Outside Source
Gabriel Bonfim did not request entry to the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight elite. He demanded it.
A potent jab and devastating leg kicks carried the Dana White’s Contender Series graduate to a unanimous decision over Belal Muhammad in the UFC Fight Night 278 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three judges turned in 50-45 scorecards for Bonfim (20-1, 7-1 UFC), who has emerged as a genuine threat at 170 pounds.
Advertisement
Muhammad (24-6, 15-6) was beaten to the punch over and over again. Bonfim bloodied the bridge of the VFS Academy cornerstone’s nose with repeated jabs, controlled the real estate from the center of the cage and forced the former champion onto his back foot. He did his best work in Round 3, where he snapped back Muhammad’s head with a vicious three-two and later sent his mouthpiece flying with a mean right cross. Bonfim dialed down his aggression across the final 10 minutes but did more than enough to maintain his lead, all while avoiding any Hail Mary shots from his adversary.
Meanwhile, former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Brendan Allen stood his ground at 185 pounds and laid claim to a unanimous decision over Edmen Shahbazyan in their three-round middleweight co-main event. Allen (27-7, 15-4 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 marks from the assigned judiciary.
Shahbazyan (16-6, 9-6 UFC) was a game underdog. The Xtreme Couture standout pestered Allen with his jab, body-head combinations and occasional leg kicks throughout the 15-minute encounter. Allen landed more of the consequential strikes, routinely fired right hands over the top, mixed in kicks and slashed away with close-range elbow strikes, one of which opened a gnarly cut near his opponent’s left eye. His offensive variety was a differentiator.
The 30-year-old Allen has won three fights in a row.
Deeper into the draw, Team Compton Training Centre export Tom Nolan sprang a mild upset and perhaps secured a place for himself in the Top 15 with a unanimous decision over Fares Ziam in their three-round lightweight showcase. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 29-28 for Nolan (11-1, 5-1 UFC).
Ziam (18-5, 8-3 UFC) seemed to be a step behind the Aussie for much of the match. Nolan kept the Frenchman at bay with a heavy dose of kicks, held his own in the clinch, completed multiple takedowns and paired intermittent ground-and-pound with suffocating top control. Ziam rallied in the third round, where he executed two takedowns of his own and even climbed to full mount at one point. However, the finish the onetime Lyon Fighting Championship titleholder sought never materialized.
Nolan, 26, finds himself on a five-fight winning streak.
Elsewhere, Barata MMA rep Bryce Mitchell put away the previously unbeaten Santiago Luna with an arm-triangle choke late in the third round of their bantamweight attraction. A short-notice substitution for Victor Henry, Luna (8-1, 2-1 UFC) conceded defeat 4:52 into Round 3.
The 31-year-old Mitchell (19-3, 10-3 UFC) leaned on takedowns and scrambles, moved from one dominant position to the next and slowly but surely broke the prospect’s spirit. He lured Luna into his guard in the third round, extricated himself from an attempted brabo choke and assumed top position. Mitchell ultimately scrambled to the back, threatened with a face crank and floated back to full mount. From there, he framed the arm-triangle, cleared the legs and let his squeeze to the rest.
Mitchell has now secured more than half (10) of his 19 career victories via submission.
Finally, burgeoning Aligatores Fight Club star Iwo Baraniewski dismissed Junior Tafa with a vicious low kick and follow-up punches in the first round of their light heavyweight appetizer. A late-notice fill-in for Billy Elekana, Tafa (7-6, 3-6 UFC) succumbed to blows 1:25 into Round 1.
Baraniewski (9-0, 3-0 UFC) targeted his counterpart’s lower extremities from the outset, engaged him in a brief clinch and disengaged. He then blasted Tafa’s lead calf with a kick that spun around “The Juggernaut” and deposited him on the canvas. Baraniewski stepped forward, hovered above the shelled-up Kiwi and let fly with standing-to-ground punches to prompt the stoppage.
The 27-year-old Baraniewski has finished all nine of his opponents inside one round.
Continue Reading » UFC Vegas 118 Prelims: Edgar Chairez, Chelsea Chandler, Joanderson Brito net submissions
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
Help support MMACrazies.com when you shop Amazon by starting your online Amazon shopping at MMACrazies.com/recommends/amazon. You are not charged extra, but we receive a small and very helpful commission on everything you purchase. Thanks for thinking of us every time you shop at Amazon.
