Russian lightweight contender Islam Makhachev dominated short-notice replacement Bobby Green en route to an easy first-round victory in the main event of UFC Fight Night 202.
Makhachev went into the bout listed at fourth in the UFC’s lightweight rankings, and the protege of former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov delivered an emphatic display to finish Green with ground and pound mid-way through the opening round.
He pushed the pace on Green from the start, forced him back against the cage and took him to the canvas.
Once there, he maintained dominant position despite Green’s scrambles, and transitioned through to half-guard, then mount before eventually taking his back, flattening him out and finishing him with ground strikes.
It was an easy win for Makhachev against an opponent who barely had any time to prepare for the Dagestani ace’s special blend of skills. And, after securing his 10th win in a row, and 22nd overall, Makhachev said the time for prove-it fights was over.
“I just want the title fight. No more,” he said.
“I am tired of all these things. I need a title fight. I am ready, I am here, always ready, always training hard. Just tell me when and where, and that’s it.”
Turman shows submission quality
Brazilian middleweight Wellington Turman showcased his grappling skills against fellow grappler and former light heavyweight Misha Cirkunov with a hugely impressive submission victory.
Turman had already threatened to finish Cirkunov with a mounted rear-naked choke, but the Latvian-Canadian did well to escape. Then Cirkunov turned the tables and looked close to finishing the Brazilian with a tight north-south choke.
But somehow Turman managed to survive then, a Cirkunov looked to go to work in the Brazilian’s guard, Turman threw up his legs, trapped Cirkunov’s arm and forced a quick tap to secure a huge victory.
Cachoeira edges three-round thriller
Brazilian flyweight Priscila Cachoeira and South Korea’s Ji Yeon Kim went to war in an epic three-round battle that saw both women bloodied and bruised as they battled all the way to the scorecards.
After the first two rounds, it looked like Kim had taken both periods with her more effective striking and, despite a final-round surge from the Brazilian, it seemed likely that Kim would get the judges’ decision at the end of the matchup.
However, the judges saw a different bout, with all three awarding the bout to Cachoeira with scores of 29-28 on all three cards. The Brazilian’s win sent Cachoeira into tears as she was presented with her Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt.
Tsarukyan delivers bloody statement
Rising lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan extended his win streak in the UFC to five with a one-sided bludgeoning of Spanish prospect Joel Alvarez.
Many were high on Alvarez, who towered over the Armenian at Friday’s faceoffs, but when the fight got underway it was all Tsarukyan, as he took Alvarez to the mat and proceeded to batter him with ground strikes that left him bleeding profusely from a cut on the bridge of the nose after a huge elbow from the guard.
It looked as if the fight might be stopped between rounds, but Alvarez was given the chance to come out for Round 2. It proved to be an unwise decision, as Tsarukyan quickly took him to the mat again, where he added more damage while the Spaniard was left unable to cope with the combination of Tsarukyan’s offense and the blood running into his eyes.
Eventually, the fight was waved off, before Tsarukyan stated his intention to face top 10 opposition next, then position himself for a shot at the title, which he thinks will be held by the only man to defeat him, Islam Makhachev.
Petrosyan edges thrilling battle
In the opening main card bout, Armen Petrosyan claimed victory on his UFC debut after three grueling rounds with Gregory Rodrigues.
After two highly-competitive rounds, Petrosyan looked to be in trouble early in the third after being rocked by Rodrigues. But the Armenian somehow found his second wind and came storming back to put the Brazilian on the back foot for the remainder of the round.
The bout eventually went to the scorecards, with the judges scoring it 29-28, 28-29, 30-27 to Petrosyan, who took the victory via split decision to improve his record to 7-1 and get his UFC career off to a winning start.
UFC Fight Night 202: Official Results
Main Card
- Islam Makhachev def. Bobby Green via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:23
- Wellington Turman def. Misha Cirkunov via submission (armbar) – Round 2, 1:28
- Priscila Cachoeira def. Ji Yeon Kim via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Arman Tsarukyan def. Joel Alvarez via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:57
- Armen Petrosyan def. Gregory Rodrigues via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Preliminary Card
- Ignacio Bahamondes def. Zhu Rong via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 3, 1:40
- Josiane Nunes def. Ramona Pascual via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Terrance McKinney def. Fares Ziam via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:11
- Jonathan Martinez def. Alejandro Perez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Ramiz Brahimaj def. Michael Gillmore via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:02
- Carlos Hernandez def. Victor Altamirano via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
