Outside Source
Aljamain Sterling can still stand on business with the best of them.
The “Funk Master” inched closer to his goal of becoming a two-division Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder and cleared his latest hurdle with room to spare, as he took a unanimous decision from Youssef Zalal in their five-round UFC Fight Night 274 main event on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Scores were 49-45, 49-45 and 49-45.
Sterling (26-5, 18-5 UFC) seemed to catch the Factory X standout off-guard with his aggression, particularly on the feet. Zalal’s moments were few and far between, though he had his counterpart in real danger with a guillotine choke in the third round. Sterling waded through the adversity and found another gear. He did some of the best work of his career in Round 4, where he punched into takedown range, dragged Zalal (18-6-1, 8-4-1 UFC) to the mat and progressed to the back. Sterling secured his position with a body triangle, hammered “The Moroccan Devil” with punches and made a pass at an arm-in rear-naked choke. Momentum had shifted permanently, and from there, the outcome became a formality. Sterling withstood a knee strike and executed another takedown in the fifth round, then advanced to the back with a body triangle and milked the remaining time off the clock.
Meanwhile, onetime King of the Cage champion Joselyne Edwards filled in as a late-notice replacement for Yana Santos and took another step toward title contention with a unanimous decision over Norma Dumont in their three-round women’s bantamweight co-headliner. All three judges sided with Edwards (18-6, 9-4 UFC): 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27.
Dumont (13-3, 9-3 UFC) spent almost the entire fight in a state of retreat. Edwards pressed forward, attacked all levels with equal aplomb and did not allow the Chute Boxe export to gain a solid foothold. She backed up Dumont with teeps to the midsection and low kicks, then turned up the heat in the back half of the bout. Edwards let fly with hooks from both hands, brushed off the return fire and continued to advance behind methodical pressure.
The 30-year-old Edwards will carry a five-fight winning streak into her next assignment.
Further down the main card, ex-Combate Global champion Rafa Garcia climbed another rung on the 155-pound ladder, as he laid claim to a unanimous decision over Alexander Hernandez in their three-round lightweight showcase. Scores were 29-29, 29-28 and 30-27—all for Garcia (19-4, 7-4 UFC).
Hernandez (18-9, 10-8 UFC) was a step behind the Cub Swanson protégé. Garcia crowded him from the outset, leaned on a strong jab, unleashed powerful punching combinations and even mixed in an early takedown. Hernandez answered on occasion—he cut the Bloodline Combat Sports representative near the right eye—but often did so with single shots. By the time the 15-minute clash was over, there was substantial swelling to his face and blood streaming from his nose.
Garcia, 31, has won three fights in a row.
Elsewhere, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 18 finalist Davey Grant kept Father Time at bay and outstruck Adrian Luna Martinetti to a unanimous decision in their three-round bantamweight feature. Grant (18-8, 9-7 UFC) swept the scorecards with identical 29-28 marks from all three judges.
Martinetti (17-2, 0-1 UFC), who entered his promotional debut on a 15-fight winning streak, applied consistent forward pressure but could not match the 40-year-old Englishman’s output. Grant called upon a steady diet of low kicks, as he launched an all-out assault on the Dana White’s Contender Series graduate’s lower extremities. More importantly, he linked them to three-, four- and five-punch combinations. Martinetti stayed on the gas through all 15 minutes, strung together some effective volleys of his own and incorporated nasty short-range elbows with opportunities arose. Even so, Grant refused to break, fought well on the counter and found a home for a number of thudding overhand rights.
The setback was Martinetti’s first since Sept. 20, 2017.
Deeper into the draw, former Resurrection Fighting Alliance and Shooto Brazil champion Raoni Barcelos walked through a labyrinth of razor-sharp punches, stuck to his game plan and outgrappled Montel Jackson to a split decision in their three-round bantamweight attraction. All three judges turned in 29-28 scorecards: Sal D’Amato for Jackson, Michael Bell and Ron McCarthy for Barcelos.
Jackson (15-4, 9-4 UFC) floored the Brazilian with a stinging jab in the first round, then proceeded to batter him with vicious ground-and-pound. The barrage resulted in visible damage around Barcelos’ right eye, but he somehow weathered the storm. He scored with a trip takedown late in the middle stanza, at which point he climbed to full mount, floated to the back and weaved his arms into place for an attempted rear-naked choke in the waning seconds. Had the bell not sounded, Jackson might have tapped. It led to a back-and-forth third round, where Barcelos (22-5, 11-4 UFC) made the stronger closing statement. He navigated heavy fire through sheer stubbornness, struck for multiple trip takedowns and again maneuvered behind Jackson to threaten the neck with time winding down.
Barcelos, 38, has rattled off five straight wins.
Finally, Fortis MMA standout Ryan Spann wiped out two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Fighting World Championships gold medalist Marcus Almeida with punches in the second round of their heavyweight appetizer. Almeida (5-3-1, 0-2-1 UFC) clocked out 2:10 into Round 2.
Spann (24-11, 10-6 UFC) trapped the Brazilian jiu-jitsu savant on the feet, punished him at every turn and escaped an attempted heel hook in a frenetic first round. Almeida landed his share of power punches and made decent use of his jab, but his inability to lure the former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion into prolonged ground exchanges proved problematic. Back on the feet, Spann followed a left hook with a hellacious right cross that short-circuited the American Top Team rep and dropped him at the base of the cage. No other shots were required.
The 34-year-old Spann has recorded back-to-back wins for the first time since 2022.
Continue Reading » UFC Vegas 116 Prelims: Jackson McVey brabo choke dismisses reeling Sedriques Dumas on decision-heavy undercard
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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