UFC Fight Night 169 Prelims: Hard-Charging Brendan Allen Mauls Tom Breese

Make that straight for @BrendanAllenMMA! #UFCNorfolk pic.twitter.com/9AGeYJfiqU

— UFC (@ufc) March 1, 2020

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Brendan Allen could not have handled his business any better.

The onetime Legacy Fighting Championship titleholder put away Tom Breese with punches in the first round of their featured UFC Fight Night 169 middleweight prelim on Saturday at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. In his first appearance since May 27, 2018, Breese (11-2, 4-2 UFC) bowed out 4:47 into Round 1.

Still unbeaten under the Ultimate Fighting Championship banner, Allen (14-3, 2-0 UFC) countered a takedown from the Tristar Gym rep, landed in top position and eventually transitioned to side control. From there, he attempted to frame a kimura, bailed on the submission and let punches and elbows do the rest. Despite repeated calls from referee Bill Bookwalter to defend himself, Breese could only turtle at the base of the cage.

Allen, 24, will carry a six-fight winning streak into his next assignment.

Phillips Soars Past Silva

Clean combination punching and stellar topside grappling carried MMA Lab prospect Kyler Phillips to a unanimous decision over Gabriel Silva in a three-round bantamweight scrap. All three cageside judges struck 30-27 scorecards for Phillips (7-1, 1-0 UFC), another intriguing talent spawned by Dana White’s Contender Series.

Silva (8-2, 0-2 UFC) was aggressive in spurts but lacked the horsepower necessary to give the John Crouch protégé real pause. Phillips pieced together two-, three- and sometimes four-punch volleys and wore down the Team Nogueira representative with sustained offense. He more than held his own on the ground, too, as he achieved full mount on multiple occasions and threatened Silva with a brabo choke in the third round.

Phillips has rebounded from his first professional setback—a split decision loss to Victor Henry in 2018—with back-to-back wins.

Tybura Manhandles Spivak

Former M-1 Global champion Marcin Tybura put the brakes on a two-fight losing streak, as he took a unanimous decision from Sergey Spivak in a three-round heavyweight clash. Scores were 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28—all for Tybura (18-6, 5-5 UFC), who rebounded from back-to-back defeats to Shamil Abdurakhimov and Augusto Sakai.

Spivak (10-2, 1-2 UFC) enjoyed success in the standup exchanges but spent the majority of his time on his back. Tybura struck for takedowns in all three rounds, shifted to advantageous positions, piled up points with punches and elbows and attempted to create openings for submissions.

The victory was Tybura’s first since July 22, 2018.

Related » UFC Norfolk Round-by-Round Scoring

Pena Dominates Replacement Garcia

American Top Team representative Luis Pena won for the third time in four outings, as he cruised to a unanimous decision over Steve Garcia in a three-round lightweight affair. Pena (8-2, 4-2 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27 marks from all three judges.

A late replacement for Alex Munoz, Garcia (11-4, 0-1 UFC) was valiant in defeat. Pena exploited his physical advantages, moved to the back in all three rounds and hunted rear-naked chokes while peppering the Jackson-Wink MMA export with punches and elbows. Garcia cinched a triangle choke at the start of the third round and did everything in his power to pull off the Hail Mary submission. Once “Violent Bob Ross” freed himself, those hopes were effectively dashed.

The setback snapped Garcia’s run of four straight wins.

Griffin Guillotine Submits Brown

Former King of the Cage champion Jordan Griffin put T.J. Brown to sleep with a guillotine choke in the second round of their featherweight pairing. Brown (14-7, 0-1 UFC) lost consciousness 3:38 into Round 2, closing the book on his four-fight winning streak.

Brown delivered multiple takedowns in the first round but failed to make the most of his opportunities on the ground. Griffin (18-7, 1-2 UFC) countered a takedown from the Westside Fight Team standout in the middle stanza, locked in the guillotine and squeezed until the deed was done.

The win halted Griffin’s two-fight losing streak, likely preserving his spot on the UFC roster.

Replacement Carlyle Obliterates Cruz

Spike Carlyle dazzled in his organizational debut, as he cut down Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Aalon Cruz with punches in the first round of their featherweight encounter. Cruz (8-3, 0-1 UFC) succumbed to blows 1:25 into Round 1, suffering his first loss in nearly three years.

A short-notice substitution for Steven Peterson, Carlyle (9-1, 1-0 UFC) connected with a head kick, denied an attempted takedown and staggered the Floridian with a close-quarters elbow strike. He then flurried with punches, drove Cruz to the canvas and sealed his fate with a burst of punches.

Caryle, 26, has rattled off five consecutive victories.

Undefeated Brady Outduels Naurdiev

Former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder Sean Brady kept his perfect professional record intact, as he posted a unanimous decision over Ismail Naurdiev in a three-round confrontation at 170 pounds. All three cageside judges scored it for the undefeated Brady (12-0, 2-0 UFC): 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27.

Naurdiev (19-4, 2-2 UFC) outstruck his counterpart across the first five minutes, focusing most of his efforts on the body and legs. The undeterred Brady executed two takedowns in the second round, then hit the accelerator in the third. There, he struck for two more takedowns, applied his ground-and-pound and made a pass at a last-second guillotine choke.

The 23-year-old Naurdiev has lost twice in his last three appearances.