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Life at welterweight continues to prosper for Michael Chiesa. "Maverick" extended his run at 170 lbs to 4-0 following a five round mat masterclass in the main event of UFC Fight Island 8.
Divisional stalwart Neil Magny simply had no reply for the grappling dominance exhibited on a special Wednesday afternoon presentation of the UFC, finding himself pinned down on the mat throughout the twenty-five minutes with only mere glimmers of success scattered in the bout.
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Image: Getty Images |
On the same day the United States inaugurated their new president, Michael Chiesa had a very convenient callout for outspoken Trump supporter Colby Covington. After this display and the resume he has put together so far, you can't really knock the ambition.
Elsewhere on the card, Warlley Alves finally made his return to the Octagon, playing party-pooper as he unleashed a triage of body kicks to stop Mounir Lazzez. Debuts of Umar Nurmagomedov and Francisco Figueiredo, cousin and brother of champions Khabib and Deiveson respectively, also went to plan.
Umar Nurmagomedov stole the headlines in the preliminary action. Exactly 9 years removed from the debut of Khabib Nurmagomedov, he made his cousin proud by also securing a rear-naked choke submission win in a spellbounding UFC debut.
France's Manon Fiorot could not have asked for her debut to have gone better on the first fight of the afternoon - or morning, depending on where in the world you were watching. She lit up her counterpart from the distance throughout, stunning her on multiple occasions with the check right-hook. After a brief stint on the mat, she would stun Leonardo with a head kick and follow up with some punches against the cage before the referee stepped in to wave it off.
Umar Nurmagomedov had a lot to live up to, considering his surname and the fact that he is cousin of arguably the most dominant UFC champion of all time. But he got the job done and then some, choking Sergey Morozov to sleep in the second round. The highly-respected striking credentials of the Russian were on full display early on, throwing a great variety of kicks to the head, body and legs. At one point Morozov was hurt badly, but managed to survive to the second round - although his fortunes wouldn't exactly prosper from there, as he ate another huge kick. Soon after, Nurmagomedov got the back once again and was able to sink in a rear-naked choke. Morozov was defiant mentally, but physically he was done - falling unconscious as Umar made a huge splash in his promotional debut.
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Image: MMA Fighting |
Things didn't go in favour of the next debutant of the night, Wales' Mason Jones, but he won plenty of fans in the process over three exhilarating rounds with Mike Davis. The New Yorker Davis had some early success ripping shots to the body while also securing some takedowns, however Jones was able to prop right back up and push a pace of his own, coming forward with knees and punches at a relentless clip. Things were well poised going into the third round but it appeared Davis did just enough to get the win on the judges' scorecards.Cousins Khabib and Umar Nurmagomedov made their UFC debuts exactly nine years apart.
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 20, 2021
Both submitted their respective opponent with a rear naked choke 🤯 pic.twitter.com/3w9on2g1Cb
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Image: Getty Images |
There was yet another close relative to a UFC champion that was also making their debut on the card. Francisco Figueiredo, brother of flyweight kingpin Deiveson, scored a unanimous decision victory over Jerome Rivera. Much to the frustration of his corner, Rivera negated his reach advantage by willingly clinching at most opportunities while the Brazilian aimed to counter and find his opportunities, mainly with the straight left. Rivera did finally up the ante in the third round and while rocking Figueiredo at one point, it was not enough to change the course of the fight.
Figueiredo bro's are the 7th pair of Brazilian siblings in the UFC (If I counted correctly)
— MaRCeL DoRFF 🇳🇱🇮🇩 (@BigMarcel24) January 20, 2021
The other 6.
- Gilbert/Herbert Burns
- Big Nog/Lil Nog
- Raphael/Junior Assuncao
- Danillo/Yuri Villefort
- Iuri/Ildemar Alcantara
- Erick/Gabriel Silva#UFCFightIsland8
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Image: agfight.com |
China's Su Mudaerji then scored another win at flyweight, this time getting the better off Zarrukh Adashev. The range control of the prospect was on point as he evaded most of the damage on offer, pulling away on the scorecards.
Ricky Simon worked his gameplan to perfection when he managed to grind out and eventually submit Gaetano Pirrello with an arm-triangle choke in the second round. Simon's wrestling had Pirrello trailing early and he continued to work before the submission to get his second straight in the win column.
Akhmedov makes it a Breese
Omari Akhmedov def. Tom Breese via submission (arm-triangle choke), round 2 (1:41)
"Wolverine" as they call him looked as ferocious as ever, as Omari Akhmedov opened the main card by forcing a submission against Tom Breese, after a first-round where he inflicted a whole host of damage on the Brit.
The Russian veteran was breathing heavy though, and was perhaps thankful when the fight hit the mat again. Breese attacked a leg submission in the first stanza but to no avail, and he attacked a calf slicer in the second round in a reversal to Akhmedov's takedown attempt. But when he lost it heaped against the cage, Akhmedov was able to get the mount and secure the arm triangle choke. Breese relaxed - and looked like he was unconscious at one point - before eventually tapping out.
Murphy stays perfect
Lerone Murphy def. Douglas Silva de Andrade via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Somehow, the ever resilient and durable Douglas Silva de Andrade was able to see the final bell - but the scorecards would not be in question as Manchester's Lerone Murphy kept his unbeaten record intact.
Murphy warmed up in the first round and got the better of the striking exchanges as the fight progressed. Both exchanged leg kicks, but Murphy would exploit the damage to the lead leg of the Brazilian after checking one of his attempts.
De Andrade needed more aggression and volume to try and close the gap on his opponent, and that's what came - followed by a rear-naked choke attempt that Murphy was able to get up from relatively easily. The Brazilian would perhaps go on to regret that when he gingerly retreated back to his corner after a second round where some more leg kicks left him unstable.
Testament to his durability, de Andrade came out swinging in the final stanza and certainly buzzed his opponent on at least one occasion. Murphy was forced to grapple for a chunk of the round to clear the cob webs, but also came back with some fire of his own. He would play it safe and go on to take things to the ground where he landed some good ground and pound as the fight time expired.
"Schnell" means speed in German
Matt Schnell def. Tyson Nam via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
Matt Schnell's blistering hand speed and combinations were instrumental as he evaded the power of Tyson Nam for a split decision victory.
The speed advantage was clear within the early moments of the flyweight bout, as Schnell popped out more volume right off the bat, while his opponent was relying on the one-shot knockouts that had given him much success in his career so far. Nam did land a singular right hand but he was all marked up after the first five minutes.
Nam was frustrated once again in a closer second round. Although he landed a big right hand that briefly detached the mouthguard of Schnell, the latter's volume was paramount in his success, blitzing Nam with combinations throughout.
More success did come for Nam towards the end of the fight, but it wasn't enough to sway two of the judges' scorecards. Ultimately Schnell's volume and movement made the difference.
No smiles for "The Happy Warrior"
Viivane Araujo def. Roxanne Modafferi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Roxane Modafferi's heart was on full display as she endured Viviane Arajuo's best strikes over three tough rounds, but it was as much of a washout as you could imagine.
"The Happy Warrior" had the smile wiped off her face early in the fight after being pieced up by the jab of the Brazilian, as part of a dominant round in the stand-up. Modafferi did pursue a takedown towards the end of the first but instead it was Araujo who took her back and had a rear-naked choke synched in as the round came to an end.
There was more of the same to come rounds two and three, including an explosive, well-timed takedown from Araujo who ended the fight on top. When the fight was on the ground, Araujo passed guard seemingly easily - and it turned out to be a fight she won in all quarters - not least, the judges.
Hurricane rampages through Moreira
Ike Vilanueva def. Vinicius Moreira via KO, round 2 (0:39)
Ike Villanueva waited for his moment and picked his shot - the result was an outstanding second-round walk-off against Vinicius Moreira.
Moreira was clearly wary of the power and was covering up and backing up early in the fight. Villanueva did begin to wrap his shots around the high tight guard of his opponent, including some digs to the body.
In the second round, Villanueva found his opportunity. As Moreira came through with a hook, Villaneuva beat him to the punch with a big right hand that folded the Brazilian like a ton of bricks - and that was all she wrote.
Warlley returns with a vengeance
Warlley Alves def. Mounir Lazzez via TKO, round 1 (2:35)
Violence was promised from Mounir Lazzez ahead of the night's co-main event. But it was Warlley Alves, on enemy soil, who got the job done in the first-round with a vicious, aggressive display.
After a tumultuous run of injuries Alves was eager to get back into the Octagon and it showed, opening with a leg kick and a vicious flurry that forced Lazzez to clinch. Both exchanges positions and on the break Alves released a trio of body kicks towards the liver of Lazzez, forcing him to fold to the canvas and following up some ground-and-pound for the finish. Welcome back, Warlley.
Magny-ficent Chiesa puts on grappling masterclass
Michael Chiesa def. Neil Magny via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)
"Maverick" could not be a more fitting nickname for Michael Chiesa - he was just too skilled, too strong and simply too much for Neil Magny, outworking him on the mat for five rounds to take home the unanimous decision.
The pair exchanged jabs in some tentative striking before Chiesa's initial clinch attempt was shrugged off by Magny. That wouldn't be the case for the subsequent episode though as the former lightweight was able to secure a takedown and control Magny in half-guard for the remainder of the round.
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Image: MMA Fighting |
Chiesa got in close quarters much earlier in the second round, controlling him once again before Magny tried a takedown attempt of his own to his detriment, as Chiesa once again ended on top control pressing the shoulder down on Magny's neck.
There was more striking in the third round and much to the surprise of many, Chiesa was looking relatively comfortable. Magny this time went for a takedown of his own and managed to slam his counterpart down and take the back for a potential choke, but once again the grappling prowess of Chiesa shone through as he scrambled his way back to top control yet again.
In the fourth round fatigue was on the agenda for Chiesa but he powered through, cracking Magny with a right hand and a level change to immediately send Magny to the mat. When things were back up on the feet there was a glimmer of hope for Magny who landed a knee, only to be controlled once again. There was another crazy scramble after Chiesa took the back of Magny, where Magny was pursuing an inverted triangle. However the conclusion was a similar one, Magny scrambled and took control.
A finish was needed for Magny in the fifth but that never looked plausible, as his opponent controlled him, and once again to his detriment, it was the welterweight veteran who went for a takedown but ended up on the bottom - setting up for a routine finish as Chiesa controlled him to the final bell.
An event occurring at the same time as the inauguration of President Joe Biden, Chiesa had a topical post-fight reaction. "The election is over. Colby Covington, your shtick is done. I want you next boy," exclaimed the victor proceeding to storm out of the cage. The matchmaking skills are just as good as the mat skills, it seems.
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