Ben Saunders displayed a chin made of iron at UFC Orlando Saturday, before Alan Jouban finally broke through his defenses and put him down.
Kicking off the televised portion of Saturday’s UFC on FOX 28 was a welterweight scrap between the popular Ben ‘Killa B’ Saunders and Alan Jouban. Saunders was 5-2 in his latest UFC stint heading into UFC Orlando. Alan Jouban, meanwhile, had lost two straight, and was looking to turn things around.
Once the action was underway, Jouban went to work hacking at the legs of Saunders. He used his speed and mobility to force Saunders into chasing him; Saunders was able to land a solid right hand, but he was soon on the outside looking in once. Jouban landed with a combination, then circled out of harm’s way. He was caught shortly after with a combo from ‘Killa B’ — a sequence that appeared to hurt Jouban. Saunders continued to come forward, but he had to be wary of Jouban’s kicks. Saunders landed another right; Jouban added a trio of kicks, and got the better of the exchange when the pair clinched. An inside leg kick then dropped Saunders to his knees briefly; he was going to need to check those, or risk losing his mobility as the fight wore on. Saunders then landed a low blow that paused the action. When the round came to a close, the story was the inside leg kicks of Alan Jouban.
Round two saw Ben Saunders come out with a bleeding leg from the kicks of Jouban. Saunders went with a high kick early; Jouban answered back. In a clinch, Jouban connected with a big elbow, and then began lighting Saunders up with punch after punch. Saunders battled back, throwing knees and displaying a chin apparently cast in iron. Things were devolving into a brawl; Saunders then tripped due to his injured leg. Back at close range, Jouban was able to connect with elbow after elbow, and Saunders, dazed, was finally put to sleep with a straight left that sent him crashing to the canvas.
Alan Jouban def. Ben Saunders by knockout, Round 2, 2:38
