UFC 159 Prelims: Thumb Injury Spoils Octagon Debut for Yancy Medeiros

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Yancy Medeiros was out of commission with a knee injury for nearly three years. The 25-year-old Hawaiian lightweight appears to be headed back to the sidelines.

Medeiros (9-1, 0-1 UFC) suffered a gruesome thumb dislocation in a first-round technical knockout loss to Rustam Khabilov at UFC 159 “Jones vs. Sonnen” on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Referee Dan Miragliotta took one look at Medeiros’ right hand and called for an immediate stoppage 2:32 into round one.

In his first appearance since June 2010, the previously unbeaten Medeiros suffered the injury while defending a takedown from the 26-year-old Russian. Khabilov (16-1, 1-0 UFC) has rattled off five consecutive victories.

St. Preux Awarded Controversial Decision

An accidental eye poke from Ovince St. Preux resulted in a premature and controversial conclusion to his light heavyweight tilt with former Ring of Combat champion Gian Villante. St. Preux (13-5, 1-0 UFC) was awarded a majority technical decision by 30-28, 30-29 and 29-29 scores after referee Kevin Mulhall called for the stoppage 33 seconds into round three.

Villante (10-4, 0-1 UFC), who appeared to have turned the tide of the fight with a series of thudding leg kicks, dropped to a knee after the eye poke. Mulhall asked whether or not he could see, and when the New York native indicated he could not, the referee called for an immediate stoppage. The controversial finish snapped Villante’s streak of three consecutive wins.

Unbeaten McMann Stops Gaff

Olympian Sara McMann kept her perfect professional record intact, as she put away German prospect Sheila Gaff with first-round punches from the mounted crucifix in a women’s undercard matchup at 135 pounds. Gaff (10-5-1, 0-1 UFC) succumbed to the blows 4:06 into round one, her modest three-fight winning streak a thing of the past.

McMann (7-0, 1-0 UFC), a silver medalist in the 2004 Summer Olympics, struck for a takedown inside the first five seconds and softened her foe with punches and elbows from the top.

After a restart, McMann pressed the Energy Gym representative into the cage, secured another takedown and moved to side control. She then trapped Gaff in the mounted crucifix, let loose with punches and forced referee Gasper Oliver to intervene.

Caraway Guillotine Submits Bedford

Bryan Caraway delivered his fourth win in five outings, as he submitted Johnny Bedford with a third-round guillotine choke in an undercard duel at 135 pounds. A late replacement for Erik Perez, Caraway (18-6, 3-1 UFC) brought it to a close 4:44 into round three.

Bedford (19-10-1, 2-1 UFC) held a substantial advantage on the feet, but he succumbed to well-timed takedowns from the 28-year-old Yakima, Wash., native in all three rounds. Late in the third, Caraway lulled Bedford into a false sense of security, locked down a mounted guillotine choke and secured the tapout.

McKenzie Hands Garcia Fifth Straight Loss

Takedowns, superior grappling and an endless stream of attempted submissions carried Cody McKenzie to a lopsided unanimous decision over the reeling Leonard Garcia in a preliminary featherweight duel. McKenzie (14-3, 3-3 UFC) swept the scorecards by 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27 scores.

A quarterfinalist on Season 12 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” McKenzie struck for takedowns in all three rounds and had Garcia (15-11-1, 2-7 UFC) in constant peril. The 25-year-old Alaskan nearly finished in the first round with one of his patented guillotine chokes; only the bell stood between him and the submission.

As the fight deepened, Garcia resorted to the wild windmill punches for which he has become known. Very few of them found the mark. The Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts export has lost five in a row.

Siler Outduels Newcomer Holobaugh

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 14 quarterfinalist Steven Siler recorded his eighth win in 10 appearances, as he captured a unanimous decision from Kurt Holobaugh in an undercard clash at 145 pounds. All three cageside judges scored it for Siler (22-10, 4-1 UFC) by identical 29-28 marks.

Siler did his best work in frames one and three, as he scored from the Thai plum, transitioned to the Louisianan’s back, bloodied him with ground-and-pound and threatened to finish it with rear-naked chokes. Holobaugh (9-2, 0-1 UFC) kept his nose in the fight with a strong second period, but could not mount enough of a charge to overcome Siler’s bookend rounds.

The 26-year-old Holobaugh has dropped back-to-back bouts after opening his professional career with a nine-fight winning streak.