A. Romanov celebrates victory over M. Pezão in the UFC Las Vegas 13. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @ufc
Brazil started its trajectory badly in the UFC Las Vegas 13. First of the country's five representatives in the event, which takes place this Saturday (7), in the USA, the heavyweight (120,2kg) Marcos Foot couldn't resist the grappling fight of Alexander Romanov and was finished in the first round, without offering much resistance either to prevent his opponent's takedowns or to defend himself on the ground.
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The other highlights of the initial portion of the show were the featherweight (65,8kg), Darren Elkins, and the bantamweight (61,2kg), Gustavo Lopez, who submitted Luiz Eduardo Garagorri and Anthony Birchak, respectively.
The fight
the duel between Marcos Foot e Alexander Romanov It was supposed to take place in September, but the Brazilian caught Covid-19 and the fight was rescheduled. Months later, the Moldovan athlete didn't need to spend long in the Octagon to confirm his favoritism.
Using and abusing takedowns, his main weapon, Romanov gave the Brazilian no respite, who was barely standing. Knowing Pezão's skill in striking, 'King Kong' didn't want to expose himself, he executed his strategy perfectly and took advantage of his superiority in grappling to finish the fight in the first round.
This was Romanov's second victory in the UFC and both were by submission, which proves his efficiency on the ground. Furthermore, the 29-year-old athlete remains undefeated in MMA, has won them all on the fast track and is starting to aim for the top-15 in the heavyweight division (120,2kg). In turn, Marcos Foot, 35 years old, has once again alternated victories and defeats and is unable to achieve a good run in the organization. It's worth remembering that this was his fifth setback in the company, all of which were by submission.
Elkins escapes dismissal
D. Elkins celebrates his stay in the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @ufc
The rule is clear: a Darren Elkins fight without blood is not a Darren Elkins fight. The 36-year-old veteran knew that only a victory over Luiz Eduardo Garagorri would keep him in the UFC and that was exactly what the American did.
'The Damage' gave the Uruguayan a wrestling lesson and was dominant on the ground. It is true that, even though he was superior during the fight, Elkins was hit with clean blows and was almost surprised.
However, the veteran made use of his quality in grappling and his better physical condition and submitted his opponent in the third round. The victory came at a great time, ending the sequence of four consecutive defeats and removing, once and for all, the risk of being cut from the company he has defended for ten years.
Lopez's opportunism
G. Lopez wins his first UFC fight by submitting A. Birchak in the first round. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @ufc
Originally, the opponent of Gustavo Lopez would Felipe Cabocão, however the Brazilian caught Covid-19 and was replaced by Anthony Birchak. As the 34-year-old veteran accepted the fight at short notice and hadn't played since July 2019, his opponent took advantage of the situation and won for the first time in the UFC.
The first round between the pair was intense and both had good moments. Even though he was smaller, Lopez was not intimidated by his opponent's physical size and was willing to control the pace of the confrontation. At the same time he landed punches, he received knees, however, when the fight went to the ground, Lopez managed to get to Birchak's back and soon submitted him, applying a rear naked choke.
With the good victory, Lopez recovered from the defeat he suffered against Merab Dvalishvili, in his UFC debut. On the other hand, Birchak, despite being a black belt, left something to be desired in jiu-jitsu, was submitted and ended his streak of two consecutive victories.
UFC Las Vegas 13 RESULTS
MAIN CARD
Light Heavyweight: Thiago Marreta x Glover Teixeira
Heavyweight: Andrei Arlovski derrotou Tanner Boser in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Bantamweight: Raoni barcelos derrotou Khalid Taha in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Feather weight: Giga Chikadze defeated Jamey Simmons via TKO at 3:51 of R1
Straw weight: yan xiaonan derrotou Claudia Gadelha in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
PRELIMINARY CARD
Average weight: Trevin giles defeated Bevon Lewis via TKO at 1m26s of R3
Heavyweight: Alexander Romanov finished Marcos Foot with a choke at 4m48 of R1
Featherweight: Darren Elkins submitted Luiz Eduardo Garagorri with a rear naked choke at 2m22s of R3
Welterweight Weight: Max griffin derrotou Ramiz Brahimaj by technical knockout at 2m03s of R3
Bantamweight: Gustavo Lopez submitted Anthony Birchak with a rear naked choke at 2m43s of R1
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