Benitez had also lost two straight, and four of his last five. He corrected course on Saturday, however, making a statement in San Diego at Ontiveros’ expense.

Gabriel Benitez opened with a kick but Ontiveros fired back with number of his own before the two engaged in the clinch and went to work against the cage. Benitez landed a solid combination on the break and Ontiveros hit the mark with a nice right hand and a nice axe kick.

Benitez kept moving forward and throwing, but Ontiveros circled and looked to counter, while peppering in kicks. Benitez ducked under another axe kick and got the clinch against the cage, where he worked elbows until the ref stepped in due to a low blow on Ontiveros from a knee.

After a time out, a touch of the gloves and the two exchanged again with Benitez landing a crushing punch that hurt Ontiveros and sent him reeling back into the cage. Benitez pounced on a hurt Ontiveros and landed a combination before getting the take down and slammed Ontiveros to the mat. There he took the mounted position and hammered down punches onto Ontiveros that forced the referee to step in and call the fight.

Official Result: Gabriel Benitez def. Charlie Ontiveros by TKO, Round 1, 3:35

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Luque was looking to shake off a loss to Belal Muhammed back in April, while Neal was fighting for the first time in 2022, after earning a split decision victory over Santiago Ponzinibbio last December.

What emerged in the co-main event was a wildly entertaining, brutal fight that saw Neal have arguably the best performance of his career.

Luque pressed forward early and Neal circled. Luque opened up first with a leg kick and Neal returned with left hand. Luque kept moving forward and fired off a head kick that Neal countered with a left hand. Luque then fired off a combination but Neal answered with one of his own that hurt the Brazilian and backed him up.

Neal pressed the action but Luque was quick to recover and he fired back. Luque launched a flying knee that missed the mark and Neal answered with another combination. Luque kept pressing forward but Neal landed another combination that pushed him back. Neal, now on the offensive, landed another punch that hurt Luque. Neal sensed his advantage and pressed Luque who looked a little unsteady on his feet. Luque now appeared more tentative and seemed content to let the round end.

Geoff Neal opened the second round looking to carry over his momentum from the first, but Luque again continued to move forward and throw combinations. Luque landed a number of leg and body kicks that kept Neal out of punching range. Neal worked to close the distance and look for his shot. Neal circled away from the kicking leg of Luque and looked to land but switched levels, shot the take down and took Luque to the mat. Luque, however, popped back to his feet and after a moment in the clinch the two separated. Neal stuck close to Luque and landed a stinging combination; Luque fired back but Neal got the better of the exchange. Back to the middle of the cage where the two continued to exchange and Neal kept his slight advantage over the Brazilian to end out the round.

A touch of gloves and third round began. Luque again opened up with some kicks to the body and Neal slipped away before he closed the range to exchange with a combination. Luque again leapt forward with a knee that Neal slipped away from. Neal landed a solid left and followed it with another that hurt Luque. Neal Hurt Luque again and sent him back into the cage with a left. Against the cage Neal hammered home his advantage with no less that six uppercuts that battered Luque, and a final blow sent him crashing to the mat to end the fight.

With the win, Geoff Neal becomes the first man to stop Vicente Luque on the feet. He called out Luque’s teammate Gilbert Burns after the fight.

Official Result: Geoff Neal def. Vicente Luque by knockout (punches), Round 3, 2:01

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Pereira would forever be known as the man who beat Israel Adesanya in kickboxing, twice. At least until he established his own legacy in MMA — which, for now at least, meant chasing Adesanya, who still holds the UFC’s 185lb title.

Silva, for his part, was looking to derail Pereira’s hype train in the fight, and secure his eighth straight win (not to mention fourth in the UFC).

There were some heavy punches thrown in this one — but the pair would end up going the distance.

A touch of the gloves and Pereira opened up with trio of kicks; Silva answered back with a kick of his own, before they entered the clinch for a moment only to break apart quickly. Silva rushed forward with a flurry, while Pereira slid back and answered back with a body kick. Pereira landed a combination, punctuated with a stiff right hook. Silva kept pressing forward with combinations, got the clinch and worked some knees on the inside. They separated again Pereira unloaded another pair of kicks. Sliva threw a kick, followed by a right hand before he dropped for the takedown and drove Pereira into the cage. Pereira worked back to his feet and separated again; Pereira then opened up with a combination that finished with a hard right cross that found its target just before the round came to an end.

Round two started off with Pereira throwing out a pair of kicks, followed by a hook to the body. Silva looked to land the left hook but Pereira got out o the way. Pereira fired back but Silva landed a stiff hook to the body. Pereira now looked to land to the body of Silva but Silva again shot the take down and took Pereira to the mat. They stayed there for just a moment before the two were back to their feet in the clinch. Both men worked inside of the clinch with Silva landing a nice hook followed by an uppercut. Pereira exploded free and immediately went on the attack with a powerful right hook that landed on target. Silva continued to press forward and was able to land the hook again, but Pereira came back with flying knee. Silva threw a kick but slipped and landed on his back, Pereira dove in but wasn’t able to get much done as the round ended.

It was almost a surprise to see the hard-hitting duo enter the third round. That third round saw Pereira come out with leg kick followed by a combination, but Silva rushed forward for the takedown, which Pereira was able to stuff. Silva kept pressing forward and landed the left hand followed by a stinging leg kick.

Alex Pereira & Bruno Silva just left it all in the Octagon 🤜🤛 #UFCVegas50 pic.twitter.com/OJVEyagbos

— UFC (@ufc) March 13, 2022

In the clinch against the cage, Pereira worked on the inside and landed knees but Silva came back with the left hook that backed Pereira up. Pereira retreated, for only a moment then came back with a combination and loaded up on his punches that staggered Silva. Pereira saw the end was near and opened up more but Silva fired back with that left hand before the two worked inside of the clinch again. Silva found space and opened up on Pereira but Pereira answered with power and landed a crushing right hand that looked as if it broke the node of Silva, and stunned him for a moment. Silva was able to pull it back together and survive the round. The scorecards, however, were another matter, with Pereira earning a clear decision.

Official Result: Alex Pereira def. Bruno Silva by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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Turner entered off three straight wins, finding the finish in all three. Australia’s Mullarkey had done the same in his last two fights.

The fight lived up to expectations — and Turner once again proved he has a ton of upside in the 155lb division.

Turner opened with a body kick and Mullarkey fired back with a right hand. Mullarkey landed a leg kick and followed with left. Turner fired back and the two exchanged and ended up in the clinch against the cage. The two separated and Turner unloaded with a trio of kicks; Mullarkey shot the take down but Turner shrugged it off and landed a hard right hand that stunned his opponent.

As the round wore on, Mullarkey fired off a high kick that Turner caught and threw to the side. Turner pressed forward and landed combinations, with power. Mullarkey then shot the take down and took Turner to the mat. Mullarkey worked from side control and almost made it into the mounted position but Turner defended well and got Mullarkey into his full guard just as the round came to an end.

Mullarkey started the second round with hook to the body and Turner fired back with a combination, followed by a body kick. He followed that up with right hook that stunned Mullarkey and sent him to the mat. That was the beginning of the end for Jamie Mullarkey. Turner followed up with a flurry of left hands that sealed the victory and forced the ref to step in and end the action.

https://twitter.com/UFC_CA/status/1500302806628065286

That’s another finish for Jalin Turner, who has won four straight inside the octagon — all inside the distance.

Official Result: Jalin Turner def. Jamie Mullarkey by TKO, Round 2, 0:46

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After stumbling out of the gate and losing his promotional debut in 2019, Negumereanu had won his last two bouts, and was looking to add a third. Nzechukwu, on the other hand, had seen a three-fight win streak snapped in his last outing, care of Da Un Jung — a rather nasty stoppage due to elbows.

There was no stoppage Saturday, though it seemed like for a moment, an accidental foul might end the fight early.

Negumereanu opened up with a leg kick, followed by a second and Nzechukwu fired back with the jab. Negumereanu fired off another leg kick but Nzechukwu continued to press forward. Nzechukwu kept firing with the jab and had his left hand loaded waiting to strike. Negumereanu used his movement to keep Nzechukwu guessing. An eye poke to Negumereanu brought a short pause to the action. When the action resumed, Negumereanu came out quickly and pushed Nzechukwu back with multiple combinations punctuated with stiff right hand and followed by another leg kick as the round came to an end.

Negumereanu took control of the centre of the octagon and pressed forward in round two, but Nzechukwu landed a nice counter punch when he closed the distance. Negumereanu continued to press forward and landed the take down, but Nzechukwu was quick to his feet. Negumereanu stuck with Nzechukwu and pressed him into the cage as he continued to work for the take down from the clinch. The ref separated the two as the action slowed and back in the middle of the cage; Nzechukwu started to unload with punches and tagged Negumereanu with a pair of stiff 1-2 combinations. Negumereanu was now bleeding from the nose. He pressed forward but Nzechukwu kept landing with the jab, until Negumereanu sprang forward for the take down. Nzechukwu defended but Negumereanu pressed him into the cage and looked to advance, however the round came to a close before Negumereanu could make anything out of his position.

Nzechukwu came out in the third and looked to land the jab again, and found his mark— but another errant finger to the eye of Negumereanu brought a second halt to the action as the ring side doctor came in to check on Negumereanu. That poke certainly seemed worse than the first.

The fight continued but Nzechukwu lost a point. Negumereanu came out strong after the stoppage and Nzechukwu fired back, landing a hard knee but Negumereanu kept the pressure on and again went for the take down. Nzechukwu defended and found separation. Back in the center of the octagon Nzechukwu found his mark with a hard left hand and followed that with another pair of lefts. Negumereanu kept moving forward and tagged Nzechukwu with a hard right that looked to have stunned Nzechukwu for a moment. Both men now seemed content to stand in the center and trade shots with Negumereanu landing a straight left hand that pushed Nzechukwu back. Negumereanu pushed forward and landed a left hook that hurt Nzechukwu but Nzechukwu fired back just before the ref stepped in at the end of the fight.

There may have been an argument for a draw, but the people’s choice in the fight was Negumereanu, and he captured the split decision victory.

Official Result: Nicolae Negumereanu def. Kennedy Nzechukwu by unanimous decision (29-27, 27-29, 29-27)

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The heavyweight affair seemed to have high potential for a finish, after all. Then, Tafa went and missed weight — marking the first time in UFC history that a heavyweight fighter had done so (not for lack of effort on Greg Hardy’s part, mind you).

In the end, Tafa managed to make the story about how long the fight would last once again. And the answer, as it turns out, was “not long.”

Hunsucker opened the fight with a low kick and followed it up with a second. Tafa fired back with a crushing left that sent Hunsucker to the mat. Tafa followed and as Hunsucker scrambled he took his back. Both men made it back to their feet and Tafa kept Hunsucker’s back, but Hunsucker worked for a kimura before the two went crashing back to the mat. Hunsucker again went for the Kimura and Tafa escaped. Back on the feet, Hunsucker pressed forward with combinations and then shot in— but Tafa shrugged him off and followed it up with a devastating head kick that dropped Hunsucker and ended the fight, sending the ref in immediately.

Replay necessary for that KO 🤯🤯🤯 #UFCVegas45 pic.twitter.com/9kecjocXDL

— UFC (@ufc) December 18, 2021

That’s a highlight reel finish for Tafa, that should erase all memory of the weight flub.

Official Result: Justin Tafa def. Harry Hunsucker by TKO (head kick), Round 1, 1:53

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Coming into UFC Vegas 38 on Saturday night, the Brazilian had been trading wins and losses since 2016. He’d only fought six times since then, fighting just once a year with the lone exception of 2018, where he fought twice, and 2020, which he missed entirely.

The good news for Andrade, who returned to the octagon at UFC Vegas 38 against Gaetano Pirrello, was that he was competing for the second time in 2021. Pirrello was also competing for the second time this year — and was also looking to bounce back from a loss in his promotional debut.

A touch of gloves and they were off, in a fight that didn’t even make it to the midway mark of the opening round. Gaetano Pirrello circled then fired off a leg kick. Silva de Andrade pressed forward, and Pirrello landed a second leg kick. But Silva de Andrade moved forward in the wake of it, and landed a hard left hand. Pirrello fired another leg kick but Silva de Andrade absolutely devastated Pirrello with a left hook that took Pirrello off his feet and sent him crashing to the mat. This was a done deal, and Douglas Silva de Andrade celebrated with a flip off the cage.

MY GOODNESS 😱

🇧🇷 @DSilva_MMA just DID THAT. #UFCVegas38 pic.twitter.com/iO4Zyurl8U

— UFC (@ufc) October 2, 2021

Then another — nearly wiping out everyone attending to the fallen Pirrello in the process. No harm, no foul as he managed to stop just short of the various officials in the octagon. And for “D-Silva,” he’s got a brand new highlight reel moment to show off.

Official Result: Douglas Silva de Andrade def. Gaetano Pirrello by knockout, Round 1, 2:04

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Speaking to Cageside Press in an exclusive interview ahead of the fight, Gonzalez (6-0) gave his take on the match-up — and noted that it’s the sort of challenge he’s been asking for all along. “He’s a veteran, he’s spent most of his career with Bellator, like myself to a degree. Obviously he’s got over 30 fights at this point, so he’s got a few more under his belt than I do.”

As far as how Gonzalez sees the fight going, he sees himself relying on his “physical superiority, the striking, my speed, my strength, my movement, and just kind of picking my shots and waiting for an opportunity to present itself to maybe take him down.” Though maybe not, added Gonzalez. “Maybe we just keep this thing on the feet. I feel like I have the ability to dictate where the fight goes.”

After all, he continued, Yamauchi is “a high-level black belt, and I respect the hell out of his jiu-jitsu game, so I won’t be overly aggressive or overly committing to anything. The last thing I want to do is give him an opportunity to sweep me or lock something up. I can see myself winning this fight in a few different ways, but you’ll have to tune in next Saturday to find out.”

This is exactly the sort of challenge Gonzalez has asked for throughout his run with Bellator. Take a look at his record, and it appears Gonzalez is on the fast-track at welterweight: fellow prospect Vladimir Tokov, veteran Roger Huerta, and now #5 ranked Yamauchi. But Bellator hasn’t just been giving him those challenges, he’s requested them.

“A lot of that was because that’s what I’ve been telling Bellator I wanted. I don’t think they’ve given me anything more than I asked for,” Gonzalez explained. “I’ve continually asked for better competition and high-level fights, because I see myself as a high-level competitor as well. I train with some of the best guys in the world at Team Alpha Male, and I’m ready. Mentally, physically, all-around, I’m ready, and I’ve risen to the occasion thus far.”

So far, the success has been there, with six wins in six fights. Saturday’s showdown with Yamauchi is wrestler versus grappler, and Gonzalez appears both confident, and aware of the danger his opponent poses.

“Being a wrestler, I get to dictate where the fight goes. But I’m not one of those wrestlers who’s going to go down there and just kind of spazz out and let him lock something up,” Gonzalez said. “I’m a very calculated, intellectual grappler for the most part. I think my first fight for Bellator, I allowed the guy to lock something up, and ever since then, I’ve been a lot more alert and aware of the threat a jiu-jitsu guy can pose from the bottom position.”

A silver medalist at the 2017 U.S. National Championships in Greco-Roman wrestling, Gonzalez has made a successful transition to MMA thus far. In terms of how traditional wrestling differs from MMA wrestling, there’s one key area, he explained.

“There’s a ton of similarities, mostly the only difference is just finding your safe entries to those wrestling positions,” Gonzalez opined. “Being a Greco-Roman guy, I feel like the transition was a little bit easier. Greco-Roman wrestling, our stances are a little bit more similar to a fight stance, compared to folkstyle or freestyles wrestling.”

Chris Gonzalez faces Goiti Yamauchi at Bellator 263 this Saturday, July 31 at The Forum in Los Angeles, CA. The main card airs live on Showtime, following prelims available right here on Cageside Press. For viewers outside Bellator’s broadcast territory, the main card will be available online as well.

The post Bellator 263: Chris Gonzalez Has “Continually Asked for Better Competition and High-Level Fights” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Taha kicked off his run in the promotion in 2018 on a sour note, losing his debut to Nad Narimani. The German-Lebanese fighter then returned to the bantamweight division, paired up against Boston Salmon. An ACL injury delayed that fight, but Taha would earn the win eventually, however a second victory over Bruno Gustavo da Silva was overturned due to a drug test failure, and to add insult to injury, Taha had missed weight for the fight.

Last November, Taha fought for the first time in a year, losing a unanimous decision against Raoni Barcelos. That took him to his UFC Vegas 31 showdown with Sergey Morozov, a former M-1 bantamweight champion who dropped his octagon debut to Umar Nurmagomedov.

Both fighters came out tentative and felt each other out, before Taha pushed forward with a pair of jabs then followed with a leg kick that Morozov countered with a right hand. Taha looked to work the kicks, but Morozov utilized his movement to slide away. Morozov then shot the takedown; Taha initially defended but Morozov stuck with the double leg, pulled Taha from the cage and took him to the mat. Morozov worked from half guard, Taha defended as Morozov looked to move to side control and Taha was able to get him back into his guard. Morozov stood up to land some strikes but Taha looked for the leg lock and Morozov landed a hard right hand that looked to have hurt Taha. Taha continued to look for the submission and Morozov for the big strikes as the round came to a close.

Taha opened the second round with a pair of jabs and Morozov slid out of range. Taha continued to close distance and pressed the action. Morozov landed a hard counter combination and pushed Taha back for a moment, but it wasn’t long until Taha again pressed forward. Taha landed a pair of leg kicks and another exchange of the hands saw Morozov land another stiff counter punch. He then dropped for the takedown and was able to bring Taha to the mat again. Taha was quick to get back to his feet but Morozov stuck with him and continued to press him and push the pace. Morozov got the trip and as Taha got back to his feet, he was able to take his back and look for the choke. Taha tried to defend and Morozov landed punches from his back as he looked to open Taha up for the choke, but the round ended before Morozov could progress any further.

After two rounds, Taha was clearly down, and his corner let him know just that. Morozov opened the third with a 1-2 combination and landed a stiff right but Taha fired back and followed it up with a head kick that missed its target. Taha pressed forward but Morozov fired back, changed levels and got the takedown again. Taha worked back to his feet and again Morozov stuck with him and made Taha carry his weight. Morozov worked the knees as he grinded Taha out against the cage. Taha was able to get separation and get back on the feet. With time running out, Taha went for it and pressed Morozov but Morozov was able to defend and stay away from Taha’s most threatening strikes to end the round.

There were no surprises on the scorecards in this one. Sergey Morozov clearly had earned the win in a one-sided unanimous decision, thanks in large part to his dominant, smothering wrestling.

Official Result: Sergey Morozov def. Khalid Taha by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

The post UFC Vegas 31 Results: Sergey Morozov Earns One-Sided Decision Against Khalid Taha appeared first on Cageside Press.

Griffin came out with leg kick that pushed Condit back. That set the tone for the opening round of Saturday night’s featured prelim. Griffin continued to press forward and work the leg kick. Condit switched stances and Griffin landed another leg kick. Condit fired back a high kick and Griffin replied with two more leg kicks. Condit threw a pair of high kicks that missed the target and Griffin continued to chop the lead leg of Condit. That was going to cause issues, as Condit wasn’t checking the kicks.

Condit launched a combination that looked to have found its mark later in the round, and Griffin threw a counter right. At range Griffin kept piling on the leg kicks. Condit threw a spinning side kick followed by left hand but Griffin closed the distance to exchange. Griffin landed a combination that stunned Condit and sent him back. Griffin pounced on the downed Condit but Condit recovered and scrambled back to his feet. Condit now looked to open up a bit and pressed the action but round came to a close. It was clearly Max’s round.

Bringing the 𝑷𝑨𝑰𝑵 in RD 1 😳@MaxPainGriffin #UFC264 pic.twitter.com/6RBEaOMHs5

— UFC (@ufc) July 11, 2021

Round two opened with Condit throwing a high head kick that Griffin blocked. Condit again moved in to engage and he found some success with a straight left hand. Griffin fired back with a looping right hand. Griffin now went back to leg kicks and finally Condit checked one. Condit then again found his target with a hard straight left hand that pushed Griffin back. Condit continued to press and Griffin looked like his pace had slowed. Condit closed the distance and landed a solid right elbow. Griffin circled and Condit looked to close the distance. The two exchanged a pair of body kicks to close out the round.

Heading into the third, it was still anyone’s fight, with Griffin claiming the first, and Condit arguably taking the second round.

Griffin came out early in the third round with 1-2 combination and he looked to press the action on Condit. Griffin then sprang forward with a combination followed by a kick that Condit caught. He tried to throw Griffin to the mat but Griffin was able to escape. Condit landed a nice left hook and Griffin answered back with a big combination that found its target.

Condit then found some distance and landed a stiff jab and followed it with a another left. Condit followed up looking for a takedown but Griffin defended well and fired back with a knee. After they separated Griffin hurt Condit with a hard right that sent Condit back into the cage. Griffin followed and took Condit to the mat, where he looked to end it. Condit was able to defend and get back to his feet but Griffin held on and for a moment Condit looked to lock in a standing Kimura. He gave that up as Griffin dropped for another takedown. Condit got the underhook and rolled with Griffin, taking his back and bringing him to the ground where he was in position for the choke— but it was too late for him to do anything more as the horn sounded to end the fight.

Official Result: Max Griffin def. Carlos Condit by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27 )

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