UFC 207 Prelims: Neil Magny Deals Johny Hendricks Third Consecutive Defeat
Neil Magny answered takedowns with damage.
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Hendricks (17-6, 12-6 UFC) struck for takedowns in all three rounds but failed to consolidate them with meaningful offense. Magny made the most of his opportunities off his back at the end of the first and third rounds. There, he threatened Hendricks with triangle chokes and battered him with elbows, as he stymied whatever momentum the four-time NCAA All-American had picked up.
Once the sport’s top welterweights, Hendricks has lost three fights
in a row.
Carlos Jr. Snaps Vettori Streak
“The Ultimate Fighter Brazil” winner Antonio Carlos Jr. ran Marvin Vettori through a labyrinth of takedowns and clinches in capturing a unanimous decision in their three-round undercard encounter at 185 pounds. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 29-28 for Carlos Jr. (7-2, 4-2 UFC).
Vettori (11-3, 1-1 UFC) had his moments but struggled to get traction. A foul-filled first round -- the two middleweights traded eye pokes -- gave way to a strong second for the former Venator Fighting Championship titleholder. Vettori punched into top position and then cracked the Brazilian with elbows and hammerfists before fishing for a guillotine. Carlos Jr. withstood the brush of adversity and reclaimed control in Round 3, where he stifled the 23-year-old in close quarters.
The loss snapped Vettori’s six-fight winning streak.
Garcia KOs Reeling Pyle
Tristar Gym export Alex Garcia knocked out former World Extreme Cagefighting champion Mike Pyle in the first round of their preliminary welterweight affair. An unconscious Pyle (27-13-1, 10-8 UFC) hit the deck 3:34 into Round 1. No follow-up shots were necessary.
Garcia (14-3, 4-2 UFC) delivered a takedown, passed to side control and cut loose with some ground-and-pound before returning to an upright position. He then countered a knee from Pyle with a booming overhand right that sent him crashing backward, his head bouncing violently off the canvas.
The 29-year-old Garcia has won eight of his past 10 bouts.
Price Choke Submits Thatch
American Top Team prospect Niko Price submitted Brandon Thatch with a first-round arm-triangle choke in a preliminary clash at 170 pounds. Thatch (11-5, 2-4 UFC) conceded defeat 4:30 into Round 1, as he suffered his fourth consecutive defeat.
Price (9-0, 1-0 UFC) struck for a takedown, freed himself from an attempted kimura and moved to an advantageous position. He framed an arm-triangle before transitioning to the back and briefly threatening with a rear-naked choke. Price then switched back to the arm-triangle, passed to a knee-on belly position and forced the tap.
The 27-year-old Price has finished eight of his nine opponents.
Means-Oliveira Ends in No-Contest
An undercard welterweight battle between Tim Means and Alex Oliveira resulted in a no-contest following two knee strikes that were deemed illegal by referee Dan Miragliotta. The end came 3:33 into Round 1, and it was not without controversy.
Means (26-7-1, 8-4 UFC) executed a takedown and applied his ground-and-pound before the Brazilian moved to a kneeling position against the fence. Oliveira (15-4-1, 5-2 UFC) had two points of contact with the mat -- his left knee and his right foot -- as he absorbed two devastating knees to the head from the former two-division King of the Cage champion. Miragliotta saw the blows as fouls, leading to the no-contest despite protests from Means.
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