Outside Source
Aaron Pico picked up his first UFC win in Miami. | Getty/UFC
Aaron Pico looked every bit like a fighter who was once one of the sport’s most highly-touted prospects on Saturday night in Miami.
In a battle of former Bellator standouts, Pico (14-5, 1-1 UFC) shook off a slow start to pull away for a unanimous decision triumph against Patricio Freire (37-9, 1-2 UFC) in the featured UFC 327 preliminary bout. All three cageside judges scored the featherweight fight in favor of Pico: 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28. Pico rebounds from a first-round knockout loss to Lerone Murphy in his promotional debut at UFC 319 this past August.
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The first round was competitive, but there were some nervous moments for Pico, who was buckled by a jab and stumbled by a counter right in the frame. The 29-year-old Californian kept his composure, however, and truly began to assert himself over the final 10 minutes of the bout.
During that period, Pico showcased his superior handspeed, tagging “Pitbull” repeatedly with punching combinations to the head and body. Freire, a former Bellator champ and arguably the now-defunct organization’s most accomplished talent, was rocked by a variety of offense that included left hooks, uppercuts, straight rights and body shots. Pico did well mixing in the threat of the takedown and the occasional kick to keep his opponent off balance, but it was the boxing that left the Brazilian’s face a bloody mess by the time the final horn sounded.
Pico has been victorious in four of his last five pro outings, while Freire has dropped four of his last six.
Holland Outduels Brown
Kevin Holland earned a unanimous decision triumph against Randy Brown in a battle of rangy welterweights. All three judges submitted tallies in favor of the Texas native: 30-27, 30-27, 30-27. Brown (20-8, 14-8 UFC) has lost back-to-back fights for the first time in his professional career.
Holland (29-15, 1 NC, 16-12, 1 NC UFC) authored the majority of the bout’s most memorable moments. After battering Brown’s lead leg in the opening stanza, “Trailblazer” trapped his adversary in a tight brabo choke in Round 2. Brown was somehow able to escape the predicament, but he elected to engage in the clinch rather than go on the attack in the final frame. Though “Rude Boy” occasionally landed hard left hooks — both to the body and head – when he sat down on his punches and blasted Holland with an upkick late from his back in the second round, his overall body of work over 15 minutes wasn’t enough to earn the scorecards against a more active foe.
Gamrot Overwhelms Ribovics
Former KSW champion Mateusz Gamrot (26-4, 1 NC, 9-4 UFC) rode a smothering performance to a submission victory against Dana White’s Contender Series alum Esteban Ribovics (15-3, 4-3 UFC). Gamrot ended the lightweight contest with an arm-triangle choke 4:19 into the opening frame. “Gamer” rebounds from a loss to Charles Oliveira in his last outing at UFC Rio this past October.
Ribovics struggled to remain upright, as Gamrot was masterful at exploiting small openings to get the fight to the canvas. After neutralizing Ribovics with his grappling for much of Round 1, Gamrot took advantage of an overswing by his adversary in the second period to land a relatively easy takedown. Utilizing a quick mat return, heavy top pressure and intelligent advancements, the Polish standout eventually moved into position for the arm-triangle choke. Though Ribovics held out for as long as he could, eventually he had no choice but to ask out of the fight.
Suarez Survives Scare, Chokes Godinez
Tatiana Suarez weathered a rough start and rallied to submit Lupita Godinez in a matchup of ranked strawweights. The former title challenger forced Godinez (14-6, 9-6 UFC) to tap out to a rear-naked choke 2:29 into Round 2 to secure her second consecutive victory. Godinez was submitted for the first time in her professional tenure.
It was an inauspicious beginning for Suarez (12-1, 9-1 UFC), who was rocked by a Godinez right hand during an early exchange. The Lobo Gym MMA standout blitzed for the finish with a flurry of punches on the canvas and also executed a powerful slam, but Suarez was able to maintain her wits. The American wrestler began to turn the tide when she landed a takedown and spent much of the rest of the opening stanza in top position. That theme continued into Round 2, where the Milennia MMA member put Godinez on ground again, took the back and gradually found an opening for the fight-ending choke. Suarez’s five finishes are tied for the second most in UFC strawweight history.
Padilla, Mederos Battle to Majority Draw
Chris Padilla and MarQuel Mederos dueled to a majority draw in a preliminary lightweight pairing. Two judges scored it 28-28, while a third saw it 29-27 for Padilla (17-6, 5-0-1 UFC). Initially there was an tabulation error on the scorecards, as Padilla was announced as a majority decision winner in the Octagon. Later on the UFC 327 broadcast, however, it was revealed that the official result of the bout was a majority draw.
Padilla was consistent over the course of the 15-minute affair, moving forward behind a blend of straight punches, kicks to the legs and knees and elbows in close quarters. Mederos (11-2, 3-1 UFC) appeared to land the heavier strikes at times — including an elbow that cut his opponent over the eye in Round 1 — but his output didn’t match that of his opponent. Padilla was also deducted a point in the final frame for multiple eye pokes.
Luque Taps Gastelum
One of the UFC’s top finishers at welterweight, Vicente Luque (24-12-1, 17-8 UFC) proved that those skills also translate to 185 pounds. The 34-year-old Brazilian snapped a two-bout skid, as he submitted “The Ultimate Fighter 17” winner Kelvin Gastelum (20-11, 1 NC, 14-11, 1 NC UFC) with an anaconda choke at the 4:08 mark of Round 1. Luque’s 15 career finishes are tied for fifth most in promotion history.
Gastelum led the dance early, but that quickly changed when Luque dropped his foe with a counter right uppercut. The Kill Cliff FC product then dropped some elbows from top position and escaped an armbar threat before transitioning to the fight-ending maneuver. Once Luque adjusted the position, Gastelum had no choice but to quickly tap to the squeeze.
Radtke Controls Prado
Charles Radtke (12-5, 5-2 UFC) sent Francisco Prado (12-5, 1-5 UFC) to his fourth consecutive Octagon defeat, earning a unanimous decision triumph in a welterweight affair. All three judges scored the contest in favor of the Valle Flow Striking representative: 30-26, 30-26 and 30-26. Radtke has won three of his last four outings within the Las Vegas-based promotion.
Prado got off to a good start, as he rattled his adversary with a pair of left hooks and a kick to the body, but that success was short lived. For most of the contest, “Chuck Buffalo” imposed his will through takedowns and positional control, taking his foe’s back on multiple occasions. When Prado reversed into top position late in Round 2, Radtke made him pay by slicing his forehead open with an elbow from his back.
Radtke did encounter some adversity in the final stanza. Early on, he suffered a deep eye poke that resulted in a pause and a point deduction for Prado. When Radtke landed a takedown once the bout resumed, he found himself ensnared in a tight guillotine from his Argentinian opponent. Radtke was able to free himself and close out the rest of the frame in control.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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