UFC Fight Night 150 Prelims: Takashi Sato Dazzles in Octagon Debut

Welcome to the UFC Takashi Sato!!#UFCFtLauderdale pic.twitter.com/7BYFKZlaHu

— UFC (@ufc) April 28, 2019

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Former Pancrase star Takashi Sato was impressive in his Octagon debut on Saturday as he flattened longtime veteran Ben Saunders in the UFC Fight Night 150 featured preliminary contest.

Sato (15-2) was clipped by a right hook in the first and was on wobbly legs, but “Killa B” couldn’t finish him off. Sato returned the favor a minute later and then turned out Saunders’ lights in the next stanza. The Japanese fighter cracked Saunders (22-12) with a perfect one-two to the jaw, dropping the Floridian. From there, Sato pounced on his woozy foe and unleashed a wave of punches and elbows until referee Larry Downs Jr. had no choice but to intervene. The end came at 1:18 of the second.

Sakai Nabs Controversial Decision

Heavyweight contender Augusto Sakai improved to 13-1 by edging former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski over three rounds.

The two fought at a slow, measured pace throughout and it appeared as though Arlovski (27-18) landed the far better strikes in the contest. Arlovski was busier and seemed to do more than enough to win, but two judges thought differently. While one official scored it 29-28 for “The Pit Bull,” that score was offset by the others who favored Sakai with 29-28 scores, giving the Brazilian the win via split decision.

Related » UFC Ft. Lauderdale Round-by-Round Scoring

Esparza Guts Out Tough Win

Former UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza turned away unbeaten prospect Virna Jandiroba as she bested her via unanimous decision.

Esparza landed the better overall strikes on the feet, but it was her multitude of takedowns that were the difference in the duel. Jandiroba (14-1) landed a few takedowns of her own, but “Cookie Monster” landed more of them and hers were more aesthetically pleasing. In the end, two judges saw it 30-27 and the third had it 29-28 for Esparza, who improved to 14-6.

Burns First to Finish Davis

Lightweight contender Gilbert Burns made it look easy against UFC debutant Mike Davis as he submitted him in the second. “Durinho” scored multiple takedowns before taking Davis’ back and when he did, the New Yorker was always in peril.

Davis (6-2) fended off both hooks, a body triangle and a few choke attempts. Burns was patient, though, as the Brazilian softened “Beast Boy” up with punches and open-handed strikes from behind and once Davis made the mistake of extending his neck out too far, it was over. Burns (15-3) sunk in a textbook rear-naked choke and forced Davis to tap out, ending the contest at 4:15 of the second.

Vintage Miller on Display Against Gonzalez

Longtime veteran lightweight Jim Miller has been struggling mightily the past two years, having lost five of six bouts coming into Saturday. But with his family sitting cageside, “A10” looked like a vintage version of himself as he trounced tough opponent Jason Gonzalez in the featured early prelims bout.

Miller rocked “Nicoyas” with a left hand to the face early and then fought fiercely for a takedown. Once Miller (30-13) took his foe down, he seized his back and sunk in a textbook rear-naked choke. Gonzalez (11-5) had nowhere to go and finally bowed out; the submission came at 2:12 of the first, allowing Miller, who has been battling Lyme disease, to get back on track.

Hill Bests Esquibel

Veteran strawweight Angela Hill bounced back from two straight losses to topple Jodie Esquibel over three rounds of solid action. “Overkill” used an assortment of jabs and knees to the body against the constantly-charging Esquibel (6-5).

Neither woman was ever in any real danger of being stopped as it was largely a glorified kickboxing match, but Hill (9-6) was effective from start to finish. One judge had it 29-28 and the other two saw it 30-27 for Hill, who won a unanimous decision after taking the fight on a week’s notice.

Lima Takes Curtain Jerker

Welterweight contender Dhiego Lima scored an important win in the opening bout of the evening as he edged fellow TUF alum Court McGee over three rounds. Lima (14-7) used a stiff jab, solid footwork and an effective counter left hook to offset most of McGee’s gameplan for 15 minutes.

McGee (19-8) was unable to take the Brazilian down and keep him there and, aside from a volley of punches that dropped Lima with precious seconds left in the fight, he couldn’t get anything going. In the end, one judge scored the fight for “The Crusher” 29-28, but that tally was overturned by the other two officials who had it 30-27 and 29-28 for Lima, who won via split decision.