UFC News & FeaturesUFC 267 Prelims: Amanda Ribas Rights Ship, Downs Virna Jandiroba in United Arab Emirates
Back in the win column!
— UFC (@ufc) October 30, 2021
@AmandaRibasUFC closes the prelims in style! #UFC267 pic.twitter.com/3SKEJxBqYn
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American Top Team standout Amanda Ribas reasserted herself in the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s strawweight division and showed no lingering effects from her Jan. 23 stoppage loss to Marina Rodriguez, as she captured a unanimous decision over Virna Jandiroba in the featured UFC 267 prelim on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Ribas was awarded 29-28 marks by all three judges.
Jandiroba (17-3, 3-3 UFC) executed a takedown and sat down the onetime Jungle Fight champion with an overhand right in the first round. From there, Ribas seized command. She tore into the former Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder with multi-punch bursts, often punctuating them with leg kicks. Ribas (11-2, 5-1 UFC) had her fellow Brazilian reeling in Round 3, where she blindsided her with a head kick and pursued the finish with follow-up punches. Though a stoppage failed to materialize, the die had been cast.
Tukhugov Rebounds, Outlasts Ramos
American Kickboxing Academy export Zubaira Tukhugov bounced back from a September 2020 setback against Hakeem Dawodu, as he took a unanimous decision from Ricardo Ramos in a three-round featherweight tilt. Tukhugov (20-5-1, 5-2-1 UFC) carried all three cards with 29-28 scores.
Ramos (15-4, 6-3 UFC) remained competitive throughout—he dazed the Russian with a spinning back elbow in the first round—but could not string together enough meaningful moments to turn the corner. Tukhugov applied constant pressure, opened a significant cut above the Team Alpha Male-trained Brazilian’s left eye, peppered him with a punishing jab and connected effectively on the counter. It was enough to keep Ramos at a deficit on the scorecards.
The 26-year-old Ramos has lost two of his past three bouts.
Duraev Clears Kopylov Hurdle
Former two-division Absolute Championship Berkut titleholder and Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Albert Duraev extended his run of consecutive victories to 10 with a unanimous decision over Roman Kopylov in a three-round middleweight battle. All three judges sided with Duraev (15-3, 1-0 UFC): 30-27, 29-27 and 29-27.
Kopylov (8-2, 0-2 UFC) sat down his fellow Russian with a surgical left hand in the second round and enjoyed a late surge in the third. The moments in between largely belonged to Duraev, who filled in for Alessio Di Chirico on short notice. He almost finished it in the middle stanza, where he struck for a takedown, climbed to full mount and unleashed his ground-and-pound around arm-triangle and rear-naked choke attempts. Kopylov emerged with significant damage to his nose but weathered the assault and forced his counterpart to go an additional five minutes. Duraev obliged despite a left eye that had nearly swelled shut.
The 32-year-old Duraev has not tasted defeat since March 14, 2014.
Related » UFC 267 Round-by-Round Scoring
Zaleski dos Santos Handles Newcomer St. Denis
CM System rep Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos rebounded from a July 11, 2020 defeat to Muslim Salikhov, as he laid claim to a one-sided unanimous decision over Octagon newcomer Benoit St. Denis in a three-round welterweight confrontation. Zaleski dos Santos (23-7, 9-3 UFC) swept the scorecards with 29-26 marks from all three judges.
St. Denis (8-1, 0-1 UFC) was simply outmatched in terms of firepower. A fairly competitive first five minutes gave way to a difficult-to-stomach second round that bordered on cruel and unusual punishment. Zaleski dos Santos battered and bloodied the Frenchman with sweeping hooks from both hands, knee strikes from the clinch and various other weapons. St. Denis managed to withstand the assault—referee Vyacheslav Kiselev could have intervened on more than one occasion—but had little left in the gas tank with which to return fire. Zaleski dos Santos’ pace slowed down the stretch and he was docked a point for an inadvertent low blow, but by then, the lead he had built was insurmountable.
Zaleski dos Santos, 34, has rattled off nine wins in 11 appearances.
Aggressive Oleksiejczuk Buries Gamzatov
Former Thunderstrike Fight League champion Michal Oleksiejczuk cut down the previously unbeaten Shamil Gamzatov in the first round of their light heavyweight clash. In his first assignment since Nov. 9, 2019, Gamzatov (14-1, 1-1 UFC) bowed out 3:31 into Round 1.
Oleksiejczuk (16-4, 4-2 UFC) overwhelmed the Professional Fighters League alum with pace. He stepped forward with overhand lefts, savage body blows and multi-punch bursts at close range. Oleksiejczuk pinned his winded counterpart to the fence, forced him into an all-fours defensive shell with a wicked uppercut and flurried with punches until the job was done.
It was the eighth first-round finish of Oleksiejczuk’s career.
Murphy Knee KOs Amirkhani
Manchester Top Team’s Lerone Murphy kept his undefeated record intact and did so in spectacular fashion, as he knocked out Makwan Amirkhani with a perfectly timed knee strike in the second round of their featherweight encounter. A late-notice replacement for Tristan Connelly, Murphy (11-0-1, 3-0-1 UFC) drew the curtain 14 seconds into Round 2.
Amirkhani (16-7, 6-5 UFC) dictated the terms of the engagement in the first round, where he shut down the onetime Full Contact Contender champion with takedowns, ground-and-pound and mat returns. Murphy responded at the start of the middle stanza, as he countered a ducking double-leg takedown attempt from “Mr. Finland” with a devastating knee to the head. An unconscious Amirkhani collapsed downward into a supine position and ate a subsequent right hand before referee Marc Goddard could arrive on the scene.
The once-promising Amirkhani now finds himself on a three-fight losing streak.
Petroski Arm-Triangle Vanquishes Hu
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 29 semifinalist Andre Petroski submitted Yaozong Hu with an arm-triangle choke in the third round of their middleweight affair. A short-notice replacement for Alen Amedovski, Petroski (7-1, 2-0 UFC) brought it to a close 4:46 into Round 3.
In his first appearance since Nov. 24, 2018, Hu (3-3, 0-3 UFC) failed to establish foothold. Petroski walloped him with power punches on the feet, delivered takedowns virtually at will and slowly wore down the Tiger Muay Thai product. Hu wilted late in the third round, where he conceded multiple takedowns and absorbed heavy ground-and-pound from the Daniel Gracie protégé. Petroski shifted to full mount in the waning seconds, dropped elbows and transitioned to the arm-triangle to prompt the tapout.
Petroski will enter his next assignment on the strength of back-to-back victories.
Surging Ulanbekov Survives Nascimento
Takedowns and top control carried former Fight Nights Global champion Tagir Ulanbekov to a split decision over Allan Nascimento in a three-round flyweight pairing. All three cageside judges struck 29-28 scorecards: Vito Paolillo and Darryl Ransom for Ulanbekov, Ben Cartlidge for Nascimento.
Ulanbekov (14-1, 2-0 UFC) made his intentions known in the first round, where he executed multiple takedowns and nearly finished the Chute Boxe standout with a guillotine choke. Nascimento (18-6, 0-1 UFC) answered with a venomous guard that saw him threaten with various submissions, from triangle chokes and armbars to kimuras and omoplatas. Nothing stuck. Ulanbekov successfully navigated those efforts, continued to pile up control time and incorporated some ground-and-pound laced with short elbows and punches.
The 30-year-old Ulanbekov has won five fights in a row.
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