Running it back seemed to be the theme of UFC 263. Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori were in a rematch in the main event. So too were the co-main event pairing of Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno. And earlier on in the night, Eryk Anders and Darren Stewart were also set to appear in a rematch.
The first fight had ended in a No Contest, after Anders landed an illegal knee that left Stewart unable to continue. The second fight was a different story.
Stewart landed a solid trio of leg kicks in the first ninety seconds of the pair’s rematch. Anders played the waiting came, perhaps looking to unload with a knockout blow. Instead, Stewart tied him up along the cage, sinking in underhooks. Anders clasped his hands and was able to reverse; Stewart turned the tables again as they went into a bit of a spin cycle. The crowd, restless throughout a night that had just one finish through the first seven fights, let their displeasure be heard.
In the final minute of the opening round, Stewart managed to land a solid knee while still in the clinch, then secured a late takedown. That sealed what was no doubt a 10-9 for “The Dentist.”
The second round, much to the Glendale faithful’s annoyance, saw another lengthy grappling battle along the fence. The biggest cheer, in fact, was when the ref finally separated the pair; soon enough the boo birds took flight again, as Anders and Stewart went right back to it. Things finally opened up near the midway mark of the round, both men swinging. That would be short-lived as another clinch ensued. Back at range, a straight left landed for Anders. “Ya Boi” then punched his way into a takedown attempt on Stewart, but as he had been throughout the fight, he was stymied.
Round thee witnessed an early takedown by Stewart, but Anders quickly reversed. He stacked up Stewart and looked to land left hands. Anders then moved into side control, then moved back into half guard. Anders went to work, looking to land as much ground n’ pound as he could while Stewart covered up and moved as much as he could on bottom. Anders looked for an arm-triangle choke, then a possible rear-naked choke setup arose. In the end, he settled on dropping some heavy left hands along the fence as Stewart worked his way back up. He did make it to his feet — more or less right at the final bell. The third round, however, was all Anders.
Official Result: Eryk Anders def. Darren Stewart by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
