Uriah
Hall sent his idol out on his shield.
The Fortis MMA standout overcame a slow start and perhaps some
star-struck reverence, as he brought down former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight
titleholder Anderson
Silva with punches in the fourth round of their UFC Fight Night 181 headliner on Saturday at
the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Silva (34-11, 17-7 UFC) — who stopped
short of announcing his retirement in the immediate aftermath —
bowed out 1:24 into Round 4 in what may have been his final
appearance inside the Octagon.
“You’re the reason why I’m doing this. Thank
you so much.”Incredible.
#UFCVegas12 pic.twitter.com/764LPSdgiF— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA)
November 1, 2020
Hall (16-9, 9-7 UFC) let the Brazilian icon lead the dance for
two-plus rounds, as “The Spider” leaned on lateral movement, a
steady stream of leg kicks and occasional bursts of punches.
Everything turned in the waning seconds of Round 3. There, Hall
dropped the future hall of famer with an overhand right, followed
with punches and appeared to be nearing a finish when the horn
sounded. The one-minute respite between rounds was not enough for
Silva to clear the cobwebs completely. Hall floored him with
a counter right hook as he moved backward early in
the fourth and sealed the 45-year-old legend’s fate with
standing-to-ground punches.
Determined Mitchell Sinks Fili
Repeated takedowns, top control and positional advances carried
“The Ultimate Fighter 27” semifinalist Bryce
Mitchell to a unanimous decision over Andre Fili in
the three-round featherweight co-main event. Mitchell (14-0, 5-0
UFC) swept the scorecards with 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27 marks from
the cageside judges.
Fili (21-8, 9-7 UFC) made the Arkansas native work for every inch
of ground he gained. Mitchell executed takedowns in all three
rounds, achieved full mount on multiple occasions and threatened
with a few submissions, all while incorporating
rough-around-the-edges but effective standup. Fili was at his best
in Round 2, where he connected with a flying knee, utilized an
effective jab and had more success staying off of his back.
However, he could not hold off Mitchell forever. The Brazilian
jiu-jitsu black belt struck for multiple takedowns in the third
round and took the final steps toward his most significant victory
to date.
The 30-year-old Fili’s last four losses have come by decision.
Heavy-Handed Hardy Batters Greene
Former NFL All-Pro Greg Hardy
disposed of Jackson-Wink MMA rep Maurice
Greene with punches in the second round of their heavyweight
feature. Greene (9-5, 4-3 UFC) met his end 72 seconds into Round 2,
as he lost for third time in four starts.
Hardy (7-2, 4-2 UFC) brought too much firepower to the table. The
Rashad
Evans–Din Thomas
protégé drove Greene to the floor with right hands in the first
round, assaulted him with hammerfists — referee Herb Dean also
warned him for gouging the eyes — and settled in half guard before
cutting loose with high-impact elbows. Early in the middle stanza,
Hardy dropped “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 28
semifinalist with a stiff jab and sealed the deal with unanswered
punches and hammerfists.
Still just 32 years of age, Hardy has finished six of his seven
career wins by knockout or technical knockout.
Holland Bullies Newcomer Ontiveros
Dana White’s Contender Series alum Kevin
Holland dismissed Charlie
Ontiveros in the first round of their featured middleweight
pairing. Ontiveros (11-7, 0-1 UFC), who entered his Octagon debut
on the strength of back-to-back victories in the Fury Fighting
Championship promotion, verbally submitted to an apparent neck
injury 2:39 into Round 1.
Holland (20-5, 7-2 UFC) executed an early takedown, applied his
ground-and-pound with rapid-fire elbows from side control and
floated from one advantageous position to another before the
fighters returned to an upright position. However, Ontiveros failed
to gain separation and paid a painful price. Holland secured a body lock and slammed the taekwondo
stylist back to the canvas almost immediately, prompting the
stoppage once his opponent made it known he had suffered an injury
upon impact.
The 27-year-old Holland has rattled off four straight wins.
Moises Outduels Elusive Green
American Top Team’s Thiago
Moises won for the fifth time in seven appearances, as he laid
claim to a unanimous decision over Bobby Green
in a closely contested three-round lightweight showcase. All three
cageside judges scored it the same: 29-28 for Moises (14-4, 3-2
UFC).
Green (27-11-1, 8-6-1 UFC) maintained a steady pace and struck in
combination with punches and kicks, but he failed to exact much a
of a visible toll on the Brazilian. Moises opened a significant cut
above the former King of the Cage champion’s right eye, held serve
in the scrambles, threatened with a series of leg locks in the
second round and mixed in a few takedowns to keep the American
guessing.
The setback closed the book on Green’s three-fight winning
streak.
Prelims: Razor-Sharp Hernandez Flattens Gruetzemacher
Factory X standout Alexander
Hernandez buried Chris
Gruetzemacher with punches in the first round of their featured
lightweight prelim. Gruetzemacher (14-4, 2-3 UFC) succumbed to
blows 1:46 into Round 1, as “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 22
quarterfinalist lost for the third time in four outings.
In his first assignment since he linked arms with trainer Marc
Montoya, Hernandez (12-3, 4-2 UFC) was sharp from the start. The
28-year-old walked through a couple of leg kicks, stunned
Gruetzemacher with some shin-to-skull contact and sat him down with
a sneaky left hook. Hernandez then pressed his reeling counterpart
to the fence and cut loose with both hands, unleashing an exquisite multi-punch volley that
necessitated the stoppage.
Hernandez has won 10 of his last 12 fights.
In other undercard action, Dana White’s Contender Series graduate
Adrian
Yanez (12-3, 1-0 UFC) knocked out Victor
Rodriguez (5-3, 0-1 UFC) with a head kick 2:46 into the first round of
their bantamweight battle; Former King of the Cage champion
Sean
Strickland (21-3, 8-3 UFC) took a unanimous decision from an
overweight Jack
Marshman (23-10, 3-5 UFC) in a three-round welterweight tilt,
drawing 30-27 marks from all three judges; Glory MMA’s Jason Witt
(18-6, 1-1 UFC) submitted an overweight Cole
Williams (11-3, 0-2 UFC) with an arm-triangle choke 2:09 into the second
round of their welterweight encounter; Factory X representative
Dustin
Jacoby (13-5, 1-2 UFC) cut down Justin
Ledet (9-4, 3-4 UFC) with leg kicks and punches 2:38 into the first
round of their heavyweight scrap; and former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Miles Johns
(11-1, 2-1 UFC) knocked out promotional newcomer Kevin
Natividad (9-2, 0-1 UFC) with a hellacious uppercut 2:51 into the third
round of their bantamweight affair.