UFC 270 Prelims: Victory Henry Upsets Raoni Barcelos, Maddalena Demolishes Rodriguez

Warriors until the very end! 👏 How'd you score it? #UFC270 pic.twitter.com/rQbNrk0IgN

— UFC (@ufc) January 23, 2022

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Victor Henry made quite the entrance.

The longtime Josh Barnett protégé looked like a man at ease in his first Ultimate Fighting Championship assignment, as he took a unanimous decision from former Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion Raoni Barcelos in the featured UFC 270 bantamweight prelim on Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. All three judges struck 30-27 scorecards for Henry (22-5, 1-0 UFC).

Barcelos (16-3, 5-2 UFC) stood toe-to-toe with the onetime Deep champion for 15 minutes, and though he experienced occasional glimmers of hope, they were too few and far between. Henry leaned on overwhelming output, focusing on the body, the head and occasionally the legs. He had Barcelos reeling near the end of Round 1 and rode the wave of momentum for the rest of the bout, springing the upset on the favored Brazilian.

Henry, 34, has won 10 of his past 11 bouts.

Maddalena Blasts Replacement Rodriguez

Former Eternal MMA titleholder Jack Della Maddalena dazzled in his Octagon debut, as he wiped out Pete Rodriguez with punches in the first round of their welterweight pairing. A short-notice substitution for Warlley Alves, Rodriguez (4-1, 0-1 UFC) checked out 2:59 into Round 1.

Maddalena (11-2, 1-0 UFC) bloodied the in-over-his-head prospect’s nose with a surgical jab, probed for openings and carried himself like a seasoned pro. The polished Australian eventually lured Rodriguez into open space, pawed away with his lead hand and fired a left cross that sat down his withering counterpart in a dazed state. A few standing-to-ground punches from Maddalena followed before referee Frank Trigg had seen enough and opted for rescue over restraint.

The 25-year-old Maddalena has recorded 11 straight wins, 10 of them finishes.

Relentless Gravely Swamps Oliveira

Repeated takedowns, effective top control and airtight submission defense carried former CES MMA and King of the Cage champion Tony Gravely to a unanimous decision over Saimon Oliveira in a three-round bantamweight tilt. Gravely (22-7, 3-2 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27 marks from all three judges.

Oliveira (18-4, 0-1 UFC) tried to counter the takedown-centric attack with guillotine chokes, to no avail. Gravely limited their engagements on the feet and grounded the Astra Fight Team-trained Brazilian at well. Oliveira enjoyed brief bursts of success—his close-range elbows were his most effective weapons—but all too often saw his momentum stymied by a focused opponent who followed his game plan to perfection.

The setback closed the book on Oliveira’s run of consecutive victories at five.

Related » UFC 270 Round-by-Round Scoring

Frevola Stops Undefeated Valdez

Serra-Longo Fight Team’s Matt Frevola put away the previously unbeaten Genaro Valdez with punches in the first round of their chaotic lightweight encounter. Valdez (10-1, 0-1 UFC) succumbed to blows 3:15 into Round 1, referee Mike Beltran having given him every chance to recover.

Frevola (9-3-1, 3-3-1 UFC) fought fire with fire. He knocked down Valdez five times, as the 2017 Dana White’s Contender Series graduate tipped his spear with savage left hooks. After the fifth and final knockdown, Frevola climbed to the back, threatened with a rear-naked choke and eventually progressed to full mount. No matter where Valdez turned, there was no escape. Frevola floated through dominant positions, settled on the back and flattened out the Entram Gym standout. A series of unanswered punches from both hands fell next, prompting the stoppage.

The win snapped a two-fight losing streak for Frevola.

Demopoulos Armbar Submits Juarez

Former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Vanessa Demopoulos submitted Silvana Gomez Juarez with an armbar in the first round of their women’s strawweight affair. Demopoulos (7-4, 1-1 UFC) brought it to a close 2:25 into Round 1, as she rebounded from an Aug. 28 decision defeat to J.J. Aldrich.

Juarez (10-4, 0-2 UFC) had her opportunity, and it was golden. She floored Demopoulos with a crushing right hand a little more than a minute into the first round, swooped into top position and cut loose with punches, a finish withing reach. However, Juarez’s efforts did not produce the desired result. Demopoulos remained composed, isolated the Entram Gym export’s right arm and let her considerable skills do the rest.

The 33-year-old Demopoulos has won two of her last three bouts.

Newcomer Jasudavicius Handles Hansen

Niagara Top Team product Jasmine Jasudavicius shined in her promotional debut, as she laid claim to unanimous decision over Kay Hansen in a three-round women’s flyweight clash. All three cageside judges scored it for Jasudavicius (7-1, 1-0 UFC): 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.

Hansen (7-5, 1-2 UFC) struggled with the move from strawweight to 125 pounds. Jasudavicius exploited her five-inch height and reach advantages, kept the 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu rep at arm’s reach and piled up points with jabs and chopping right hands. She executed takedowns in the first and second rounds, settled in top position and applied her ground-and-pound with elbows and forearm strikes. Hansen rebounded in Round 3, where she checked the Canadian’s chin with several sneaky left hooks. However, it was a case of too little too late for the 22-year-old prospect.

Jasudavicius, 32, has rattled off three consecutive victories.