Brad Riddell topped Alex da Silva in an excellent matchup on the UFC 253 preliminary card on ESPN.
After two straight wars inside the octagon, City Kickboxing’s Brad Riddell was back at UFC 253. In the featured preliminary bout just prior to the PPV portion of the card, Riddell went up against Brazilian Alex da Silva.
Da Silva had the experience edge, but was just 1-1 in the octagon to start the night. Riddell landed the first strike of the night with a kick to the body, but da Silva responded with a beautiful combination. Da Silva connected with a few jabs before landing a takedown. He continued the pressure, sticking to Riddell, who slowly got to his feet against the cage with his back still clinched.
Da Silva was able to drag Riddell back down to the ground, but only for a few seconds as he exploaded back to his feet. A nice reverse from Riddell found him in dominant position against the cage on da Silva, and they soon separated. A takedown attempt from Riddell landed him in a guillotine attempt from Da Silva, which he survived to end the round.
The second round began with a leg kick from Riddell and Da Silva responding with a front kick to the body. Da Silva pressed against Riddell by the cage before dropping to a takedown attempt, which failed. The pair separated and began exchanging some nice shots near the center of the Octagon.
Some uppercuts from Riddell landed, which he later followed up with a few to the body. Riddell failed on a trip takedown and landed a nice right hand soon after. Riddell continued to put the pressure on with his strikes, but da Silva was caught during his flying knee attempt and briefly taken down before getting back to his feet. A nice body shot for da Silva connected, followed by a failed takedown attempt. A very nice combination landed for Riddell just before the end of the round.
The third and final round began with an embrace from both men, before Riddell pressured forward with some nice shots to the body. Two nice right hands landed for da Silva, and Riddell responded with a beautiful counter elbow. Riddell pulled off a nice counter throw to take da Silva down off his own takedown attempt, and they quickly got back to the feet. Da Silva obtained a back clinch and landed some knees to end the round.
Official Result: Brad Riddell def. Alex da Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
