UFC 279 Prelims: Julian Erosa Springs Upset on Overweight Hakeem Dawodu

Juicy J closing out the prelims 👏

Here’s your 𝑺𝑯𝑶𝑻 𝑶𝑭 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑵𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻 📸

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— UFC (@ufc) September 11, 2022

Hakeem Dawodu failed on the scales, then failed in the cage.

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 22 semifinalist Julian Erosa shined as an underdog in perhaps his most complete performance as a member of the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster, as he cruised to a one-sided unanimous decision over Dawodu in their featured UFC 279 featherweight prelim on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges scored it 30-27 for Erosa (28-9, 6-5 UFC), who suddenly finds himself on a three-fight winning streak.

Dawodu (13-3-1, 6-3 UFC)—who missed weight for the bout by nearly four pounds—endured a difficult first round in which he was twice badly hurt by right hands and never seemed to recover. Erosa incorporated takedowns in the second and third rounds, advanced to the back, secured his position with a body triangle and fished for chokes while piling up points with ground-and-pound. Dawodu has no answers.

Almeida Choke Submits Turkalj

Former Thunder Fight champion Jailton Almeida dispatched the previously undefeated Anton Turkalj with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their catchweight battle at 220 pounds. A short-notice substitution for Shamil Abdurakhimov, Turkalj (8-1, 0-1 UFC) conceded defeat 4:27 into Round 1.

Almeida (17-2, 3-0 UFC) executed a pair of takedowns inside the first minute and methodically went about dissecting the situation on the mat. He progressed to full mount, made a pass at an arm-triangle and turned to his ground-and-pound as a clever distraction. There was no escape for Turkalj. The GBG MMA rep surrendered his back under duress, at which point Almeida cinched the fight-ending choke.

The 31-year-old Almeida will carry a 12-fight winning streak into his next assignment.

Related » UFC 279 Round-by-Round Scoring

Tiuliulin Crowds, Overwhelms Pickett

Denis Tiuliulin lured Jamie Pickett into a firefight and disposed of the Dana White’s Contender Series graduate with knee strikes and follow-up punches in the second round of their middleweight confrontation. Pickett (13-8, 2-4 UFC) checked out 4:52 into Round 2.

The 34-year-old Tiuliulin (10-6, 1-1 UFC) broke down the St. Louis native with merciless pressure. He crowded Pickett with punches, forced him to fight off his back foot and wrecked him at close range. Tiuliulin floored “The Nightwolf” with a standing elbow midway through the second round, allowed him to return to his feet and eventually decked him again with a pair of knees to the head. Pickett turtled in a kneeling position at the base of the cage, offered no intelligent defense and forced referee Mike Beltran to act.

Tiuliulin has nailed down nine of his 10 career victories by knockout or technical knockout.

Barnett Comeback Shocks Collier

Chris Barnett put away former Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion Jake Collier with punches in the second round of their spectacularly sloppy heavyweight slugfest. Barnett (23-8, 2-2 UFC)—who missed weight for the match—brought it to a close 2:24 into Round 2, winning for the eighth time in 10 appearances.

Collier (13-8, 5-7 UFC) nearly finished it in a woefully lopsided first round, where he dropped the “Huggy Bear” with a right hand that resulted in a cut and severe swelling around his left eye. He later executed a takedown, climbed to full mount, poured on the punishment and threatened with a rear-naked choke. Barnett refused to go away. The lovable Georgian sprawled on a takedown in the middle stanza, wheeled to the back, assumed a dominant position and unleashed with punches and hammerfists. Barnett eventually progressed to mount and continued to let his hands go until referee Mark Smith had seen enough.

The 33-year-old Collier has suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time as a pro.

Dumont Dominates Overmatched Wolf

Norma Dumont made her case as potential title contender at 145 pounds, as she took a one-sided unanimous verdict from Alliance MMA product Danyelle Wolf in a three-round women’s featherweight encounter. Scores were 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26, all for Dumont (8-2, 4-2 UFC).

Wolf (1-1, 0-1 UFC) was a non-factor. After a largely uneventful first round, Dumont floored the 39-year-old three-time national boxing champion twice with right hands in the second and never looked back. The Brazilian sanda stylist took down Wolf in Round 3, achieved full mount on multiple occasions and applied her ground-and-pound whenever she felt the need to do so.

Dumont, 31, has won four of her last five bouts.

Surging Alateng Sinks Anheliger

Clean power punching, thumping leg kicks and sublime distance control spurred Fight Ready export Heili Alateng to a unanimous decision over Chad Anheliger in a three-round bantamweight clash. All three members of the cageside judiciary struck 30-27 scorecards for Alateng (16-8-2, 4-1-1 UFC), who continues to make subtle inroads at 135 pounds.

Anheliger (12-6, 1-1 UFC) was outmatched, technically and athletically. Alatang drew first blood in the first round, where he peppered the Dana White's Contender Series alum with overhand rights and left hooks. He built his lead further in the middle stanza, then delivered multiple takedowns in the third to salt aways his second straight victory.

The loss was Anheliger’s first since June 13, 2014 and snapped his 10-fight winning streak.

Reed Subdues Unbeaten Martinez

Kickside Martial Arts standout Elise Reed won for the second time in three outings, as she laid claim to a unanimous decision over previously unbeaten former Combate Global champion Melissa Martinez in a three-round women’s strawweight tilt. A late substitution for Hannah Cifers, Reed (6-2, 2-2 UFC) swept the scorecards with 29-28 marks across the board.

Martinez (7-1, 0-1 UFC) enjoyed sustained success with kicks to the inside of her counterpart’s lead leg but spent far too much time on her bicycle. Reed blindsided and dropped her with a right hand in the first round, often bullied her in the clinch and then secured three takedowns in the second half of the third. While far from a comprehensive performance, it got the job done.

Lainesse Outduels Replacement Weeks

Jabs, leg kicks and evasive movement carried former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder Yohan Lainesse to a split decision over Darian Weeks in a three-round welterweight pairing. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28: Michael Bell and Tony Weeks for Lainesse, Ron McCarthy for Weeks.

A short-notice replacement for Miguel Baeza, Weeks (5-3, 0-3 UFC) struggled to establish anything resembling consistency. Lainesse was content to circle on the perimeter, picking his spots with one-twos aimed at the head. Weeks executed a high-amplitude takedown in the second round and connected with a few stomps to the lead leg but never managed to seize the reins.