Outside Source
“The Ultimate Fighter 33” winner pushed Alex Morono to the brink of the defeat early, but ultimately emerged with a clear-cut unanimous decision victory in the featured prelim at UFC Vegas 113 at the UFC Apex on Saturday night. Judges scored the welterweight bout 30-26, 30-26 and 30-27 for the Ukrainian prospect. The 35-year-old Morono (24-13, 13-10, 1 NC UFC) has lost his last four UFC bouts.
Donchenko (13-2, 2-0 UFC) nearly made it a short night at the office. The 24-year-old Tiger Muay Thai representative dropped Morno with a left hook near the fence in Round 1, and proceeded to batter his reeling foe with punches, elbows and hammerfists on the ground. Somehow, Morono made it to the horn.
From there, it was a more measured approach from Donchenko, who repeatedly chopped away at Morono’s leg and opened a gash near his adversary’ mouth with a wicked spinning elbow. With his mobility severely hindered, Morono valiantly continued to fight on — making to the judges’ scorecards despite being dropped again in the waning moments of the fight. Donchenko has won his last six professional outings overall.
Veretennikov Overwhelms Price
Kings MMA member Nikolay Veretennikov (14-7, 2-3 UFC) wasted little time imposing his will against against Niko Price (16-10, 9-10, 2 NC UFC), winning via first-round technical knockout in a welterweight showdown. The 36-year-old Kazakhstan native brought a halt to the contest 1:42 into Round 1 to earn his first finish in the Octagon. Price, who stepped in for Jose Henrique Souza on short notice, has tasted defeat in five of his last six UFC appearances.
Price was more than willing to stand and trade with Veretennikov, and that ultimately led to his demise. Veretennikov connected with a precision right hand that nearly dropped Price, then continued the assault with a knee and elbow that had “The Hybrid” essentially out on his feet. A three-punch combination sealed the victory, and only Price’s grip on the fence kept him from collapsing to the canvas.
Souza Edges Brasil
Consistent forward pressure and aggression carried former Invicta FC title holder Ketlen Souza (16-6, 3-3 UFC) to a unanimous decision triumph over Bruna Brasil (11-6-1, 2-4 UFC) in a strawweight scrap. All three judges saw it 29-28 for Souza, who pulled away down the stretch to snap a two-bout losing streak.
Brasil did her best work in Round 1, when she landed multiple impactful knees to the body and stumbled her adversary with a low kick. The Fighting Nerds representative was unable to build upon that success, however, as Souza gradually took control over the final 10 minutes, utilizing clinch control and periodic punching flurries to sway the scorecards in her favor.
Basharat Holds Off Upset-Minded Foe
Javid Basharat shook off a rough second stanza to earn a unanimous decision triumph over Octagon newcomer Gianni Vazquez in a bantamweight affair. “The Snow Leopard” received a trio of 29-28 tallies to snap a three-fight winless streak in the promotion. Vazquez (13-6, 0-1 UFC), who was a late replacement Said Nurmagomedov, missed weight by five pounds on Friday.
Basharat (15-2, 4-2, 1 NC UFC) looked to be well on his way to a rout when he dropped Vazquez with a left hook-right hand combination early and proceeded to control the entirety of Round 1 from there. Vazquez was undaunted, as he had Basharat reeling for the majority of the second stanza after rocking him with a right hand. Seemingly recognizing the danger his opponent presented on the feet, Basharat secured a key takedown in the final round, allowing him to rack up critical control time and ground-and-pound down the stretch.
Wang Outduels Moura
Cong Wang (9-1, 4-1 UFC) relied on punching power and timely takedown defense to capture a three-round verdict over Eduarda Moura (12-2, 3-2 UFC) in a flyweight bout where both women missed weight. All three cageside judges submitted tallies in favor ofthe Chinese kickboxer: 30-27, 29-28, 29-28.
Wang nearly secured a quick finish when she buckled her adversary with a right hand in the opening stanza — catching Moura mid-level change — and pounced for the finish with a flurry of ground-and-pound. Moura was able to survive the onslaught and rallied to control the second frame with her wrestling, as she took Wang down and transitioned from one dominant position to another. The Brazilian was unable to continue that momentum in Round 3, however. “The Joker” denied her opponent’s takedown attempts, punished her with impactful punches and threatened with a rear-naked choke in the waning moments of the fight to clinch the victory.
Wiklacz Secures Last-Second Tap
Jakub Wiklacz (18-3-2, 2-0 UFC) utilized his trademark maneuver to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against Muin Gafurov (20-7, 2-3 UFC) in a bantamweight showdown. Gafurov, who missed weight by five pounds, tapped to a mounted guillotine choke at the 4:59 mark of Round 3. The former KSW champion has earned 11 of his 18 professional triumphs by way of submission, including six via guillotine choke.
Much of the fight was characterized by Gafurov’s relentless pressure and power punching — including quality work to the body on more than one occasion. The Tajikstan native appeared to have Wiklacz reeling in the waning seconds of the final stanza when he shot for what turned out to be an ill-advised takedown attempt. That allowed the Pole to jump the guillotine, and when he was able to transition to mount, Gafurov was unable to hold on until the horn sounded. The tap came so close to the end of the fight that an official review was required, and it was determined that Gafurov did indeed tap before the final horn.
Sygula Bloodies, Decisions ‘Zombie Girl’
American Top Team product Klaudia Sygula (8-2, 2-1 UFC) outdueled Priscila Cachoeira (13-8, 5-8), winning a unanimous decision over the Brazilian brawler in a bantamweight bout. The Pole earned scorecards of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 to secure her second consecutive Octagon triumph. Cachoeira, who has lost four of her last five outings, went the distance for the first time since August 2022.
Sygula relied on superior offensive volume and movement to control the tempo of the fight. She bloodied “Zombie Girl” with punching combinations while mixing in the occasional front kick to keep her opponent guessing. The notoriously aggressive Cachoeira had her moments — including dislodging her opponent’s mouthguard with a jab in Round 2 — but she couldn’t match Sygula’s output.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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