Outside Source
Gabriel Bonfim can thread the needle with the best of them.
“Marretinha” held his position in the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight pecking order, as he took out Randy Brown with a perfectly timed knee strike in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 264 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Brown (20-7, 14-7 UFC) met his end 1:40 into Round 2, losing by knockout for the first time in more than five years.
Advertisement
Bonfim (19-1, 6-1 UFC) was systematic in his approach. He chewed up Brown’s lower lead leg with a series of vicious kicks in the first round, then turned his attention to other targets. Bonfim drew in the former Ring of Combat champion early in the middle stanza, snatched a collar tie and blasted him with a knee up the middle. Brown hit the mat in a dazed state, and though he was lucid enough to cover up as his opponent approached to finish him off, referee Mark Smith elected to intervene to prevent further damage.
Meanwhile, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 33 winner Joseph Morales dismissed Fortis MMA’s Matt Schnell with a guillotine choke in the first round of their flyweight co-main event. Morales (14-2, 3-2 UFC) slammed the door 2:54 into Round 1.
Schnell (17-10, 7-8 UFC) completed an ill-advised takedown, only to get swept almost immediately. Morales fished for a kimura from top position, transitioned to a backside crucifix and set off a scramble. The Team Alpha Male mainstay caught the guillotine in the transition, wrapped Schnell in full guard and cranked on the choke for the tapout.
The 31-year-old Morales now finds himself on a five-fight winning streak.
Elsewhere, Kings MMA product Uros Medic needed a little more than a minute to put away Muslim Salikhov with punches in the first round of their welterweight showcase. Beaten for the first time since February 2024, the 41-year-old Salikhov (22-6, 9-5 UFC) checked out 63 seconds into Round 1.
Medic (12-3, 6-3 UFC) stepped forward behind punishing kicks to the body, then zapped the Russian with a left hand down the pipe. Salikhov collapsed backward and covered up in a last-ditch attempt to shield himself from damage. Medic hovered above him, settled in a kneeling position and sealed the deal with a burst of unanswered lefts.
It was the ninth first-round finish of Medic’s career.
Further down the main card, ex-Xplode Fight Series champion Chris Padilla buried an overweight Ismael Bonfim with punches in the second round of their lightweight feature. Bonfim (20-6, 2-3 UFC), who blew weight for the match by five pounds, clocked out 4:30 into Round 2.
Padilla (17-6, 4-0 UFC) applied non-stop pressure from the outset. He maintained a high guard, sent out probing front kicks to the body and excelled in the clinch, where he hammered Bonfim’s legs and body with knees from close range. Padilla absorbed the Brazilian’s return fire at the start of the second round, backed him up with knees and dumped him to the mat. He landed a few standing-to-ground punches, then powered into side control with elbows and hammerfists. Bonfim turtled in a defensive shell on all fours and ate a series of unanswered left hands that prompted the stoppage.
The 30-year-old Padilla has strung together seven consecutive victories, six of them finishes.
Finally, former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Christian Leroy Duncan dispatched Marco Tulio with a spinning backfist and follow-up punches in the second round of their middleweight appetizer. Tulio (14-2, 2-1 UFC) succumbed to blows 3:20 into Round 2, suffering his first setback in more than seven years.
They traded barbs throughout an eventful first round. Duncan (13-2, 6-2 UFC) opened a cut with a spinning back elbow, secured a takedown and advanced to the back, as he set the table for what was to come. Tulio cut the Mark Weir protégé near the left eye with a sharp jab in the middle stanza but failed to do enough damage to keep him off the scent. Duncan staggered the Chute Boxe rep with a spinning backfist, gave chase with a jab and then connected with a crushing straight right. An unconscious Tulio crashed face first to the canvas, where he was met with a final standing-to-ground dagger before the aforementioned Smith could arrive on the scene.
The loss snapped Tulio’s 10-fight winning streak.
Continue Reading » UFC Vegas 111 Prelims: Ageless Raoni Barcelos Outduels Ricky Simon, Logs Fourth Consecutive Victory at 135 Pounds
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.
