Charles Oliveira certainly didn’t fight like a man who had no chance of winning a belt.
Oliviera (33-8, 21-8 UFC) won his 11th consecutive bout in the UFC 274 headliner, submitting Justin Gaethje (23-4, 6-4 UFC) with a rear-naked choke 3:22 into the first round of their lightweight clash at the Footprint Arena in Phoenix on Saturday night. Because Oliveira missed weight by 0.5 pounds, the Ultimate Fighting Championship 155-pound title will remain vacant. However, “Do Bronx” is assured a spot in the next championship bout by virtue of his victory.
Oliveira, who now ranks fifth in promotion history with 21 career victories, was defiant in the aftermath of his latest effort.
“This is a message to the entire division,” he said. “I’m a problem for the entire division …. I’m the champion. This is my title. It should be here.”
Oliveira had to absorb some serious damage from one of the UFC’s most noted violence artists to make it to the finish line. In addition to a steady diet of whipping low kicks, Gaethje rocked his Brazilian foe with an uppercut and a right hook, both of which prompted Oliveira to fall to his back and invite the former World Series of Fighting titlist into his guard. Gaethje didn’t take the bait, but he eventually wilted under Oliveira’s unyielding pressure.
While Gaethje began loading up on virtually all of his offense, a bloodied Oliveira walked forward and unloaded with offense before dropping him with a right hand. From there, “Do Bronx” pounced and threatened with an armbar and a triangle before transitioning to the fight-ending maneuver.
Esparza regains 115-pound belt in forgettable rematch
Rose Namajunas authored one of the most perplexing performances by a reigning champion in UFC history, and Carla Esparza ended up being the beneficiary.
In a fight that featured so little action that it was difficult to definitively score a single round in favor of either combatant, Esparza’s aggression was just enough for her to edge Namajunas via split decision and claim strawweight gold in the UFC 274 co-main event. Brad Frank scored it 48-47 and Rick Winter had it 49-46 — both for Esparza — while Eric Colon saw the bout 48-47 in favor of Namajunas.
“You never know what’s gonna happen with the judges but I definitely thought that I was the aggressor in the fight,” said Esparza. “I was going after it, going after it — so I agree with the decision.”
Esparza (19-6, 10-4 UFC) submitted Namajunas (11-5, 9-4 UFC) in the third round of their clash at “The Ultimate Fighter 20” finale to claim the promotion’s inaugural 115-pound belt in December 2014, but the rematch offered very few notable moments. Neither fighter was willing to engage much at all over the first 10 minutes, and the action only increased incrementally going forward. Namajunas out-landed Esparza by a 37-to-30 count in significant strikes over the five-round encounter, according to UFCStats.com, but Esparza forced the issue more often, attempting 11 takedowns and landing two.
“You never want to be part of a fight like that,” Esparza admitted. “You want to excite the crowd…But hey, I got the W but that’s what counts.”
Esparza has won six straight fights, while Namajunas sees a three-bout winning streak snapped in defeat.
Chandler front-kick faceplants Ferguson
Michael Chandler just submitted his entry for 2022 “Knockout of the Year” at the expense of Tony Ferguson.
The former Bellator MMA champion shocked those in attendance by knocking Ferguson out cold with a vicious front kick to the chin in their featured lightweight encounter. “El Cucuy” collapsed face-first to the canvas once the decisive blow landed, instantly ending the bout 17 seconds into Round 2. The former interim lightweight king has now lost four consecutive bouts.
For a round, it looked as though Ferguson (25-7, 15-5 UFC) would put together a bounce-back performance. He dropped Chandler (23-7, 2-2 UFC) with a left hand early and picked his foe apart with punches to the head and kicks to the body. Halfway through Round 1, Chandler leaned on his Division I wrestling background and exploded for a takedown. Even while on his back, Ferguson was active from his guard while creating openings for elbows. When the horn sounded, Ferguson seemed rejuvenated as he returned to his corner.
That changed in a matter of moments, as Chandler rendered his opponent unconscious as soon as they met in the center of the cage for Round 2. Ferguson remained out for some time before eventually regaining his senses. Meanwhile, Chandler authored spirited callouts of Conor McGregor, Oliveira and Gaethje in his post-fight interview.
St. Preux improves to 2-0 vs. "Shogun"
It took quite a bit longer the second time around, but Ovince St. Preux did just enough to win his rematch with Mauricio Rua.
The former University of Tennessee football player captured a split decision over “Shogun” in a forgettable light heavyweight encounter that drew boos from those in attendance at various times during the contest. Eric Colon saw it 29-28 and Rick Winter had it 30-27 — both in favor of St. Preux — while Junichiro Kamijo submitted a 29-28 tally in favor of Rua. “OSP” dispatched the former Pride Fighting Championships star via knockout in just 34 seconds when they initially squared off at UFC Fight Night 56 on Nov. 8, 2014.
Although neither fighter was especially eager to lead the dance, St. Preux (26-16, 14-11 UFC) laid the foundation for his victory by repeatedly attacking his foe’s body with kicks. His midsection reddened from the damage, Rua (27-13-1, 11-11-1 UFC) answered with sporadic punching combinations and leg kicks. St. Preux was more aggressive in the final stanza, backing up the Brazilian with straight lefts to open up a cut near Rua’s right eye while continuing his body work.
Rua has lost two straight bouts for the third time in his UFC tenure.
Brown confounds Williams
It was a case of variety trumping power for Randy Brown, who edged Kalinn Williams via split decision in a featured welterweight bout. Judges Chris Lee and Junichiro Kamijo saw it 29-28 for “Rude Boy,” while Rick Winter submitted a 29-28 scorecard for Williams. Brown has won three straight and five of his last six in UFC competition overall.
Holding his hands low, Brown (15-4, 9-4 UFC) kept Williams (13-3, 4-2 UFC) off balance with unorthodox movement, stance switches and a versatile striking arsenal. The New York native repeatedly doubled up on his jab and was especially effective when he followed with a searing right hand. Additionally, Brown rattled his foe with a front kick to the face, a wicked standing elbow and knees in the clinch at various moments in the bout.
Still, Williams’ trademark power flashed on two occasions, as he clipped Brown with a short right hook to the chin in Round 1 and sent him to the canvas with another powerful right hand in the third period. Ultimately, Brown was able to recover on both occasions and turn the tide in his favor.
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