Francis Ngannou Returns to Form, Blasts Curtis Blaydes in UFC Fight Night 141 Headliner
Francis Ngannou got back to what he does best.
“The Predator” steadied himself in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s heavyweight division, as he blew away Curtis Blaydes with punches in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 141 headliner on Saturday at the Cadillac Arena in Beijing. Blaydes (10-2, 5-2 UFC) met his end 45 seconds into Round 1, his four-fight winning streak now in the rearview mirror.
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The 32-year-old Ngannou now owns a 2-0 advantage in his head-to-head series with Blaydes.
Overeem Spoils Pavlovich Debut
Former Dream and Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem smashed through the previously unbeaten Sergei Pavlovich with devastating ground-and-pound in the first round of their heavyweight co-main event. Pavlovich (12-1, 0-1 UFC) packed his bags 4:21 into Round 1. Overeem (44-17, 9-6 UFC) lured the Russian into the clinch, softened him with a series of knees to the body and then executed a takedown from the collar tie. He successfully navigated the Pavlovich guard, lulled him into a false sense of security and slowly increased the intensity of his strikes. Powerful punches and hammerfists forced the Octagon newcomer to cover up, and he did not answer repeated calls from the referee to return fire. The win snapped a two-fight losing streak for Overeem.
Prospect Song Outduels Morales
The creative and lightning-quick Yadong Song pushed his winning streak to six fights with a unanimous decision over Bellator MMA alum Vince Morales in a three-round bantamweight feature. Song (13-3, 3-0 UFC) swept the scorecards with identical 30-27 nods from the judges. A substitute for the injured Frankie Saenz, Morales (8-3, 0-1 UFC) handled the pressures of his organizational debut with an admirable resolve but lacked the weaponry he needed to deal with the Team Alpha Male prospect. Song, 20, unleashed jabs, leg kicks and spinning back kicks to the body, all while pressing forward with a ruthless purpose. He kept Morales guessing late, mixing in a pair of takedowns in the third round.
Li Body Kick Folds Zawada
Developing China Top Team star Jingliang Li put away David Zawada with a side kick to the body and follow-up punches in the third round of their welterweight showcase. A late replacement for the injured Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, Zawada (16-5, 0-2 UFC) wilted 4:07 into Round 3.
Li (16-5, 8-3 UFC) overcome a sluggish start and found another gear in the second and third rounds. He chopped away at Zawada’s lead leg with thudding kicks, piled up points with an effective jab and connected with a few overhand rights. Late in Round 3, Li drove his heel into the KSW veteran’s solar plexus, forced him to a seated position against the cage and let his hands go until the job was done.
The 30-year-old Li has compiled a 6-1 record across his last seven outings.
Morono Shuts Out Song
Former Legacy Fighting Championship titleholder Alex Morono won for the fourth time in six Octagon appearances, as he cruised to a unanimous decision over Kenan Song in a preliminary welterweight duel. All three cageside judges scored it 30-27 for Morono (15-5, 4-2 UFC).
Song (13-4, 2-1 UFC) fought well in spurts but remained a step behind the Brazilian jiu-jitsu and taekwondo black belt. Morono bloodied the sanshou stylist’s nose with arcing overhand rights, integrated occasional leg kicks and answered him at every turn, obliging him at times with wild standup exchanges. The 28-year-old weathered an inadvertent eye poke in the third round, maintained his pace and refused to give in to fatigue.
The setback brought an end to Song’s modest two-fight winning streak.
Wu Armbar Dismisses Unbeaten Mueller
Yanan Wu submitted previously undefeated Alliance MMA export Lauren Mueller with an armbar in the first round of their preliminary encounter at 125 pounds. A short-notice fill-in for the injured Shana Dobson, Mueller (5-1, 1-1 UFC) raised the white flag 4:00 into Round 1.
Wu (10-2, 1-1 UFC) did not offer much in the way of meaningful offense prior to the finish. Mueller backed up the 22-year-old with multi-punch volleys and cut off her advances in the clinch. The Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender series graduate knocked down an off-balance Wu with a left hook but wandered too deeply into her guard. Soon after, Mueller was hopelessly entangled in the fight-ending armbar.
Wu has won three of her past four bouts.
Coulter Turns Away Hu, Ends Skid
A punishing Piston Honda jab and crushing power punches carried Fortis MMA’s Rashad Coulter to a unanimous decision over Yaozong Hu in a preliminary light heavyweight tilt. Coulter (9-4, 1-3 UFC) swept the scorecards with 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 marks from the judges, halting a three-fight losing streak.
Hu (3-2, 0-2 UFC) enjoyed success in the clinch and zeroed in on the lower leg with calf kicks but had no real answers for the firepower his counterpart brought to the table. Coulter drew blood with a standing elbow and decked the 23-year-old with a straight right hand in the first round, peppered him with jabs in the second and withstood a late rally in the third.
Zhang Obliterates Aguilar, Extends Streak
Black Tiger Fight Club standout Weili Zhang submitted former World Series of Fighting champion Jessica Aguilar with an armbar in the first round of their undercard battle at 115 pounds. Aguilar (20-7, 1-3 UFC) surrendered 3:41 into Round 1, as he was finished for the first time in more than a decade.
Zhang (18-1, 2-0 UFC) cut the American Top Team product on the left side of the forehead with a clinch elbow, executed a takedown and grinded away from side control. She then locked up a triangle choke, battered the bloodied Aguilar with slashing elbows from the bottom and transitioned to the armbar, eliciting the tapout.
The 29-year-old Zhang has won 18 fights in a row, 16 of them finishes.
Surging Liu Edges Day
Team Alpha Male representative Pingyuan Liu ran his current winning streak to nine fights with a split decision over former Universal Reality Combat Championship titleholder Martin Day in a preliminary bantamweight confrontation. All three judges struck 29-28 scorecards, two of them siding with Liu (13-5, 2-0 UFC).
Neither man managed to create separation. Liu threatened with a guillotine choke in the first round and sat down Day with a counter right hand in the third before he scrambled to the back, cinched a body triangle and neutralized the Hawaiian. Day (8-3, 0-1 UFC) did his best work in the middle frame, where he targeted the body with punches and kicks to visible effect. Nevertheless, his efforts fell short.
The defeat snapped Day’s three-fight winning streak.
Yan Outpoints Kondo, Moves to 3-0 in UFC
China Top Team’s Xiaonan Yan outstruck former Pancrase champion Syuri Kondo to a clear-cut unanimous decision in a three-round undercard clash at 115 pounds. All three cageside judges arrived at the same verdict: 30-27 for Yan (10-1, 3-0 UFC).
Kondo (6-2, 1-2 UFC) was simply outgunned. Yan controlled the vast majority of standup exchanges with a high-volume onslaught, firing away in three-, four- and five-strike bursts. The 29-year-old paired low kicks with crisp punching combinations and the occasional spinning attack. Kondo marched forward for the duration but spent much of her time eating punches and kicks from her tireless Chinese counterpart.
Yan now finds herself on a three-fight winning streak.
Holland Choke Dispatches Phillips
Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series alum Kevin Holland disposed of John Phillips with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their preliminary middleweight affair. Still winless inside the Octagon, Phillips (21-8, 0-2 UFC) conceded defeat 4:05 into Round 3.
Operating behind a four-inch height and six-inch reach advantage, Holland (13-4, 1-1 UFC) handled his business with a multi-pronged kicking game, a stiff jab and effective counterpunching. His efforts took their toll on Phillips. Holland struck for multiple takedowns in the third round, chipped away at the SBG Ireland-trained Welshman and ultimately transitioned to the back. From there, the 26-year-old Travis Lutter protégé snaked his arms in place and prompted the submission.
Holland has rattled off five victories across his last six appearances.
Smolka Armbar Submits Mudaerji
Team Oyama’s Louis Smolka submitted promotional newcomer Su Mudaerji with an armbar in the second round of their undercard pairing at 135 pounds. Mudaerji (8-2, 0-1 UFC) bowed out 2:07 into Round 2, closing the book on his two-fight winning streak.
Smolka (14-5, 6-5 UFC) flirted with a finish in the first round, where he executed a takedown, advanced to the back and flattened out the 22-year-old Chinese prospect before applying heavy ground-and-pound in the waning seconds. He delivered another takedown in the middle stanza, moved to full mount and caught the armbar during a subsequent scramble. With his limb bent beyond its bounds, Mudaerji had no choice but to tap.
Smolka, 27, has won four fights in a row.
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