UFC on ESPN 47 Prelims: Alessandro Costa Immobilizes, Batters Jimmy Flick

VICIOUS elbows for the finish for Alessandro Costa 💥 #UFCVegas75 pic.twitter.com/XLksrikZgq

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 18, 2023

Alessandro Costa found a weak point and attacked without remorse.

The former Lux Fight League champion put together a punishing performance in a technical knockout victory against Jimmy Flick on the UFC on ESPN 47 preliminary card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Costa (13-3, 1-1 UFC) ended the bout with a series of brutal elbows from top position at the 1:03 mark of the second stanza. The Brazilian Warriors export has finished 10 of his 13 professional triumphs inside the distance.

Related » UFC on ESPN 47 Round-by-Round Scoring

Costa laid the foundation for his victory by chopping away at Flick’s left leg, an approach that gradually immobolized the Oklahoman. In between, Costa unloaded with rapid-fire punching volleys to the head and body. Outgunned on the feet, Flick was unable to initiate any takedowns and by the beginning of the second stanza, he was clearly hobbled. That led to a desperation shot, which Costa stuffed with ease before moving into half guard and unleashing the fight-ending salvo.

Kang Chokes Out Quinonez

South Korean veteran Kyung Ho Kang took advantage of Crisitian Quinonez’s reckless aggression in a first-round submission victory at bantamweight. “Mr. Perfect” ended the bout with a rear-naked choke at the 2:25 mark of Round 1. Kang (19-9, 8-3, 1 NC) has won five of his last six Octagon appearances.

Quinonez started well, using his reach to land punches effectively The Mexican fighter rocked Kang with an overhand right and ensuing uppercut, but he become overzealous in the pocket from that point forward. With Quinonez pursuing the finish, Kang dropped his foe with a a two-punch counter and then assumed full mount on the mat after briefly threatening with an unorthodox choke. From there, he was able to transition to the fight-ending maneuver and elicit the tapout in a matter of seconds.

Hernandez Takes Technical Decision Over Bondar

Carlos Hernandez relied on impressive boxing and superior movement to capture a unanimous technical decision against Denys Bondar. The Chicago-based fighter received tallies of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 from the cageside judges after the contest was halted at the 4:59 mark of Round 3 due to an accidental clash of heads.

Hernandez (9-2, 2-1 UFC) attacked Bondar (14-3, 0-2 UFC) with multi-punch combinations throughout the contest, occasionally blending knees and kicks into his arsenal. Bondar, meanwhile, relied on big movements, including spinning kicks and winging punches, but he couldn’t match the volume of his opponent — nor could he ground his adversary for any significant period of time. Hernandez was already well on his way to an impressive unanimous decision victory before he decided to add one emphatic punctation mark to the contest. In the waning seconds of Round 3, the Chicago native slammed his foe to the canvas and pounded away with elbows for an apparent technical knockout victory. However, it was ultimately determined that Hernandez and Bondar clashed heads when they landed on the canvas, so the bout was scored where it ended.

Bleda Grounds Fernandes

Takedowns, control time and ground-and-pound carried Tereza Bleda past Gabriella Fernandes in a flyweight clash of Dana White’s Contender Series alums. Bleda received a trio of 30-27 tallies from the cageside judges.

Bleda, who owned a five-inch reach advantage, was able to ground her opponent in each frame. The former Oktagon MMA champion moved to mount in both the second and third stanzas, dropping punches and elbows from above. While Fernandes (8-3, 0-2 UFC) was helpless on the canvas, an aggressive burst to start Round 3 nearly turned the tide in her favor, as she had Bleda (7-1, 1-1 UFC) reeling due to a series of heavy punches on the feet. However, a perfectly-timed level change by Bleda with more than 3:00 remaining ended that rally.

Argueta vs. Lawrence Ends in No Contest

Neither Dan Argueta nor Ronnie Lawrence got a satisfying outcome from their bantamweight clash. The bout was ruled a no contest at the 2:20 mark of Round 1 after referee Keith Peterson prematurely waved off the fight due to what he perceived to be a tapout from Lawrence (8-2, 2-1, 1 NC UFC).

Argueta (9-1, 1-1, 1 NC UFC) was aggressive from the outset, as he secured an early takedown and scrambled effectively while threatening with submissions. The Jackson-Wink MMA representative jumped for a guillotine choke, then switched to a brabo choke before going back to the guillotine. From there, Argueta tightened the maneuver while stepping into mount. Lawrence lifted his right hand, seemingly poised to tap, which prompted Peterson to take a close look. The veteran referee then appeared to touch Lawrence’ hand, and the featherweight hit Argueta’s back once while moving his limb away from Peterson. Upon further review, it was determined that Lawrence didn’t tap and the initial ruling was overturned.

Bukauskas Edges Pauga

Former Cage Warriors champion Modestas Bukauskas relied on impactful counter striking to capture a closely-contested unanimous verdict over “The Ultimate Fighter 30” finalist Zac Pauga in a light heavyweight affair. All three judges scored the fight in favor of the Lithuania native: 30-27, 29-28, 29-28. Bukauskas (15-5, 3-3 UFC) has won four straight professional outings.

In a fight that was contested primarily on the feet, Pauga often led the dance. The former Houston Texan lunged forward with punching combinations, clipping Bukauskas early in Round 1 and sitting him down briefly with a right in the second stanza. “The Baltic Gladiator” had his share of moments, as well. He backed Pauga up with counter left hooks and straight rights, including one shot that stumbled his adversary late in Round 1. Bukauskas also had success landing the occasional kick, while Pauga relied almost exclusively on his hands and landed the fight’s only takedown.