C. Blaydes in victory for the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @ufc_brasil
Who expected a knockout in the main fight of the UFC Las Vegas 3, you were wrong. In the meeting between the 'giants' Curtis blaydes e Alexander Volkov, held this Saturday (20), the North American dominated the Russian with the takedown game and, after five rounds, was declared the winner in a unanimous decision by the judges.
See too
Blaydes took to the Octagon to confirm his good form and ensure that he deserves a chance to fight for the belt in the future. Currently in third place among the heavyweights (up to 102,2kg), Curtis was superior for almost 25 minutes and achieved his fourth consecutive victory.
Reaching the 39th performance of his career, Volkov was unable to impose his strategy and ended up being easy prey for the American's takedowns. The Russian, who was coming off a victory over Greg hardy, in a fight held in November last year, now has eight defeats in his career.
The fight
The confrontation began with Blaydes putting Volkov to the ground in the opening seconds. The Russian managed to get up, but ended up being knocked down again. Curtis managed to get to Alexander's back and continued throwing knees and punches to try to end the fight. The Russian got back to his feet, but was placed on the ground for the third time. The Russian continued to be dominated from behind, but Blaydes was not forceful in his actions. In the final seconds, the Russian tried to get up, but was stopped by the American. The confrontation continued in this way until the timer ran to zero.
Curtis returned to the fight attacking his opponent. The American connected with a good sequence of punches and then managed a new takedown on Volkov. The Russian got back to his feet, but was taken to the ground again. From above, Blaydes began to pressure his opponent with punches thrown from top to bottom. Alexander defended himself as best he could and was at a clear disadvantage in the duel. In the final seconds, the North American allowed the Russian to get up, but was taken down in the final second.
In the third round, the athletes studied each other in the center of the octagon for a few seconds until the North American sought the first takedown. This time, the Russian managed to defend himself. Curtis tried again to take down his rival and succeeded. Blaydes continued to dominate Volkov and press his rival against the bars. Near the final minute, Curtis managed to get to Alexander's back, but his blows continued without force, but allowed the North American to score more and more. Volkov got up again, but there was no more time.
The fourth stage followed the script of the previous assaults. Blaydes managed to take down his opponent, who showed weakness in the American's takedown attempts. After moments of lack of action, the referee made the athletes stand up and, standing, Volkov ended up scaring Curtis with a series of punches, but the timer ran to zero.
In the last round, Alexander put pressure on the American again and surprised Curtis with punches and a counter kick, which rocked Blaydes. Realizing the bad moment, Curtis took his opponent to the ground again. The Russian used force and managed to get up, but Blaydes insisted on grappling. In the final minute, Curtis took Volkov to the ground and managed the time to secure the victory.
Josh Emmett defeats Shane Burgos in exciting fight
J. Emmett deals a hard blow to S. Burgos. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @ufc
Featherweights (up to 65,7kg.) Josh Emmett e Shane burgos staged one of the most exciting fights in the UFC Las Vegas 3. Seeking to get closer to the top 5 in the division, the athletes fought a real war and, after three busy rounds, Emmett was declared the winner in a unanimous decision by the judges.
Currently in eighth place in the group led by Alexander Volkanovsky, Josh gave his all to get even closer to the elite of the category. Against Burgos, the fighter reached the mark of 16 career victories. After the positive result, Emmett declared that he will no longer accept facing rivals who are below him in the rankings.
Defeated, Burgos showed great resistance to his opponent's attacks. The featherweight, however, ended up having his streak of three wins in a row interrupted and should remain in 10th place in the category.
Raquel Pennington beats Marion Reneau and wins again in the UFC
R. Pennington (right) strikes M. Reneau (left) in the UFC Las Vegas 3. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @ufc_brasil
Former bantamweight title challenger, Rachel Pennington recovered from the defeat suffered by Holly holm, in January this year. The American had no difficulties in the confrontation against veteran Marion Reneau in one of the fights on the main card and emerged victorious in the judges' unanimous decision.
Pennington stepped into the Octagon with the plan of returning to the top 5 in the category. The triumph brings the athlete even closer to the elite, as she currently occupies sixth place.
Birthday boy of the day, Reneau, although she was dominated, showed great physical shape in the duel. At 43 years old, the athlete ended up suffering her third consecutive defeat and the sixth in her career, in 16 appearances.
UFC veteran Jim Miller submits Roosevelt Roberts on main card
J. Miller submits a submission to R. Roberts. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @ufc
One of the athletes with the most appearances for the UFC, Jim Miller won his 32nd victory this Saturday. In the duel against RooseveltRoberts, the veteran managed to stand out and found a submission in the first round.
This weekend, Miller reached the mark of 47 appearances in his professional MMA career. The athlete debuted in the organization in October 2008, at UFC 89.
At just 26 years old, Roberts ended up having a two-fight winning streak interrupted by Jim. Now, Roosevelt has two defeats in 12 matches played.
UFC Las Vegas 3 results
MAIN CARD
Curtis blaydes derrotou Alexander Volkov in the unanimous decision of the judges (48-47, 49-46, 48-46)
Feather weight: Josh Emmett derrotou Shane burgos in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
Bantamweight: Rachel Pennington defeated Marion Reneau via unanimous decision (30-27, 28-28, 29-28)
Welterweight Weight: Belal Muhammad | defeated Lyman Good via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Married weight (up to 72,5kg): Jim Miller finished RooseveltRoberts with an armbar at 2m25s of R1
PRELIMINARY CARD
Lightweight: Bobby Green derrotou Clay guida in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Straw weight: Tecia torres defeated Brianna van Buren via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Average weight: Marc-Andre Barriault defeated Oskar Piechota by knockout at 4:50 of R2
Fly weight: Gillian robertson submitted Cortney Casey with a rear naked choke at 4m32s of R3
Lightweight: Justin jaynes defeated Frank Camacho by technical knockout 41 seconds into R1
Fly weight: Lauren Murphy defeated Roxanne Modafferi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Lightweight: Austin Hubbard defeated Max Rohskopf by technical knockout 5m from R2
Comments