and straight punches at range, but all too often
he allowed his opponent to close the distance with little
resistance. The last instance led to Roberson’s demise,
when Nzechukwu secured a takedown and quickly moved to mount before
unloading with a barrage of unanswered blows for the
finish.
Kakhramonov Grounds Lawrence
Former
Cage Fury Fighting Championships title holder Saidyokub
Kakhramonov relied on takedowns, top control and
ground-and-pound to take a clear-cut unanimous decision against
Dana White’s Contender Series alum Ronnie
Lawrence in a bantamweight clash. All three judges saw the
fight in favor of Kakhramonov (10-2, 2-0 UFC): 30-26, 30-27 and
30-27.
Kakhramonov was relentless throughout the fight, grounding his
opponent multiple times in each frame and maintaining heavy
pressure on the occasions when Lawrence (8-2, 2-1 UFC) was able to
return to his feet. Kakhramonov was also successful with periodic
ground-and-pound, bloodying his adversary while causing swelling
under the right eye. The fight was in stark contrast to Lawrence’s
previous two Octagon appearances, in which he held a 14-0 advantage
in takedowns on his opposition.