Jared Cannonier Turns Away Gregory Rodrigues in UFC Vegas 102 Main Event

Jared Cannonier may not be as far over the hill as some thought.

The 40-year-old MMA Lab star stood his ground in the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division, as he punched out Gregory Rodrigues in the fourth round of their UFC Fight Night 251 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Cannonier (18-8, 11-8 UFC) closed it out 21 seconds into Round 4, rebounding from back-to-back defeats to Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho in resounding fashion.

Rodrigues (16-6, 7-3 UFC) roared out of the gate with an overwhelming first round, as he decked “The Killa Gorilla” twice with right hands. However, it proved to be an unsustainable pace for the Brazilian. Cannonier called upon his guile and big-fight experience to push the former Legacy Fighting Alliance titleholder out of his comfort zone and beyond his bounds. He leveled Rodrigues with a standing elbow and followed up with ground-and-pound near the end of the third round, and as the Brazilian meandered back to his corner, it became clear his time was almost up. Cannonier pressed him into the fence at the start of Round 4 and uncorked a volley of right hooks to the body and head. Rodrigues folded where he stood, bringing about the stoppage.

Meanwhile, resurgent Factory X rep Youssef Zalal outstruck and outmaneuvered Calvin Kattar to a unanimous decision in their three-round featherweight co-main event. All three judges scored it the same: 29-28 for Zalal (17-5-1, 7-3-1 UFC), who has posted seven straight wins.

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The 36-year-old Kattar (23-9, 7-7 UFC) spent much of the match giving chase and swinging at air. Zalal’s skill, athleticism and mobility proved to be too difficult a puzzle to solve for the Massachusetts native. He hammered away at Kattar with jabs—two, three and four at a time—and sharp leg kicks while also putting stance switches, feints and level changes to use. All of it conspired to keep Kattar frustrated and off-balance. “The Boston Finisher” applied maximum pressure in the third round, and while he enjoyed some late success against a backpedaling Zalal, the outcome had already been decided.

Kattar now finds himself on a career-worst four-fight losing streak.

Further down the draw, Xtreme Couture’s Edmen Shahbazyan put away fellow Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Dylan Budka with punches in the first round of their middleweight showcase. Budka (7-5, 0-3 UFC) bowed out 1:35 into Round 1 and remains winless inside the Octagon.

Shahbazyan (14-5, 7-5 UFC) left his footprint on the Demolition Fight Team rep’s ribcage with a savage body kick and stayed on the hunt. He slipped two jabs from Budka and countered with a crushing right cross, the impact of the blow echoing through the arena. It was the beginning of the end. Budka stumbled backward and collapsed at the base of the cage, where he was met with a few follow-up punches that necessitated the stoppage.

The 27-year-old Shahabzyan has 12 first-round finishes to his credit.

Elsewhere, Serra-Longo Fight Team export Nazim Sadykhov prompted a doctor stoppage against Ismael Bonfim in between the first and second rounds of their lightweight feature. Referee Mark Smith waved it off after it became clear Bonfim (20-5, 2-2 UFC) was having issues with his vision.

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Sadykhov (10-1-1, 3-0-1 UFC) withstood the aggression and ferocity from his Brazilian counterpart, who pressed forward behind winging power punches and high-velocity kicks. However, perfectly executed question mark kick from the Russian-born Azerbaijani permanently altered the trajectory of the fight. It sent Bonfim reeling backward and opened a horizontal gash below his right eye. He survived to reach the end of the first round, but the damage had been done and did not allow him to continue.

Nine of Sadykhov’s 10 career victories have resulted in finishes.

Finally, ex-Art of War champion Andre Petroski leaned into mean leg kicks and virtually airtight takedown defense, as he laid claim to unanimous decision over Rodolfo Vieira in a three-round middleweight showcase. A short-notice substitution for Jacob Malkoun, Petroski (13-3, 8-2 UFC) swept the scorecards with matching 29-28 marks across the board.

Vieira (10-3, 5-3 UFC) showed considerable improvement in his standup, but his inability to procure takedowns proved costly. Petroski invested heavily in kicks to the lower lead leg of the 2015 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Fighting World Championships gold medalist, committed to his jab and managed to string together enough punching combinations to stay in front. Vieira’s output dwindled noticeably in Round 3, perhaps a byproduct of fatigue and the damage sustained to his lower extremities.

Petroski, 33, has won three fights in a row.

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