UFC 259: Blachowicz vs Adesanya Early Prelims

Trevin Jones continued to impress in his second UFC bout, as he halted Mario Bautista in round two of the bantamweight opener.

Both fighters had their moments in a close first round, Jones doing good work in controlling the clinch and in landing body and leg kicks from distance, while Bautista got off some solid punches and knees in response.

And while Bautista got off fast in round two, Jones stood his ground at close range and ripped through a flush right hand to the jaw that floored the Nevada native. A follow-up barrage put an end to the fight, with referee Chris Tognoni stepping in at :40 of the second round.

Guam’s Jones moves to 13-6, 1 NC with the win. Bautista falls to 8-2.

Official Result: Trevin Jones def. Mario Bautista by TKO (strikes) at :40 of Round 2

Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Uros Medic had a flawless UFC debut, stopping fellow lightweight prospect Aalon Cruz in just 100 seconds.
 
Cruz came out firing kicks, but Medic was unbothered, and moments after, he stunned Cruz with a punch upstairs. Seconds after that, a left hand caught and hurt Cruz, and a barrage of unanswered ground strikes followed before referee Mark Smith intervened and stopped the bout at 1:40 of the opening round.
 
Official Result: Uros Medic def. Aalon Cruz by TKO (strikes) at 1:40 of Round 1

Amanda Lemos turned in the best performance of her UFC career, scoring a first-round TKO of strawweight contender Livinha Souza.

Lemos’ striking was on target from the start, and after peppering Souza early, she scored a knockdown in the second minute. Surprisingly, she kept the fight on the mat for a spell before letting Souza up with two minutes left. With 1:30 left, another knockdown followed, and this time, referee Jason Herzog had seen enough, calling a stop to the bout at 3:39 of round one.

With the win, Lemos moves to 9-1-1. The No. 15-ranked Souza falls to 14-3.

Official Result: Amanda Lemos def. Livinha Souza by TKO (strikes) at 3:39 of Round 1

Unbeaten welterweight prospect Sean Brady stepped up in style against Jake Matthews, submitting the Australian veteran in the third round.
 
The first round was an interesting one, as Matthews apparently scored a knockdown after catching a Brady kick, but it was Brady taking side control after a guillotine attempt by the Aussie and he dominated on the ground until the horn.
 
In the second minute of the second stanza, Brady put the fight on the mat, and he went to work, keeping Matthews grounded for a nearly full round again.
 
Brady scored a flash knockdown in the third with a quick left hook, but the Philadelphia kept his cool while Matthews recovered and kept trying to turn things around. The fight soon went to the mat, Brady remaining in charge until he locked in the arm triangle that forced a tap out at 3:28 of the final frame.
 
With the win, Brady moves to 14-0. Matthews falls to 17-5.
 
Official Result: Sean Brady def. Jake Matthews by submission (arm triangle choke) at 3:28 of Round 3

Kennedy Nzechukwu and Carlos Ulberg went to war in their light heavyweight bout until Nzechukwu ended matters via TKO in the second round.
 
Ulberg took the fight to Nzechukwu immediately, and he rocked him with a left kick to the head. A follow-up barrage kept the Nigeria native on the defensive, and that was just fine with Ulberg, who kept the pace high. Two minutes in, Nzechukwu started to get some shots in, and a fight broke out. With two minutes left, a left by Nzechukwu briefly jarred the New Zealander, and now the two were trading momentum back and forth. But a concerted body attack by Ulberg had referee Herb Dean on the verge of stopping the fight before Nzechukwu roared back with a crisp 1-2 and some more hard shots just before the horn.
 
Nzechukwu appeared to be the fresher of the two as the second began, and he pressed the action, with only a brief halt to the action after an Ulberg eye poke stopping his forward march. Ulberg wasn’t backing down, though, and while his hands were low, he was still throwing them, along with thudding kicks. But with just under two minutes left, that low guard cost Ulberg, as Nzechukwu landed a flush right hand that dropped the New Zealander hard. A couple follow-up strikes later, and Dean had stopped the fight. The official time was 3:19 of round two.
 
Official Result: Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Carlos Ulberg by TKO (strikes) at 3:19 of Round 2

Tim Elliott was his swarming best against Jordan Espinosa, with the longtime flyweight contender delivering a shutout three-round decision victory.
 
Scores were 30-27, 30-27 and 30-25 for the No.12-ranked Elliott, now 18-11-1. Espinosa falls to 15-9, 1 NC.
 
Elliott’s game plan was clear, as he looked to take the fight to the mat, but Espinosa was able to defend well and land some strikes until midway through the opening round, when Elliott put the fight on the ground against the fence. After controlling matters there for the rest of the round, Elliott kept the pressure on in the second, scoring a pair of takedowns and dominating on the mat. The third was more of the same from Elliott, with the Missouri product doing whatever he could to punish his foe until the final horn.
 
Official Result: Tim Elliott def. Jordan Espinosa by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-25)

Kai Kara-France likely lost the first four-plus minutes of his bout against fellow flyweight contender Rogerio Bontorin. But he won the next ten seconds and the fight, as he scored a stunning first-round stoppage victory.
 
After gauging his distance as the bout opened, Bontorin used his strikes to set up a takedown, and he immediately took Kara-France’s back. The New Zealander rose to his feet with Bontorin locked on, but the Brazilian brought the fight back to the mat. In the closing minute, though, Kara-France got back to his feet and landed three crushing right hands that put Bontorin on the mat face-first, with referee Herb Dean stopping the fight at the 4:55 mark of round one.
 
With the win, the No.8-ranked Kara-France moves to 22-9, 1 NC. The No.8-ranked Bontorin falls to 16-3, 1 NC.
 
Official Result: Kai Kara-France def. Rogerio Bontorin by TKO (strikes) at 4:55 of Round 1

Russia’s Askar Askarov likely put himself in the flyweight title fight conversation with a three-round unanimous decision victory over perennial contender Joseph Benavidez.
 
Scores were 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26 for the No.3-ranked Askarov, now 13-0-1. The No.2-ranked Benavidez falls to 28-8.
 
The first was a big round for Askarov, who controlled the action on the feet and the mat, with a front kick to the belly being the most effective weapon for the Russian.
 
Benavidez took the fight to Askarov to begin round two but got caught with a couple shots that opened a cut under the eye before Askarov brought the fight to the mat again. Benavidez would keep standing, but Askarov kept dragging the former world title challenger down over and over, wrapping up an even more dominant round than the first.
 
Refusing to back down, Benavidez looked to change the direction of the fight and he landed some good shots in the third round, but Askarov took everything in stride and was able to stay out of trouble for the final five minutes as he wrapped up the win.
 
Askarov missed weight for the bout at 127 pounds.
 
Official Result: Askar Askarov def. Joseph Benavidez by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

Kyler Phillips held off a late charge from Song Yadong in bantamweight action to win a back-and-forth unanimous decision.
 
Scores were 29-28 across the board for Phillips, now 9-1. The No.14-ranked Song falls to 16-5-1, 1NC.
 
Phillips got into a rhythm early and as soon as his strikes started landing, he kept them coming, with a flush head kick being the most telling blow. Song acted like nothing happened, though, continuing to move forward as he attempted to even the score. With a little over 90 seconds, Phillips drilled Song with a right hand, and when that didn’t move the China native, Phillips scored a quick takedown. Once back on their feet. Song got in a few solid punches, but it was a clear round for Phillips.
 
The high-level action continued in the middle frame, with Phillips doing his best work from range while Song got in his shots during close quarters exchanges. But it was Phillips’ more diverse attack, which included another successful takedown, being the difference in the scoring of the fight.
 
Song was surging in the third, landing more and more shots, but with 90 seconds left, Phillips scored an important takedown. Song was able to reverse position and get on top with a minute left, but he wasn’t able to do anything significant before the fight ended.
 
Official Result: Kyler Phillips def. Song Yadong by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Bantamweight great Dominick Cruz picked up his first win since 2016 the hard way, as he went three tough rounds with Casey Kenney en route to a split decision victory.
 
Scores were 30-27, 29-28 and 28-29 for Cruz, now 23-3. Kenney falls to 16-3-1.
 
Cruz’ kick-led attack was sharp in the first round, with his unique movement style keeping Kenney from getting a read on him. Kenney did get in some shots, but not enough to deter Cruz from implementing his offense.
 
Kenney tossed off a Cruz takedown attempt early in round two and landed some kicks to the leg in an attempt to slow the former champ down. And while Cruz stayed busy, he wasn’t as accurate as he was in the first, and with Kenney’s work rate rising, it was a close round to call.
 
In the third, Cruz got the fight to the mat early and had some moments of control until Kenney got loose and back to his feet. Kenney pressured Cruz down the stretch and landed some shots, Cruz eagerly responding with strikes of his own before another Cruz takedown with a little over 30 seconds left.
 
Official Result: Dominick Cruz def. Casey Kenney by split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)

The clash between top five light heavyweight contenders Aleksandar Rakic and Thiago Santos didn’t produce fireworks as expected, but it did produce a unanimous decision victory for Rakic, who has now won six of seven UFC bouts.
 
Scores were 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 for the No.4-ranked Rakic, now 14-2. The No.2-ranked Santos falls to 21-9.
 
There was a clear sense of danger in the first round as the two knockout artists circled each other, and though each fighter had their moments in the first five minutes, the biggest shots from both missed their mark. The measured pace was there for the second stanza as well, Rakic perhaps edging it as he had Santos not fighting with his usual aggressive style. Perhaps needing to make a statement in the third, Santos landed some hard kicks and added in some elbows as Rakic sought a takedown in the final two minutes. The Serbian standout wasn’t able to get Santos to the mat, but he was able to take the victory, an important one in his quest for a title shot.
 
Official Result: Aleksandar Rakic def. Thiago Santos by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Lightweight contender Islam Makhachev delivered one of his most impressive performances to date, as he submitted Drew Dober in the third round.
 
A minute into the fight, Makhachev got his first takedown, and he patiently worked to improve his position, getting into side control with 90 seconds remaining. Dober tried to scramble his way free, but Makhachev wasn’t having it, and an armbar attempt nearly ended the fight just before the horn.
 
The bout went right back to the mat to begin round two, and it was another grappling clinic from Makhachev, who completely dominated the action. Nothing changed in the third, but after flooring his foe again, he locked in the arm triangle that forced Dober to tap out at the 1:37 mark of round three.
 
With the win, the No.14-ranked Makhachev moves to 19-1. Dober falls to 23-10, 1NC.
 
Official Result: Islam Makhachev def. Drew Dober by submission (arm triangle choke) at 1:37 of Round 3

It wasn’t the way Aljamain Sterling pictured winning the UFC bantamweight title, but he is the new champion of the 135-pound division after an illegal knee on a downed opponent disqualified Petr Yan in the fourth round.
 
“That’s not the way I wanted to win,” said Sterling. “That’s not the way I envisioned this. I was trying to continue, but I was in bad shape.”
 
Sterling opened with a kick to the body, immediately pressuring Yan with a variety of strikes. A minute in, a knee to the head momentarily stunned Yan, and the champion tripped Sterling to the canvas in response moments later. Another Sterling knee landed once he rose, and midway through the round, he scored a takedown. Yan got back to his feet quickly and after a quick clinch, Yan dropped the challenger with a flush right hand. Sterling recovered quickly and took the fight to the mat, but Yan didn’t stay grounded. Instead, it was Yan getting his own takedown late in a furiously paced round.
 
Going all-in for a takedown in the second minute of round two, Sterling was turned away by Yan, who defended well and broke free briefly at the midway point of the frame. Sterling went right back into the clinch as he tried to ground his foe, but again, it was Yan defending well and coming back with some hard strikes. Sterling kept throwing as he pressured Yan, but once again it was a takedown by Yan punctuating the round.
 
Yan had his most dominant round in the third, with three takedowns and a series of accurate strikes landing as Sterling began to slow down, and while the New Yorker kept pressing, Yan’s shots were doing more damage. But right when it looked like Yan was pulling away, he landed a flush knee on the downed Sterling, bringing an immediate stop to the bout. The Octagonside physician was called in and it was clear that Sterling was in no shape to continue, with referee Mark Smith waving the fight off at 4:29 of the fourth round.
 
Scores at the time of the stoppage were 29-28, 29-28 for Yan and 29-28 for Sterling.
 
With the win, Sterling moves to 20-3. Yan falls to 15-2.
 
Official Result: Aljamain Sterling def. Petr Yan by disqualification (illegal knee) at 4:29 of Round 4
 

The G.O.A.T. of women’s combat sports did it again in the UFC 259 co-main event, as Amanda Nunes successfully defended her featherweight title with a first-round submission victory over Megan Anderson.
 
A minute in, a right hand stung Anderson, and Nunes followed up by putting the fight on the mat. What followed was a tight armbar, forcing a tap out by the challenger at 2:03 of the opening round.
 
With the win, Nunes, who is also the UFC women’s bantamweight champion, moves to 21-4. Anderson falls to 11-5.
 
Official Result: Amanda Nunes def. Megan Anderson by submission (armbar) at 2:03 of Round 1

UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz cemented his place atop the 205-pound division in the main event of UFC 259 with an impressive, workmanlike effort in defeating middleweight champ Israel Adesanya via unanimous decision.
 
In the process, he handed Adesanya his first pro loss and spoiled the Nigeria native’s attempt to become the fifth simultaneous two-division champ in UFC history.
 
Scores were 49-46, 49-45, 49-45 for Blachowicz, who made his first successful title defense in improving to 28-8. Adesanya falls to 20-1.

Adesanya was the busier of the two as the fight began, Blachowicz marching forward and knowing that he only needed to be right once in order to end the fight against the 185-pound boss. Adesanya was giving him enough to think about, though, as he was leading the action and not waiting to counter.
 
The fight heated up in the second, with Blachowicz getting more aggressive with his attacks. Adesanya kept mixing up his strikes, and coupled with his feints, he was keeping Blachowicz off balance. Midway through the round, Blachowicz locked up for the first time with the challenger, but Adesanya broke free quickly and resumed his steady stream of kicks with the occasional punch tossed in. A low kick by Adesanya brought a brief halt to the bout with a little under 90 seconds left, but the fight resumed quickly, Adesanya remaining the busier fighter.
 
Blachowicz got off to a fast start in round three, landing some hard punches before scoring a brief takedown. That sequence seemed to fire up the challenger, who began scoring with more telling blows. With a little over three minutes left, Blachowicz clinched with Adesanya against the fence, but “The Last Stylebender” stayed busy and broke loose. Down the stretch, each fighter got in solid blows before a late clinch by the champion.
 
As the fourth began, Blachowicz clinched briefly before landing with a hard right followed by a stiff jab. In the second minute, Adesanya got flat-footed and fired away, but that opened him up for a Blachowicz takedown. Using his size effectively, Blachowicz leaned on Adesanya and got into side control with a little over a minute left. Strikes followed from the Poland native, who kept Adesanya grounded until the horn.
 
Blachowicz’ jab was sharp early in the fifth round, and Adesanya responded in kind, seemingly the fresher of the two fighters. But midway through the frame, the champion got a much-needed takedown. Adesanya tried to scramble his way free, but Blachowicz wasn’t having it, and he stayed busy, finishing the round on top.
 
Official Result: Jan Blachowicz def. Israel Adesanya by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-45, 49-45)