Sage Northcutt’s return to the welterweight division Saturday night wasn’t without its rocky moments, but when the Texan was able to let his hands go at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, he was impossible for Zak Ottow to stop, with the result being a second-round stoppage win for Northcutt.
Ottow opened the fight with a flush right hand that put Northcutt on the deck, and “The Barbarian” kept his opponent there until Northcutt escaped to his feet with a minute left. Once standing, Northcutt went on the attack with his strikes and then locked in a guillotine choke, ut Ottow was able to survive and make it out of the round.
Ottow went back to his grappling game again in round two, which was a wise move considering how sharp and fast Northcutt’s strikes were when he was out of the clutches of the Milwaukee native. With a little over two minutes remaining, a left hand dropped Ottow, and while Ottow rose, Northcutt kept the heat on, eventually putting his foe out with three hammerfists that brought referee Jason Herzog in to halt the contest at 3:13 of the second frame.
Northcutt moves to 11-2 with the win. Ottow falls to 16-6.
GLENN vs BERMUDEZ
In a meeting of featherweight veterans, Rick Glenn took split decision victory over Dennis Bermudez.
Scores were 30-27, 29-28 and 28-29 for Glenn, now 21-5-1. Bermudez, who has now lost four in a row, falls to 17-9.
Glenn did a solid job of keeping off the mat in the opening round, eluding Bermudez’ takedown attempts while peppering the New Yorker with kicks and jabs from long range, leading Bermudez to start making some risky rushes in order to close the distance.
Bermudez got the takedown in the first minute of round two, allowing him to start working his ground game. But in the second minute, Glenn fought his way back to his feet and went about the business of getting those points back, but he was dumped back on the mat for a short spell. While standing, Glenn remained effective, but the takedowns from Bermudez were adding up.
Bermudez continued to have success with his wrestling attack in the third, but two of the judges apparently disagreed, as the verdict went to Glenn, handing Bermudez his third consecutive split decision defeat.
Welterweight prospect Niko Price scored one of the most unique knockouts in UFC history, as hammerfists from the bottom position halted Randy Brown in the second round.
Not surprisingly, the first round went all over the place, with Price doing good work on the mat while Brown worked his grappling game on the feet before both engaged in a heated exchange late in the frame.
In the second, it was more of the same, but as the two scrambled on the mat in the second minute, the grounded Price was able to use his foot to catch the side of Brown’s head and hold it there for a series of hammerfists that knocked Brown out and brought a halt to the fight 1:09 into round two.
Price moves to 12-1 with 1 NC. Brown falls to 10-3.
In his first fight since December 2015, three-time featherweight title challenger Chad Mendes returned in impressive style, halting No. 12-ranked contender Myles Jury in the first round.
Mendes had some difficulty closing the distance on his taller foe in the early going, but a left hand to the jaw solved that problem as he knocked Jury down midway through the opening round. Mendes kept the pressure on with a series of unanswered right hands on the mat, leaving referee Jason Herzog no choice but to stop the fight at the 2:52 mark of round one.
Mendes, who was coming off a two-year USADA suspension, improves to 18-4. Jury falls to 17-3.
Former world title challenger Cat Zingano snapped a three-fight losing streak in the main card opener, using a consistent ground attack to win a shutout unanimous decision over Marion Reneau.
Scores were 30-27 twice and 30-26.
Reneau landed a couple solid right hands in the opening minute, prompting Zingano to score a takedown. The two spent a brief spell on the mat before rising, and it was Reneau then controlling the action against the fence. Midway through the round, Reneau pulled guard and landed an elbow before Zingano put her on her back. Again, the two rose quickly, and after some good back and forth action, Zingano delivered another takedown just before the horn.
Zingano continued to use her wrestling to great effect in round two, as she grounded Reneau several times, and nothing changed in the third, as Zingano’s takedowns and mat control proved to be the difference in the fight.
The No. 6-ranked Zingano moves to 10-3 with the win, The No. 7-ranked Reneau falls to 9-4-1.
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