Outside Source
Repeated takedowns, positional control and a semi-active submission game spurred the Brazilian to a split decision over Team Cormier stablemate Jefferson Creighton in “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 33 welterweight semifinals on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Two of the three cageside judges scored it for Sezinando, who moves on to face the winner of the Matt Dixon–Daniel Donchenko for an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract in the 170-pound final.
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“I’m in the UFC. I’m going to the final,” Sezinando said. “I’m going to fight with thousands of people watching me. The whole world is going to know my history. The whole world is going to know me. I’m definitely very proud of myself.”
Sezinando executed takedowns in all three rounds, sprang multiple reversals on the mat and attached himself to his opponent’s back on more than one occasion. Creighton performed well in the standup exchanges, as he connected with kicks to the midsection, sharp one-twos and a few close-range elbow strikes. However, his inability to stay upright led to his undoing.
“Jeff seemed like he was the better striker, at least from distance,” Cormier said. “Every time he overextended, Rodrigo just clinched him or got to his takedown position.”
Creighton rallied in the third round, where he cut loose with a right hand over the top, connected with a powerful body kick, mixed in a few crosses and attacked the Brazilian’s attempted takedowns with elbows to the side of the head. Nevertheless, Sezinando was up to the task. He secured a takedown midway through the round, jumped to the back and applied his ground-and-pound while threatening the neck. Creighton managed to return to his feet with a little more than a minute left on the clock and delivered a punishing knee to the body, but the finish he needed ultimately eluded him.
“It’s a tough pill to swallow because I still think I’m the better fighter. I really do,” Creighton said. “He was just the better man tonight. That’s really what it came down to. The hardest part is just knowing I’m not going to be in the finale, and I feel like I let some people down. This definitely won’t be the last of me.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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