UFC 199 Prelims: Late Third-Round Brian Ortega Knee KOs Clay Guida

Brian Ortega made another significant stride in his development.

The former Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion knocked out Clay Guida with a perfectly timed knee strike in the third round of their featherweight showdown at UFC 199 “Rockhold vs. Bisping 2” on Saturday at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Ortega (11-0, 3-0 UFC) finished it 4:40 into round three.

Guida (32-17, 12-11 UFC) sat down the Californian with a left hook and frustrated him with in-and-out movement throughout the first round. Ortega started to establish his rhythm in the middle stanza, where he fired off a pesky jab and connected with uppercuts with both hands. The 25-year-old grew more confident and more aggressive in round three; and with a little more than 20 seconds remaining in the bout, Ortega caught Guida ducking. He delivered a crushing knee to the head that prompted referee Herb Dean to act.

Related » UFC 199 Round-by-Round Scoring

Dariush Flattens Previously Undefeated Vick

Kings MMA standout Beneil Dariush knocked out “The Ultimate Fighter 15” alum James Vick with a wicked left hook in the first round of their undercard encounter at 155 pounds. Vick (9-1, 5-1 UFC) folded 4:16 into round one, his first pro defeat decisive in nature.

Dariush (13-2, 7-2 UFC) waded through a pair of eye pokes to get the job done. The Rafael Cordeiro protégé bludgeoned Vick on the feet, softening him with punches and kicks before leveling him with an overhand left. The ground-and-pound that followed almost forced the finish. Vick somehow survived and returned to his feet, but his resilience only prolonged the inevitable. Dariush set him on rubbery legs with another left behind the ear, pushed him against the cage and created the space necessary to deliver the kills shot.

The 27-year-old Dariush has rattled off six wins in seven outings.

Andrade Blitzes Overmatched Penne

A rabid Jessica Andrade cut down onetime Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder Jessica Penne with second-round punches in a preliminary women’s strawweight battle. Andrade (14-5, 5-3 UFC) brought it to a close 2:56 into round two, the former bantamweight announcing herself as an immediate person of interest at 115 pounds.

Penne (12-4, 1-2 UFC) never stood a chance. Andrade ripped into her with savage multi-punch volleys to the head and body, as she bottled up the Alliance MMA rep along the fence. She doubled over an increasingly helpless Penne with a body shot in the waning moments of round one. The minute-long break between rounds changed nothing. Andrade picked up where she left off in the second, closed the distance and let her hands go until referee Jason Herzog had seen enough to call for a standing stoppage.

Resurgent ‘Bruce Leeroy’ Denies Miller

Slick combination punching, a handful of slams and flawless submission defense carried MMA Lab’s Alex Caceres to a unanimous decision over Cole Miller in a three-round undercard affair at 145 pounds. All three cageside judges scored it for Caceres (12-8, 7-6 UFC): 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27.

Miller (21-10, 10-8 UFC) was on the wrong side of a beating for two rounds, as “Bruce Leeroy” picked him apart with power punches and hit-and-run combinations. Despite the punishment he absorbed, the American Top Team vet pressed the issue; and in the third round, his persistence nearly paid off. There, Miller scrambled to the back and locked in a tight armbar. Caceres dodged the bullet, but in the closing seconds, Miller again advanced to the back and briefly threatened with a rear-naked choke.

Caceres has followed a three-fight losing streak with back-to-back wins.

Strickland Outduels Tristar Prospect Breese

Former King of the Cage champion Sean Strickland recorded his third win in as many appearances, as he eked out a split decision over Tristar Gym prospect Tom Breese in a preliminary welterweight clash. Scores were 29-28 for Breese, 29-28 and 29-28 for Strickland.

Neither man effectively separated himself from the other. Breese (10-1, 3-1 UFC) leaned on kicks and counterpunches but struggled with output. Strickland (18-1, 5-1 UFC) overcame a slow start and picked up his pace in the second round, where his stinging jab and forward movement became more and more problematic for the Englishman. He seemed to salt away the decision late in round three, as he popped Breese with a sneaky right hand, drove him to the canvas and swarmed with punches.

Unbeaten Da Silva Stops Wilson

Luis Henrique da Silva disposed of Millennia MMA’s Jonathan Wilson with second-round punches from the mount in an undercard tilt at 205 pounds. Wilson (7-1, 1-1 UFC) wilted to unanswered shots 4:11 into round two, his time as an undefeated professional at an end.

Da Silva (11-0, 1-0 UFC) made the most of his opportunity in his UFC debut. The 26-year-old Brazilian assaulted Wilson’s body with punches and knees, withstood a knockdown in round two and fought his way to an advantageous position. Da Silva swept into mount late in the second round and let the punches fly to force the stoppage.

Mutapcic, Casey Battle to Draw

Three rounds were not enough to decide the preliminary pairing between former Maximum Fighting Championship titleholder Elvis Mutapcic and Kevin Casey, as the two middleweights fought to a majority draw. Scores were 29-28 for Mutapcic, 29-28 for Casey and 28-28.

The son-in-law of the late Muhammad Ali, Casey (9-4-1, 1-2-1 UFC) came out strong but tailed off as the minutes ticked away. He spent significant chunks of the first 10 minutes in top position, achieving full mount in the second round. However, the Rickson Gracie-trained black belt exacted little damage. Mutapcic (15-4-1, 0-1-1 UFC) escaped the mount, returned to his feet and went to work in the clinch, where he attacked the body with knees and punches.

Casey was exhausted by the time round three arrived. Mutapcic chased down the Californian, piled up points in the clinch and countered a weak takedown attempt late in the frame, advancing to full mount. He unleashed punches and elbows until the final horn but could not produce the desired finish.

Reyes KOs Kim in Barnburner

Alliance MMA rep Marco Polo Reyes knocked out Deep veteran Dong Hyun Kim with third-round punches in a wild undercard scrap at 155 pounds. Kim (13-8-3, 0-2 UFC) succumbed to blows 1:52 into round three.

Neither man played much defense, as the two lightweights stood in front of one another and fired away. Reyes (6-2, 2-0 UFC) was the crisper puncher and delivered the cleaner shots, but his South Korean counterpart put up a serious fight. Kim staggered “The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America” graduate with left hooks on more than one occasion and executed takedowns in each of the first two rounds. Though visibly fatigued, Reyes refused to wilt. He dropped Kim twice in round one, chipped away with kicks and continued to string together punching combinations to the head and body. After 10 minutes, both men were bloodied.

Kim’s body finally failed him in the third round. There, Reyes wobbled him with a vicious straight right, cracked him with another as he fell backward and finished him with a final shot to the head before referee Mike Beltran could intervene.