Outside Source
The five-time NCAA All-American wrestler and 2020 Olympic gold medalist excelled in his long-awaited promotional debut, as he swept aside Elisha Ellison with punches and knees in the first round of their featured UFC 329 prelim on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Ellison (5-3, 0-2 UFC) bowed out 2:31 into Round 1.
Steveson (4-0, 1-0 UFC) bypassed a feeling-out process in favor of a tit-for-tat firefight. He tore into Ellison with front kicks to the body and power punches upstairs, all while walking through the return fire. Steveson closed the distance midway through the opening stanza and smashed his fading adversary with close-range punches and knee strikes. Ellison ultimately collapsed under all the punishment.
Meanwhile, “The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes” winner Robert Whittaker moved up to 205 pounds and stopped former Fight Nights Global champion Nikita Krylov with punches in the third round of their light heavyweight spat. Krlyov (31-12, 12-10 UFC) clocked out 61 seconds into Round 3.
Whittaker (27-9, 18-7 UFC) crowded the Ukrainian with punches, his success in standup exchanges keyed by a potent jab. Krylov’s pace slowed noticeably in the second round and further diminished in the third. Whittaker capitalized and clipped the Raty Team product with a pair of wicked right hands, the second of which had his opponent checking his jaw, turning away from contact and looking for a way out.
The 35-year-old Whittaker has now posted wins in three UFC weight classes.
Further down the undercard, Metro Fight Club’s Adrian Yanez wiped out Cody Garbrandt with punches in the first round of their bantamweight scrap. Garbrandt (15-8, 10-8 UFC) succumbed to blows 2:47 into Round 1, falling for the third time in four outings.
Yanez (18-6-1, 7-3-1 UFC) withstood a flurry from the former champion at the start and eventually clipped him with a pair of counter right hooks. Garbrandt wobbled where he stood and could not weather the avalanche of punched that followed. Hooks from both hands tipped the Yanez spear and left his dazed-and-confused counterpart wrecked at the base of the cage.
The victory was Yanez’s first in more than two years.
Not to be outshined, Next Generation MMA standout Luke Riley kept his perfect professional record intact, as he took care of Kai Kamaka III with punches and knees in the first round of their featherweight battle. Riley (14-0, 3-0 UFC) sealed the deal 3:03 into Round 1.
Kamaka (18-8-1, 2-3-1 UFC) enjoyed significant success with kicks to the Englishman’s lower lead leg and a few left hooks, but he lacked the firepower necessary to go shot for shot with his 27-year-old opponent. Riley sat him down with a clean right, allowed him to stand and then swarmed with knees and punches for the finish.
The loss snapped a two-fight winning streak for Kamaka.
Elsewhere, fast-rising Nova Uniao prospect Damian Pinas punched out Cesar Almeida in the first round of their middleweight affair. Almeida (7-3, 3-3 UFC) met his end 4:44 into Round 1, as the Matheus Naccahce protégé suffered his second consecutive setback.
Pinas (10-1, 2-0 UFC) exchanged high-velocity kicks and punches to all levels with the experienced Brazilian kickboxer. Late in the first round, the Aruban sent a devastating right cross crashing through Almeida’s defenses. The Lotus MMA product hit the deck in a dazed state and absorbed one standing-to-ground hammerfist from Pinas before referee Chris Tognoni waved it off.
The 24-year-old Pinas has won six fights in a row, five of them via stoppage.
Deeper into the prelims, Ryan Gandra dispatched fellow Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Zachary Reese with punches in the first round of their middleweight tilt. Gandra (10-1, 2-0 UFC) brought it to a close 1:15 into Round 1, as he nailed down the seventh first-round finish of his career.
Reese (10-4, 4-4 UFC) landed a few kicks to the body and lead leg but lowered his shields at the wrong time. Gandra floored him with a counter left hook and proceeded to slam the door with a series of follow-up punches that prompted referee Mike Beltran to intervene.
Gandra, 31, now finds himself on a nine-fight winning streak.
Finally, Lobo Gym export Alessandro Costa filled in as a late-notice replacement for Ode Osbourne and put away Cody Durden with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their flyweight encounter. Durden (18-11-1, 7-9-1 UFC) conceded defeat 2:19 into Round 2, losing for the fifth time in six appearances.
Costa (17-5, 5-3 UFC) connected with the more consequential blows throughout a competitive first round, then waited for an opening to present itself. Durden slipped while throwing a kick and wound up pinned to the mat against a world-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt early in the middle stanza. Costa flowed from side control to the back, secured his position with a body triangle and transitioned from a neck crank to the fight-ending choke.
The 30-year-old Costa has rattled off three straight victories.
In other action, Farid Basharat (16-0, 7-0 UFC) laid claim to a unanimous decision over John Garza (6-2, 0-1 UFC) in their three-round bantamweight pairing, as he earned 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 marks from the cageside judges; and Cong Wang (10-1, 5-1 UFC) outstruck Tracy Cortez (12-4, 6-3 UFC) to a unanimous decision—29-27, 29-27, 29-27—in their three-round women’s flyweight confrontation.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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