After a fight week full of bad blood, Merab Dvalishvili got the last laugh.
While Dvalishvili didn’t come close to landing all of his takedown attempts, the constant threat of his wrestling created openings for “The Machine” to succeed in other aspects of the bout. That was especially evident on the feet, as Dvalishvili attacked with punching combinations, standing elbows and kicks to various levels. Most notably, a calf kick from the Georgian seemed to compromise Yan’s left leg in the second stanza, and the Russian was often forced to switch his stance as a result. Additionally, the former bantamweight champ had heavy swelling above his right eye by the end of the contest — the product of absorbing numerous punching combinations.
Related » UFC Fight Night 221 Round-by-Round Scoring
To his credit, Yan (16-5, 8-4 UFC) never lacked resolve. He landed some hard shots to the body — especially early on — and defended numerous takedowns, but he simply couldn’t match the pressure and pace of a relentless opponent. Yan has lost four of his last five UFC appearances.
Volkov Overwhelms Romanov
Alexander Volkov made short work of Alexander Romanov in the heavyweight co-main event. The former Bellator and M-1 Global champion finished the fight with ground-and-pound from back mount 2:16 into the opening round to complete a dominant performance. After beginning his professional career with 16 straight victories, Romanov (16-2, 5-2) has lost back-to-back Octagon appearances.
Volkov (36-10, 10-4 UFC) attacked with confidence from the start, and Romanov had no option but to shoot for takedowns. The Russian defended the initial attempt well — with the aid of a fence grab — and rocked Romanov with a big right after the heavyweights separated. That prompted a desperation shot from “King Kong,” and Volkov stuffed it with ease while transitioning to take his opponent’s back. From there, Volkov unloaded with heavy shots — including several under the armpit — before referee Mark Smith stepped in to end the onslaught.
Krylov Outgrapples Spann
Nikita Krylov survived a frantic grappling battle with Ryan Spann to win via first-round submission in a 215-pound catchweight affair. “The Miner” ended the contest with a triangle choke at the 3:38 mark of Round 1 — his 16th career submission victory. The bout was originally supposed to take place as the UFC Fight Night 220 headliner on Feb. 25 before Krylov (30-9, 11-7 UFC) fell ill on the day of the bout.
The combatants traded wildly after the opening bell sounded, but the definitive action happened on the canvas. In a contest that featured multiple submission attempts and scrambles, Krylov put his stamp on the fight after Spann slid off of his adversary while attempting a rear-naked choke. Spann (21-8, 7-3 UFC) elected to dive right into Krylov’s guard, where he found himself trapped in a triangle choke almost instantly. “Superman” had no choice but to tap in a matter of seconds.
Martinez Upsets Nurmagomedov
Jonathan Martinez pulled off a minor upset in the bantamweight division, ending Said Nurmagomedov’s four-bout winning streak with a hard-fought unanimous decision triumph. The Factory X standout secured a trio of 29-28 scorecards for his fifth consecutive UFC victory.
Nurmagomedov (17-3, 6-2) nearly made it an early night when he followed a combination with a rear-naked choke in the opening stanza, but Martinez (18-4, 9-3 UFC) was able to escape the position. It was a dogfight from there. Nurmagomedov relied on spinning attacks and kicks to all levels when at range, but he appeared to fatigue as the bout progressed.
Martinez, meanwhile, did much of his best work with leg kicks and elbows in close quarters. The final stanza was extremely close, as Nurmagomedov assumed top position early but had to defend a triangle armbar attempt from his opponent. Nurmagomedov took the back in an ensuing scramble, but Martinez would return to his feet to make his foe work from the clinch for much of the remainder of the period.
Bautista Wins Fourth Straight
Mario Bautista earned his fourth consecutive triumph in UFC competition, as he submitted Guido Cannetti with a rear-naked choke in their bantamweight showdown. The 29-year-old MMA Lab representative brought the show to a close 3:18 into Round 1. Bautista (12-2, 6-2 UFC) has earned six of his 12 career victories via submission — including three straight within the Las Vegas-based promotion.Bautista wasted little time taking his 43-year-old foe to the canvas. While Cannetti (10-7, 4-6 UFC) was able to escape a body triangle and initial back take from his adversary, Bautista responded with a belly-to-back suplex in short order. From there, he quickly slid the arm under the Argentina native’s neck to elicit the tapout. Cannetti sees a modest two-bout winning streak snapped in defeat.
Petrino Outlasts Turkalj
Vitor Petrino blended power punches with wrestling and grappling to garner a unanimous decision triumph over fellow Dana White’s Contender Series competitor Anton Turkalj in a light heavyweight affair. All three judges scored the bout for the Brazilian: 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27.
Petrino began the contest by rocking Turkalj with punches at range, but he nearly met disaster late in the first round, when he was rocked by an upkick as he attempted to enter his opponent’s guard. Turkalj (8-2, 0-2 UFC) also briefly hurt Petrino (8-0, 1-0 UFC) with a flurry of punches in the waning moments of the second stanza, but the CM System export was able to survive the barrage. Much of the fight was contested in the clinch and on the canvas, however, and it was Petrino’s ability to land takedowns, overpower his opponent and explode out of bad positions that ultimately made the difference.