Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. The
Ultimate Fighting Championship beefed up its ranks by signing
four competitors — heavyweight Jared
Vanderaa, featherweight Luis
Saldana, welterweight Ignacio
Bahamondes and light heavyweight Carlos
Ulberg — from
Week 8 of
Dana White’s Contender Series on Wednesday at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas. Perhaps the most intriguing talent to land a contract, Ulberg blew
away American Top Team’s Bruno
Oliveira with punches in the first round of their encounter at
205 pounds. Oliveira (8-2) bowed out 2:02 into Round 1, losing for
the first time in more than four years.
Operating out of the
City Kickboxing camp in New Zealand, Ulberg (3-0) measured
distance with leg kicks and waited for an opportune time to strike.
The Israel
Adesanya stablemate countered a lazy jab from Oliveira with a
ferocious multi-punch burst — right and left hooks did the damage
—that dropped the Brazilian facedown on the mat.
No follow-up shots were required.
Bahamondes Front Kick Levels Gomez
Valle Flow Striking Academy rep Ignacio Bahamondes knocked out
King of
the Cage champion Edson Gomez
with a front kick to the face in the second round of their
welterweight scrap. Gomez (6-2), who missed weight for the match by
three pounds, met his end 2:31 into Round 2.
Bahamondes (11-3) kept his counterpart at bay with jabs, leg kicks,
body-head combinations and effective counters. Gomez spent much of
his time walking into the traps being set by the Chilean kickboxer.
Bahamondes in the second round lulled the Californian into a false
sense of security with pitter-patter punches, then uncorked a devastating front kick that split
the guard and sent the Combined Martial Science product crashing to
the canvas in an unconscious heap.
The setback was Gomez’s first in more than two years and closed the
book on his three-fight winning streak.
Saldana Punts Overmatched Murdock
Fight Ready standout Luis Saldana took care of Vince
Murdock with punches in the third round of their featherweight
confrontation. Operating behind nine-inch reach and five-inch
height advantages, Saldana (14-6) drew the curtain 44 seconds into
Round 3.
Murdock (11-6) offered little in terms of meaningful offense.
Saldana made smooth stance switches, fired straight punches with
both hands, brought his jab into play and softened the Team Alpha
Male rep with kicks to the body and legs. He turned up the heat at
the start of the third round, where he staggered and floored Murdock with a pair of
front kicks to the face. Saldana swarmed with punches, moved to
a high mount and sealed the deal with continued
ground-and-pound.
The 29-year-old Saldana has delivered all 14 of his victories by
knockout, technical knockout or submission.
Heavyweight Vanderaa Batters Hunsucker
Team Quest export Jared Vanderaa posted his fifth win in six
appearances, as he put away Harry
Hunsucker with punches in the first round of their heavyweight
affair. A former Extreme Fighting Championship titleholder,
Vanderaa (11-4) brought it to a close 3:34 into Round 1.
Hunsucker (6-3) flexed his superiority in the standup exchanges,
where he connected with multiple left hooks and overhand rights.
However, Vanderaa switched gears, executed a takedown and applied
his ground-and-pound, cutting loose with unanswered punches and
hammerfists until the job was done.
The loss snapped Hunsucker’s five-fight winning streak.
